“This is heaven!” a friend exclaimed after I brought her to a mookata in Bangkok. Not many tourists are familiar with this Thai word that literally means pork (moo) and pan/skillet (kata). The Thais like to conjoin words to refer to something literal or otherwise. In this case, mookata is an eat-all-you-can restaurant. It is called mookata because of the piece of pork fat placed on top of a dome-shaped protruding metal grill. The fat makes the grill oily so the food being grilled won’t stick. The grill has a through around the edge filled with water to simmer anything—meat, seafood, vegetables. During grilling, the juice from the meat rolls down the dome-shaped grill, which turns the water into a broth. The taste varies depending on the kind of meat or seafood you grill. To complete the soup, just dunk the vegetables or anything you want on the broth.
The all-you-can-eat phenomenon has been popular in Asia. But the mookata in Thailand is probably the best there is. For just 99 baht (US$3), without drinks, there’s plenty of food to choose from. There are also appetisers and desserts. Mookata appeals mostly to locals who enjoy spending the entire night eating, talking and drinking. What makes this kind of dining exciting is the sense of community and communal sharing because the customers have to cook their own food. It also feels like a sport because you compete with each other on cooking, eating and chopsticks skills. The more skilled you are with chopsticks, the more chances you have in taking the first cooked meat.
The mookata in Bangkok are like big parking lots filled with hundreds of tables. But the competition has upped the ante, some mookata now have widescreens showing football matches, karaoke and singers.
But the main attraction of mookata is the enormity of food. It is dizzying to think about pork, beef, chicken, shrimp, fish, squid, shells and about 10 varities of vegetables and fruits laid in front of you for just $3. All you have to do is get a plate, pick a tong and choose anything you like to cook. Somehow, it gives you a feel of the traditional Asian wet market. The difference is, you don’t have to go home and cook the stuff you bought because you can do it right there and then.
Aside from the raw ingredients, there are also marinated and fried meats, hotdogs, meatballs, sushi, sashimi, spring rolls, noodles, Thai salad, soup and of course, rice— plain or fried.
Among the more popular mookata in Bangkok are the ones found in Petchaburi, Sinakarin, Ramkhamhaeng and Sukhumvit (Onnut) roads. The easiest to find is the one in Petchaburi. You just have to get off at Petchaburi station of the underground train (MRT) and find exit 2. From the station, the mookata is just about 100m away. You wouldn’t miss it because the big signage of a pink pig with a skillet is smiling at you.
If all-you-can-eat is not your thing, Bangkok is also known for its street food. It is another dining experience you shouldn’t miss.
Street food has steered the economy of Thailand because everyone eats even when the economy is down. The evolution of street food started during the country’s industrialisation where people from the provinces came to Bangkok to work. They didn’t have time to cook their own food so they relied on street sellers. Now, it has become part of the psych of the Thais and is becoming a major tourism draw as well.
During meal time, the sidewalks of Bangkok turn into a myriad of stalls, with confusing smell of traditional food—from somtam (Thai Papaya salad) to kai yang (grilled chicken). The aroma is just irresistible.
Wherever you are in Bangkok, street foods are everywhere (practically every soi or street), but the best ones are found in Yaowarat (China town) and near the Central World Plaza mall.
Getting to food heaven need not be expensive. It’s just a matter of finding it.
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