THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Cafe Monsarrat

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Cafe Monsarrat Restaurant Review:

After a disastrous excursion into Creole cooking, Monsarrat is back on track. For years its appeal was a sort of multinational tapas menu, small plates of everything from Szechuan shrimp to Argentinean-style steak. Under new chef Steve Brown, the wild cultural excursions are cut down. This is now a mainstream Pacific Rim restaurant with interesting and artistically presented food---Shalanno oysters with ponzu sauce, kiawe-grilled tofu with tomato-ogo salad, baby-back ribs with ancho-guava barbecue sauce. The menu is much more conventional appetizer plus entrée than it used to be, we miss the old free-style dining. But still this is an appealing neighborhood restaurant just two minutes from Waikiki, and more than worth the trip. The décor includes warm yellow walls, multicolored place settings, and beaded napkin rings. It’s Miami teaching Honolulu how to be tropical. Monsarrat is always full, however, because it promotes convivial gatherings and that’s the heart of any restaurant.