Monsoon East serves contemporary Vietnamese dishes in a casual yet elegant setting, which makes it a destination for a nice dinner, an after work drink with friends and a small group or party.
The restaurant includes a full bar, a private dining room, a fresh ocean bar with oysters and sashimi and two happy hours in its cocktail lounge.
About half of Sophie and Eric Banh's clientele at their longtime Seattle restauarant Monsoon would cross Lake Washington from the Eastside. So in December 2008, the siblings opened Monsoon East on Bellevue's Main Street.
Monsoon East features a large menu with contemporary takes on Vietnamese and Asian dishes. The cocktail lounge serves fun drinks and a variety of wines and appetizers until closing. Monsoon East's lunch menu includes an oxtail pho and banh mi (sandwich) lunches with elegant touches such duck confit, pork belly or drunken chicken. Dinner includes the ocean bar with fresh oysters and sashimi, a small plates menu including bo la lot (steak in la lot leaves) and squid stuffed with duck and other items, and a variety of entrees, including carmelized catfish claypot. Brunch includes small plates, dim sum and large plates.
The restaurant also delivers box lunches to Bellevue, Kirkland, Factoria, and the Redmond Microsoft Campus (see the restaurant's website for details).