Tapas and ramen are the keys to this Mount Dora restaurant

Cindy Peterson
·2 min read

MOUNT DORA — Tucked away on the top floor of the Renaissance building in Mount Dora, The Funky Monkey Gastrobar offers a great view of the city with big flavors. Owned by The Frog and Monkey owner Rodrigo Morocho, this venture was a way for him to explore some different food options for the area.

“We wanted to create something different and focus on sharable dishes, or tapas,” Morocho said.

The answer came when he found executive chef Dionne Wilson, whose culinary skills lend to Japanese cuisine since spending time in Japan learning the art of ramen.

Executive Chef Dionne Wilson spent time in Japan learning the art of ramen and now is bringing it to The Funky Monkey in downtown Mount Dora.
Executive Chef Dionne Wilson spent time in Japan learning the art of ramen and now is bringing it to The Funky Monkey in downtown Mount Dora.

“I kind of fell into it because I interviewed for a job at a restaurant, not knowing it was Japanese,” Wilson said. “It ended up becoming one of my favorite things to cook and I wanted to make it perfect.”

Wilson grew up in New York. He said that he turned his life around after finding out he was going to be a father, and attended culinary school. He has worked for many notable restaurants including Thomas Keller’s Per Se restaurant and the Craveable Hospitality Group.

He and his wife moved to Florida in 2018 and last year he was appointed executive chef at The Funky Monkey.

“I love incorporating high-end dishes that you can’t find anywhere else around here,” Wilson said. “People have been really excited to see things like ramen offered.”

What's on the menu at The Funky Monkey?

Ramen is by far the most popular item on the menu. Wilson makes every element from scratch, including the broth, which takes more than a day to prepare. Currently they offer tonkotsu ramen (pork), spicy miso ramen (pork belly), short rib ramen and a veggie ramen.

Funky Monkey offers four types of ramen: tonkotsu ramen (pork), spicy miso ramen (pork belly), short rib ramen and a veggie ramen (pictured).
Funky Monkey offers four types of ramen: tonkotsu ramen (pork), spicy miso ramen (pork belly), short rib ramen and a veggie ramen (pictured).

On the tapas, or sharables, menu, they offer empanadas, bao buns, chicken wings, braised short rib, grilled octopus and wagyu sliders.

Alongside the ramen, entrees include fried rice, steak frites and pork tantanmen (spiced ground pork in a spicy peanut and sesame base broth).

Wilson is always making specials, and the restaurant is on the brink of creating a new menu. Some of the rotating specials include a blackened chicken and bacon flatbread, a salami and steak flatbread, braised oxtail curry ramen, pork katsu curry and the loco moco (hambagu patty, rice, beef gravy and sunny side egg).

They also have a full bar and specialty cocktails available, as well as delivery.

More about The Funky Monkey

Funky Monkey Gastrobar offers a great view of downtown Mount Dora from the third floor of the Renaissance building.
Funky Monkey Gastrobar offers a great view of downtown Mount Dora from the third floor of the Renaissance building.

The Funky Monkey, 411 N. Donnelly St. in Mount Dora, is open for lunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. It is open 11 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. for brunch on Sundays. Visit https://www.funkymonkey.co/ for more information.

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Funky Monkey Gastrobar brings authentic ramen to Mount Dora