13 Oct 2020
Monster Kitchen & Bar welcomes new Executive Chef, Paul Wilson on the back of Ovolo's global announcement that all restaurants and bars across Australia and Hong Kong will go vegetarian for 365 days. The confident leap to greener grass will also see the kitchen & bar enter new terrain, growing their own produce and focusing on food preservation.
Perfectly poised to drive 'Year Of The Veg', Paul has previously worked for two and half years as Sous Chef at Denmark's acclaimed Geranium, a three Michelin-starred restaurant and ranked number 5 in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2019.
Having worked most recently as Executive Chef at Orpheus Island Lodge's renowned restaurant on the Great Barrier Reef, Paul brings a deep respect for locally sourced, seasonal ingredients landing an exciting set of fresh ideas with conscious consumption at the forefront to the Monster's new world vegetarian menu. A menu driven by responsibility, sustained by seasonality and inspired by regionality.
As it becomes increasingly popular for people to feel good about what they eat and order, Paul introduces complexity to simple, fresh and quality ingredients finding inspiration to create many layers of flavour to the final result. The chef will incorporate his previous experiences and techniques to showcase vegetables through a refined menu offering.
Executive Chef, Paul Wilson speaks to the new menu, “indulgent, rich, refined, isn't often association with sustainable, conscious, even vegetarian dining! That's what we're doing at Monster. We're pushing the boundaries with vegetarian, from Hay Smoked Beetroot to Slow Roasted Carrot Terrine.”
With a rise in consumer interest and understanding of the benefits aligned with plant-based and vegetarian cuisine has led the restaurant experiment with growing hyperlocal produce for the kitchen and bar. The introduction of the Nishi Botanica, which will play a key role in treating ingredients with integrity to deliver on food that demands respect.
The garden will have an array of aromatic herbs and young vegetables to edible flowers for the chefs to pick on a daily basis, we will also be implementing a garden for the bar team to use for their botanicals and infusions which would be much more visible for the guests to see the team interact with the flora.
“Our biggest opportunity to drive positive impact for the planet and health lies within producing our own supply chain. Nishi Botanica creates an environment where everyone thrives. We want our guests to consume food in an environment that has meaning, inspires our chef and our diners,” Wilson says.
Monster's cutting-edge veg will endorse longevity, fermenting and pickling will feature prominently across the menu allowing the vibrancy of the produce to live on.
The Monster is evolving and now is a herbivore.
Monster Kitchen & Bar will be completely transformed October 28 2020 however a range of Year of the Veg menu items are available now.Open for dinner, Thursday to Saturday
Visit for all bookings – monsterkitchen.com.au
-ENDS-
**The 'Year of the Veg' does not include Conferencing & Events across Ovolo Hotels to give guests freedom for their unique celebrations, or the By Ovolo Collective hotels as they are distinctive, individual concepts.**
About Ovolo Group:
The Ovolo Group was founded by entrepreneur Girish Jhunjhnuwala and first entered the real estate market in 2002; then further expanded into the hotel industry in 2010. Ovolo Hotels quickly became one of Hong Kong and Australia's most dynamic independent owner operated hospitality firms by providing guests with the best in effortless living across hotels and food and beverage outlets.
A collection of contemporary hotels that keep you connected to the little luxuries you love, all effortlessly included. The company prides itself on being in touch with the modern traveller through award-winning interior designs, detail-driven comforts, complimentary value-added services like the mini bar, breakfast, Wi-Fi, and more, and cutting-edge technology - all done in signature Ovolo style. At the 2019 HM Awards, Ovolo Hotels were acknowledged for Hotel and Accommodation Excellence, receiving the accolade “Hotel Brand of the Year”.
A proud Hong Kong brand, Ovolo Group remains a family-owned and privately-operated business operating four hotels and three restaurants in Hong Kong, and seven hotels and five restaurants across Australia in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane. Ovolo is also developing a new hotel in Melbourne, Australia (South Yarra).
Ovolo also has the By Ovolo Collective within its portfolio of hotels, a distinctive collection of four hotels each one unique, each one special, the more guests explore, the more they'll find. These include Nishi Apartments in Canberra Australia, Mojo Nomad Aberdeen Harbour in Hong Kong, The Sheung Wan Hong Kong, and Mamaka Kuta Beach Bali Indonesia launching late 2020.
