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Mono+Mono arrived in Bangkok late last year surrounded by hype. This was largely due to the name, which comes from a hugely popular Korean-style fried chicken restaurant in New York’s East Village that burned down in 2013. True to those roots, Mono+Mono Bangkok has a distinctly New York City vibe, with tables made from black metal piping, Tolix chairs and the obligatory subway tiles, as well as plenty of air plants and medicine bottles. It all comes together nicely but is a bit boring and uncreative, much like the menu.

 

Aside from Korean fried chicken and gua bao (buns), the food is all about fried things like onion rings (B60), fish and chips (B245) and calamari (B175), plus a few sad-sounding salads—the only one we’re drawn to is the softshell crab (B175). Even the fried chicken (20-wing party set, B495; 14-wing large set, B375; 8-wing medium set, B215; and 5-wing small set, B155) doesn’t compare to BonChon, Bangkok’s other New York-born Korean fried chicken name. We find not just the chicken at BonChon tastier, but also the garlic sauce, which is less sweet than Mono+Mono’s. That said, we prefer the salty tang to Mono’s spicy sauce.

 

As for the gua bao, they too don’t deliver on much other than looks. The crispy deep-fried soft shell crab bao (B195, plus B30 with fries and pickles) lacks flavor, both in the crab itself and the bun, which is only saved by a sweet mayo sauce and nice texture. The pork belly bao (B155, plus B20 with fries and pickles) is also unpleasant, due to braised pork which, though tender, tastes as though it's been slathered in Marmite. Sides such as the smoked salmon salad (B175) and fried calamari (B175) are OK but nothing memorable.

 

Mono+Mono pulls off a nice vibe, and we’d say it was worth an after-work drink if the booze options were better (Heineken on tap is all they offer, B100). Service is good and prices are pretty budget, but in this city’s fast-paced junk food scene, it struggles to keep up.