Before I departed to Japan for a month, I was given an impromptu send-off party at Monta. This came following a year of nonstop coworkers cheering about how wonderful Monta was and how it made other establishments in Vegas, particular Anime Ramen, look bad. So needless to say, my expectations were really high.
It should be mentioned that Monta was incredibly authentic to the point where everything that I loved and hated about Japan was en-capsuled by this establishment:
Too small to fit a decent crowd so there was a 45 minute wait late night on a Friday? Check.
Hard benches?
Check.
Tiny waiting space?
Check.
Completely open mail slot in the middle of December with a door that didn't close so it was incredibly drafty and wet and miserable?
Check.
At some point I was actually convinced that this was their plot: Make you so hungry and cold and put-out that you would just find the food euphoric when you finally arrived.
Not to mention that they were OUT of miso so anything that had miso in it was not an option. Seriously, my favorite thing on the menu? You're out of it??
So finally managed to get to our food and the taste was great. Broth was wonderful, noodles perfectly cooked. Was it worth the wait? Not reallyI just wanted to flee to Curry Zen whose attitude is blah but food is a staple for me.
I suppose that if I came a weekday afternoon and had a casual bowl I would had a different experience then it would have been fine. But I shouldn't have to wait for a chance time to have a pleasant experience.