Restaurant: Monkey Bridge (Ballard)

I met up with a few friends at this fairly new restaurant in Ballard. Previously, the space was occupied by a pharmacy... or so I heard.

My first introduction to Vietnamese cuisine was from my college roommate freshman year... that was 7 or 8 years ago, and the food was pho. With the exception of a banh mi here and there, that's pretty much been the only Vietnamese food I've had. Kind of sad really.

This was a great chance to try something new, especially since I arrived a bit late and everyone had already ordered! So I left it in the hands of the friendly waitress; who suggested I try the Vietnamese style pork chop, and beer 33... which isn't import beer, but export beer. I have no idea on that one.

A short while later, the food was on the table and we were feasting on tasty Vietnamese eats. It turns out, almost everyone else I was with ordered the #20 (not sure exactly what it is), so I may have to try that next time... and there will be a next time. Monkey Bridge gets two thumbs up from me so far.

The only issues was that they were out of egg rolls, which I guess is one of the things that comes with the #20; so they all got extra meat instead. We also ordered some appetizers, but that somehow got overlooked and by the time the waitress remembered we already had our meals in front of us. She apologized and we passed on the appetizers. Nothing major.

So, to recap... friendly and quick service, delicious food, very reasonably priced, and in the heart of Ballard (great if you're in Ballard, sucks if you live far away like me). Highly recommended... now go enjoy some non-pho Viet food.