Talay Kata : My First Mookata

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Steamboats are really getting popular these days as it is one of the most affordable meals and easiest way to gather your friends for a meal or catch up. Each person pays a separate price and everyone gets to choose what they would like to eat from the buffet spread. The dining concept of Mookata or ‘Mu Kratha’ in Thai is picking up in Singapore.  ‘Mu’ in Thai actually means pork while ‘Krata’ means skillet. It is actually a Thai-style steamboat which combines the Korean barbeque and Chinese hot pot. You grilled your raw meats at the sides of the dome-shaped pan and in the middle, you have a hot pot of soup for cooking your vegetables and other ingredients. Everything is made every tastier than you dipped them in ‘Nam Chim’ or Thai-style dipping sauces for that kick of flavour. 
I had my first Mookata experience at Talay Kata. Yes, I am pretty slow in catching up with the current food trends here but it’s never too late. Talay Kata is located at Orchard Central. They specialise in  Thai seafood. It is an all-you-can-eat BBQ/Steamboat buffet with a selection of seafood premium picks such as Japanese scallops, King Crab, Sea Cucumber and slipper lobsters. This 160-seater restaurant can be distinguished from the other Mookata restaurants by the shiny fume extraction chute that sucks in all the smoke so you wouldn’t leave the place smelling like a Satay man.
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The place was quite packed on a weekday evening. It has got to be that fresh seafood which is attracting the crowd. The prices are pretty reasonable too and you can find the price list here
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For the soup base, there is 3 variety you can choose from – chicken soup, Tom Yum soup and Bonito soup. We went with Tom Yum soup which is a clear soup base with a slightly spicy taste to it. It didn’t look like those regular Tom Yum soup which tasted really spicy but it is light but still flavorful. When you boil it together with all the fresh seafood, all the wonderful sweetness from the fresh meat goes into the soup. The best part of Mookata? It has got to be the soup that has been left after you cooked all the ingredients. Even all the essence from the seafood and meat would trickle down the grill pan and mixes with the soup base. Yum!

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I wouldn’t say the buffet spread is huge or anything but the selection of seafood, in particular, is very fresh. There’s also some vegetables, various fish balls and mushrooms. That’s also this cooked food section which features their green curry and fried food items. 
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You probably wouldn’t need to add any oil with this non-stick grill pan. And I really find the Mookata hot pot really easy to use as the heat settings can be adjusted very easily.
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I like the fact that they also offer some Thai dishes like their green curry which tasted super good when eaten with rice! It would be one of those dishes that I would remember whenever Talay Kata is mentioned.
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Don’t forget to try out their various sauces which can really enhance the taste of the seafood, vegetables and other ingredients. I like the peanut sauce because it goes really well with almost everything.
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The last station is the beverage and dessert section where you can get some soft drinks, juices and coffee. For desserts, you can enjoy some ice cream or shaved ice with rainbow toppings.
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I really meant rainbow toppings because there are several brightly-coloured  toppings and syrups which you can play with.  And as for me, I am just happy with the fresh seafood and vegetables. I am not quite a fan of these colourful desserts.
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But for my man, it is is a different story. He went wild with the colourful toppings and he proclaimed that it just makes his day a little better.
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This visit to Talay Kata has definitely whet up my appetite for more Mookatas in the future.
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181 Orchard Road
#08-04/05
Singapore 238896
Tel (65) 6634 0551
Operating Hours:
Mon – Thurs
11:30am to 3pm
6pm to 10pm
Fri – Sun, Eve of PH & PH
11:30am to 5pm
6pm to 10pm

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