Located in the heart of Central Square in Cambridge, the amazing restaurant Thelonious Monkfish fuses Thai and Japanese cuisine. Central Square, an official Cultural District, is recognized for its diverse culture and cuisines. On the main road, Massachusetts Avenue, there is a variety of traditional ethnic restaurants, music bars, markets, and clothing stores.
Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, jazz performers, such as Patrice Williamson and the Jason Trio, perform on the restaurants’ Jazz Baroness Room stage. One might wonder about the correlation between Asian fusion and jazz music. Thelonious Monkfish explains that “[n]othing warms the palate like an explosion of flavor or the heart like a burst of song!”
Not only does the restaurant have a great location and music, but the food is delicious. Besides from having a wide variety and copious amounts of sushi, they also have many noodle and soup dishes, fried rice dishes, and meat dishes.
For appetizers, my family ordered the spicy tuna on crispy rice, topped with daikon sprouts, thin slices of cucumber, black tobiko, and wasabi mayo. Although difficult to eat because of its height, like a burger that is overloaded, it was amazing. The seared rice balls were the perfect combination of crunchy rice and sticky rice. The spicy tuna was light and mildly spicy, and the cucumber and sprouts added a freshness and sweetness.
The first time I went to Thelonious Monkfish I ordered the Agedashi Tofu, which really wasn’t that great as the broth was lacking a strong flavor and so was the tofu. With some seasoning and salt, it would have been perfect.
For dinner, we ordered three Makimono special rolls, the Sophisticated Lady Roll, Robin Hood Roll, and Mad Monk Maki. The Sophisticated Lady Roll was by far my favorite. It was very simple, just shrimp tempura topped with tuna avocado and eel sauce, but there was a good balance of different textures and flavors. There was crunch from the tempura and smoothness from the avocado.
If you decide to go to Thelonious Monkfish, I would recommend making a day of it by exploring Central Square during the day, grabbing dinner and then stopping by one of the many music bars close by! It’ll be worth the trip!
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