MONO has acquired its Michelin 1-star status this year, offering unique Latin American cuisine in French techniques. The chef owner Ricardo Chaneton is Venezuelan, well-travelled and had worked in many renown restaurants before starting his own in On Lan Street, Central.
We had reserved the counter seats in order to see the actions in kitchen throughout the meal, but there is also a dining room area if preferring a more intimate setting. The stainless-steel tabletop, with the many baskets holding different ingredients, caught our curiosity and attention.
There are two menus, and we opted for the full-course Journey Menu ($2,080) plus the Premium wine pairing ($1,588). General Manager Mauricio Rodriguez came to greet us and started with my first wine, Krug Grande Cuvee 170eme Edition. A nice Champagne to begin our meal.
The first course was Venezuelan corn arepa. The arepa is made from ground corn flour, baked, and then stuffed with snow crab, avocado puree, sweet peas, dusted with seasoning made from avocado leaves. A nice starter, the arepa had a crisp texture, with the fillings a delicate taste.
The second course was Hiramasa Peruvian Ceviche. Hiramasa is Yellowtail Amberjack, and the chef used the Japanese technique to thinly slice the fish to prepare the ceviche, adding a thin slice of Japanese sweet tomato in between. The sauce is refreshing, made from fish sauce, lemon, ginger, and tomato. A highlight was the fresh almond pieces put on top, as this ingredient is only available three weeks in the year. An appetizing dish with many different flavours.
For the next two courses the wine paired was an interesting one from Bodega Garzon in Uruguay. The Petit Clos Albarino was fruity and floral, with balanced acidity and nice notes of minerality, and a well-rounded finish. A nice white wine.
The third course was Andean vegetables salad. The chef presented to us the basket of vegetables, with many we only heard of first time. Some of the vegetables include chayote, jicama, oca, yam, tomatillo, quinoa with aloe vera. The different texture and flavours of the vegetables, beautifully put together on the plate, was so enticing and one of the most memorable dish in the evening for us.
The fourth course was Causa Limena, a Peruvian delicacy of mashed potato traditionally with chicken. The chef replaced it with special Uruguayan Ossetra Royal Caviar. Unlike most other places where the sturgeons are raised in a pool, the farm is on the river so the flavours of the caviar are cleaner. On the side is a foam made from the renown Aji Amarillo chili from Peru, with a bit of spiciness but not excessive.
Next the chef brought us their famous Bolivian Quinoa Sourdough. There is a tag showing Masa Madre 1062, indicating that the mother dough of the bread has already been cultivated for almost three years. The sourdough was definitely one of the best in my experience. There are also the Eva Aguilera 100% Arbequina olive oil to go with the bread, a truly limited production offered to only three restaurants, with great and fantastic flavours. If available I would like to buy a bottle home as well.
I was delighted to see R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Reserva, a white Rioja and one of my favourite wines, was served. The intense and complex aromas, with the rich development of nutty and caramel notes, was a perfect pairing for the next course.
Before the course, we were provided the fermented cacao tea to help cleanse the palate, then continuing to the signature Imperial Langoustine, from Netherlands, which is very sweet and tender in texture. On the side are some fresh Ecuadorian cacao, the white pulp surrounding the bean. The sauce is gorgeous, creamy and rich, with a hint of the chocolate flavours from the cacao matching well with the umami of the langoustine. A definite must try in my opinion.
For the next two courses the Errazuriz Las Pizzarras Chardonnay was served. Good with citrus characters, there are also some floral and almonds aromas, with hints of honey. A nice, versatile white to go well with seafood with stronger body and flavours.
Then the chef showed us how to prepare the special 21 ingredients Mexican Mole. Heating up the stone bowl, he poured in the different spice and ingredients in, and then adding the chocolate sauce to mix well. Dusting with some shaved lime zest to freshen up the mole sauce, it was subsequently added to the Blue Lobster Taco, with the Xnipec salsa on top to further enhance the overall complexity and texture. Another great dish.
The eighth course was Brittany Monkfish. The huge monkfish was cooked with some South American spices, and then cutting out a piece of the meat to serve with some orange zest on top. On the side was Venezuelan bollito, a boiled cornflour snack usually seen in breakfast, with also a piece of crispy corn cracker on top. The Sofrito sauce, made from paprika, tomato, green onion and other ingredients, was a perfect match and add to the taste and enjoyment tremendously.
The last wine on the pairing was Bibi Graetz Testamatta Rosso, a very well-balanced and great Italian Super Tuscan made with 100% Sangiovese. The vintage also highlighted its 20th anniversary, a milestone dedicated to Bibi’s focus in finding the best Sangiovese to make a complex wine.
The ninth course was Racan Pigeon. The chef had put some Chimichurri on the plate artfully before plating. Prepared medium rare, the pigeon breast was very tender and juicy, with the jus reduction wonderfully flavourful. Like a lollipop was the pigeon leg, with a special Brazilian fruit called Jabuticaba added. On the side was Yuca, a type of tuber that was nicely grilled, with the most tender fillet of the pigeon on top. Delicious with everything so harmonious and tasty, this one was another of my favourites in the evening.
Coming to the dessert, the Caribbean Pina Colada was a deconstruction of the famous cocktail, on the bottom was chocolate mixed with some spiced pineapple dices, infused in vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon and cloves. In the middle the coconut milk sorbet, with some pineapple and dill added for the taste. While on the top was the sugar crisp with lime zest and coconut shavings. Mixing together to enjoy, it was refreshing and appropriate on sweetness. Very nice.
The second dessert was another interesting signature, featuring homemade Chocolate from scratch, using Ecuadorian and Taiwan cacao. The chef shared with us the process involved to make the ganache. The beautiful chocolate dome, together with a Rosemary Ice-cream and some Tonda Iblea extra-virgin olive oil, showcased a rich, creamy, fragrant chocolate, one of the best I had tried, balancing perfectly between the sweetness and bitterness. It was another of my recommendation.
To my pleasant surprise, the general manager then treated me a glass of rum on the house. The Flor de Cana 12 years had nice smoky taste, with nice vanilla and baked apple taste on the palate. A nice rum from Nicaragua to finish the meal.
The last dessert is Argentinian Alfajor, a confection with two cookies made of flour, nut and honey sandwiching coconut shavings and dulce de leche. On the side was the Seasonal Fruit Jelly but unfortunately, I could not hear well which fruit it was. Quite sweet to wrap up, it did finish well with the rum.
The service was very good, with the staff all very friendly and eager to help. The chef explained each dish to us in details, and using the baskets to show us the different ingredients which was a smart and interesting way to get us even more engaged to what we ate. The bill on the night was $6,609 and this is certainly a restaurant I found unique and worth exploring whenever they do have a menu change, to experience more the great Latin American ingredients.
