A spate of condos and a new Pinkberry knockoff aren't the only evidence that Ballard is feeling considerably more hip these days. The neighborhood has also kicked it up a notch in the restaurant arena with the likes of Lunchbox Laboratory [0], Ocho [0] and now The Monkey Bridge [0], which opened March 4.
The new Vietnamese eatery is named for the bamboo crossings that link Vietnamese villagers to their local markets. The simian association comes from the monkeylike postures travelers assume as they cross them.
The eggplant walls and red-lantern-style light fixtures lend a cozy air to this friendly establishment owned and operated by the Nguyen family (Mom, Huong Tran, is the chef, while Dad, Hung Nguyen, remodeled the restaurant's interior; siblings Mai, Dung, Quoc and Ha are also on hand to help out), who owned the downtown Vietnamese fast-food eatery Viet Chi for 15 years before losing their lease two years ago due to condo and hotel development.
Ballard's current condo surge could work in the Nguyens' favor, due to the restaurant's central location to new developments, not to mention The Monkey Bridge's inviting atmosphere and tasty eats.
For lunch or dinner, you can sidle up to the small bar or sit at one of the dark wood tables set with bamboo mats and chopsticks. Monkey Bridge's prices are reasonable, with appetizers ranging from $4 to $8 ($3.75 to $4 for lunch starters) and dinner entrées in the $8.50-to-$18.50 range. (Three sea bass options -- steamed with soy sauce and ginger, prepared with a tamarind sauce or pan-fried with sweet-and-sour sauce -- are the higher-ticket items.)
I had the shrimp salad rolls ($4.50) and Vietnamese curry chicken ($8.50), which had the perfect combination of spice and coconut sweetness, served with rice and soup. The Monkey Bridge serves beer and wine, but I opted for a pot of the jasmine loose-leaf tea ($2) served in a teapot from Vietnam. The tea lasts as long as you linger, since they keep the hot water coming.
I also tried the coconut ice cream topped with chunks of real coconut (not the dried kind) and salted peanuts, and if it weren't for standards of decorum, the delectable sweet-salty-creamy combo would have encouraged me to lick the bowl clean.
The Monkey Bridge also offers a good selection of salads, such as ginger-poached chicken with cabbage ($6.50) and lotus shoot with shrimp ($8.50). Pho, available with chicken, vegetable or beef broth, is also on the menu for both lunch and dinner.
Rice and noodle creations round out the lunchtime lineup. However, returning the same week for a midday meal, I saw that the real stars of the lunch brigade are the Vietnamese baguettes -- chicken, vegetables, beef or pork on a toasted French baguette with cucumber, cilantro, pickled carrot and daikon -- served with shrimp chips for $4.50, or $4 for the Vietnamese ham and egg baguette with cilantro and soy sauce.
Lunchtime at the Monkey Bridge draws professionals from the adjacent Swedish Medical Center and other area businesses, while dinner sees a cross section of families and couples in their twenties, thirties, forties and well beyond.
As at most of the new Ballard restaurants, the diverse clientele at The Monkey Bridge is likely to keep coming. After all, the only thing that stands in their way is the Ballard Bridge. And for that crossing, no simian postures are required.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
