Scan Magazine, Issue 116, September 2018

Page 102

Scan Magazine  |  Restaurant of the Month  |  Norway

Monsun offers fresh and healthy ingredients, and clean and complex flavours.

Restaurant of the Month, Norway

Asian fusion with a twist Monsun Restaurant is the innovative Asian-fusion kitchen serving Oslo citizens steaming hot ramen, fresh and healthy vegan dishes and the intriguingly named Forbidden Sushi. With inspiration from several corners of Asia and a penchant for new flavours, founder and CEO Jana Le brings the world a little bit closer to the Norwegian capital. By Alyssa Nilsen  |  Photos: jonmariusnilsson.no

With a two-part restaurant in the buzzing neighbourhood of Grünerløkka in Oslo, Monsun is rapidly becoming a go-to place for Norwegians with an appetite for Asian flavours and healthy foods. The more traditional part of the restaurant, Monsun Noodlebar, serves up quality meals based on fresh produce and tradition, albeit with a modern twist, whereas newcomer Streetcorner, has more of a street food approach to their menu. There, you will be able to try Taiwanese Bao with bulgogi and kimchi, Vietnamese pho, and their immensely popular rice bowls. 102  |  Issue 116  |  September 2018

Monsun first opened its doors in 2010, and today, eight years later, they have got 28 employees and even more expansions on the horizon. With a dedicated crew of people hailing from Slovakia, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan and Vietnam, Monsun has grown into quite an institution in the city.

A playful approach to food Originally intended as a noodle bar, Monsun’s menus have grown to include styles, directions and types of food from several Asian countries. Le says that

travelling the world is what inspires her the most, citing cities like Hong Kong as places from which to pick up new ideas. She feels that trying new approaches to food, playing with concepts and thinking outside the box is a fundamental part of the Monsun personality. “It’s all about an interest in and passion for food,” she states, “I love working with food, I love to travel and be inspired by people I meet out there in the world, and to bring those ideas and flavours back to Norway and develop my own recipes.” This is why, on an otherwise traditional menu, you can find items like Lady Dragon Roll, Snow White Roll and Darth Vader Roll. Forbidden Sushi is another unfamiliar take on a normally familiar food item. Made with unrefined black rice, Forbidden Sushi is a cleaner,


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