It was after one of my occasional jogs to the rocket tower at upper seletar reservoir; i met up with a friend for dinner at Han's (Springleaf) and was walking to the bus stop after my meal when i chanced upon a bustling eatery which was easily the busiest along the long stretch of shophouses.
泰好吃 - Thai Hao Chi Mookata. There was no way i could stomach another morsel although i did take the advice from one of the staff that i should make a reservation if i would like to visit in the future!
And i did follow his advice a few weeks later; bringing my parents to share the calories too! As we usually prefer to have our dinner early, a reservation slot for 5.30 pm was made. Guess how i made my way there? Jogged there of course!
Oooo, i didn't know 泰好吃 - Thai Hao Chi Mookata was one of the top ten outstanding food masters in the north back in 2018! That could have explained its popularity and an outstanding review score of 4.5 by 189 reviewers on google map.
Ordering was straightforward; that middle section was the basic set (costing S$39.90) and you can top up with more ingredients on the right; left was the beverage section. I regretted not getting a beer but well, there's always a next time.
With the pandemic, i guess there would likely be feedback about the risk of cross contamination about the placement of cutlery (including tongs, metal spoons and disposable chopsticks) in a metal box on each table.
The chilli dip and old school kettle that was filled with the same broth eventually going into the steamboat section of the unique Thai style charcoal barbecue and hotpot pan; i personally think it's more efficient for everyone as the broth always boils too quickly!
Arrival of our set of ingredients.
Each basic set is said to be good enough for two persons and the plate of meat included marinated pork, marinated chicken, pork belly, pork liver, prawns, squid, crabstick, meatballs, fishballs and hotdogs.
Less appealing items in the basket, at least from the point of view from a meat lover; chinese cabbage, xiao bai cai, spinach, vermicelli, beancurd skin, enoki mushroom and two eggs.
A staff member would help kick start the process after bringing in the hotpot barbecue pan!
No electrical wires as it's "powered" by traditional charocal! Do note that you would likely exit with the strong smell of BBQ sticking onto your clothes after you are done with your meal.
Let's now wait patiently for the meat to be cooked; that piece of pinkish white stuff on the middle of the BBQ dome played a darn important role of lubricating the pan so that the meat wouldn't stick to the pan. In addition, it's also my favorite item!
Replacing with meat after meat; for an impatient person, it's so frustrating to wait for the meat to be barbecued and it didn't help that my butter-fingers kept making the meat roll to the steamboat moat!
To be frank, most meat (pork, beef, chicken) for mookata had that signature sesami marination that i enjoy very much. The dealbreaker is often the chilli and this didn't disappoint with an acceptable level of spiciness, further enhanced by the addition of minced garlic.
That pinkish white stuff would be ready for my stomach once it reaches the above colour and texture. Crunchy and sinful, this is the irresistible pork lard that i look forward to indulging every time i have mookata!
Just when i thought i was done with my meal; the staff put two trays of meat on our table. What the heck; after 35 minutes?! I did order extra pork and chicken but i was under the impression they were already included on the plate of meat earlier!
I shouldn't be complaining but as the charcoal was already expended; we had to ask for replenishment. No changing of hot plate (the barbecue dome) as it's tied to each basic set.
More meat for me though as my parents were already full.
End of the meal; with so much juices from the meat, it's inevitable that we get a delicious yet oily broth towards the end. I was so glad i jogged instead of taking the public transport to the eatery!
=====
Address
908 Upper Thomson Road,
Singapore 787111
Map
As above.
Operating Hours
5.30 pm to 11.00 pm
Reservation
Call +6585535581.
Website
Menu
As above
Pricing
Basic Set - S$39.90
Pork - S$10.00
Chicken - S$10.00
(No Service Charge, No GST)
No comments:
Post a Comment