All in Good Taste: Thelonious Monkfish

I am excited for another opportunity to visit the jazz-themed Asian fusion restaurant, despite its slightly hectic atmosphere. The restaurant is perpetually dark, and we are always greeted by the sound of a piano and trumpet playing live from one room over. Though on multiple occasions I have experienced almost infuriating wait times, even after making a reservation, the food and ambience keep me coming back. All of the extended delays have occurred when I've come with large groups; when I've accompanied parties of two to four people, we're always seated immediately.

The restaurant has two dining areas: the first room contains the sushi bar — a number of wooden tables and an area where people are seated on the ground — while the second room contains a bar, jazz stage and more seating. Even if you are not seated in the room with live music, it drifts throughout the whole restaurant and can be heard from virtually any table.

The menu is extensive, to say the least. There is an almost overwhelming number of options including sushi, soups, fried rice options and noodle specialties. The menu is filled with cleverly-named rolls and entrees, many of which reference jazz music. I was initially drawn to the restaurant due to its number of inventive vegetarian sushi offerings. I’ve tried a number of the vegetarian rolls, and all of them have been impeccable. Beyond sushi, there are a number of vegetarian entrees as well.

My roommate, Ana, opts for the spicy tuna on crispy rice as an appetizer and picks the Crazy Roll as an entrée, which includes shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber, tobiko and eel sauce. I start with an order of the edamame and choose one of the fairy tale sushi rolls called “The Snow Queen Roll.” The large and elaborate roll is filled with shiitake, green apple, cucumber and asparagus and draped in coconut, drizzled with pineapple mayo and garnished with coconut flakes.

Ana describes her spicy tuna and crispy rice appetizer as not too spicy and very flavorful. She loves the contrast between the crispy rice and the tender tuna and only has positive reviews. I love my roll, which combines a mixture of sweet fruits and vegetables flawlessly into eight filling pieces. The thing I appreciate most about Thelonious Monkfish is their ability to be creative with their vegetarian options. I love that they incorporate fruit and vegetables into a number of the rolls, as I am so tired of only having cucumber and avocado rolls available to vegetarians at Asian restaurants.

Thelonious Monkfish is only slightly pricier than its Medford counterparts (Yoshi's, Taipei Tokyo), but in terms of the quality of food and overall experience, you are getting a far better deal. The restaurant is located in nearby Central Square and is perfect for a date night or for evenings where you want to feel fancy without paying fancy prices. On top of this, the restaurant delivers to the Tufts campus through GrubHub! Visit their website to make online reservations and check out their schedule for live jazz music.