Monkey King Pan Asian Bar

Found this place when looking for a spot to park up and refuel that wasn 't food court feralness. We picked this place because the decor was cool but we were torn between enjoying a quiet spot to relax vs taking the risk of eating at a 'not busy ' restaurant. Service was good. Food was authentic, clean and really tasty. Menu options were fresh and great variety. Lunch for four including entree and drinks was about $100

This is one of those places that I 've walked past a number of times, particularly since it is at the entrance to Melbourne Central, but haven 't got around to checking out until recently. I have to admit that it didn 't really grab me all that much, though I can 't really put my finger on why. The service wasn 't the best, and there didn 't seem to be a huge range of beers on tap, at least not to have the title of 'Pan-Asian Beer Bar '. Sure, it is located in a really convenient location, but it 's not a place that I 'd be drawn to all that much.

They advertise $1 dumplings Tuesday nights, and only one kind of dumpling was $1. The rest are standard prices. The dumplings are great, but the pork belly skewer was hilariously small, with a MASSIVE salad. Not worth the money. One of the waiters (young, short hair, chequered shirt, blond hair) was lovely and attentive, but the other guy (man bun) wasn 't very friendly. Prices are fab. I will be back.

I've been here twice in the last couple of weeks. It's a new establishment and I get the feeling that the staff are still finding their feet and rhythm. I've eaten the chicken satay sticks (super tasty satay sauce), lamb dumplings and beef dumplings, steamed vegetables. The lamb dumplings were great. The beef dumplings were tasty, but the wrapper wasn't cooked properly which was a little disappointing (although only on a few of the edges). The vegetables were a little overpriced for what they were. The food really is designed to share, so best place to go with a couple of friends so that you can have a little variety. The service has been okay, I think it would be better if they warn you that the food just comes out as it comes out I ate in a group (colleagues) of 6 and it was quite awkward as one person waited a significant amount of time for their dish. Staff are friendly but it's not yet the sort of service that makes me want to tip. I'll be back (for the chicken satay) and will reserve final judgement until I try a few more things on the menu.

I was excited to see the $10 jug house beer deal advertised outside the restaurant, but my experience quickly soured once I entered. Despite being the only customer at 4:40pm, I found the staff to be unengaging and struggled to have a conversation with them. After ordering the house beer, I was disappointed to find that nobody could tell me the alcohol content and the beer itself tasted like watered-down lolly water. It was clear that this place was not living up to my expectations, so I decided to go elsewhere to enjoy a drink.