Dining Out 2 minutes 08 December 2017

Supper Series: 5 Thai Mookata Spots That Stay Open Past Midnight

Some of them close as late as 6am.

A fan of Chinese hotpot and Korean BBQ? Here's a culinary innovation that marries the two. Mookata or mu krathara, as it is known in Thailand, is a hotplate surrounded by a moat of stock. Sliced meat along with cubes of pork lard sits at the hilt of the slanted hotplate and as the meat cooks, the fat and juices will slowly drip into the soup, enriching the flavours of the stock as the cook goes on.

And like the aforementioned dining concepts, mookata is a social sport that's ideal for dinners that goes on into the wee hours of the night (or dawn).

Here are five Thai mookata restaurants that close late so you don't have to worry about lingering waiters asking if your posse is ready for the bill every ten minutes.

888 Mookata
Blk 212 Hougang Street 21
Opening hours: 5pm to 12am, Mon to Thurs. 5am to 2am, Fri to Sun.

Sets begin at $26 for two and $45 for four. And they come loaded with marinated meats, a variety of seafood and a generous basket of vegetables. Additional portions can be ordered a la carte. The best part? 888 Mookata stays open past midnight on Fridays and the weekend so you don't have to worry about breaking up the party early.
Siam Square Mookata
Golden Mile Tower, 6001 Beach Road, #B1-63
Opening hours: 3pm to 5am, daily.

Housed in Golden Mile Tower, where a large number of the country's Thai population congregates, Siam Square Mookata offers an authentic experience. They started out at Havelock Road and have since branched out to eight other locations. But their outlet at Golden Mile Tower stays open the latest, shuttering only at 5am. Unlike the sets at 888 Mookata, Siam Square's concept allows customers to order exactly what they want. Prices for the a la carte dishes begin at $1.80 for a plate of pork belly and works up to $3.80 for scallops.

Kin Tub Thai Steamboat
Peace Centre, 1 Sophia Rd, #01-52
Opening hours: 6pm to 5am, daily.

Here's a spot for the night owls. Kin Tub at Peace Centre stays open until 5am everyday. Customers can choose from three sets to start ($44.90 for two, $69.90 for three to four) - meat, seafood and the standard, which is a combination of both meat and seafood - and can add on a la carte orders of marinated meats, fresh and cooked seafood as well as a side order of green papaya salad.
Some of the fresh seafood available at Cheese Story's mookata buffet
Some of the fresh seafood available at Cheese Story's mookata buffet
Y CUBE Mookata Buffet
Golden Mile Complex, 5001 Beach Rd, #02-45
Opening hours: 12pm to 6am, daily.

Don't confuse Golden Mile Complex with Golden Mile Tower. Unlike Siam Square Mookata, which is housed in the next-door neighbour Golden Mile Tower, Y CUBE is located on the second floor of the complex building. And unlike the rest of the mookata restaurants listed before, Y CUBE offers customers an all-you-can-eat mookata at $29.90. A $3 surcharge is added for dining on Fridays, the weekends and public holidays. But even at $32.90, it's a truly value-for-money supper option.

Cheese Story Mookata Buffet
Golden Mile Complex, 5001 Beach Road, #02-01
Opening hours: open 24 hours, daily. 

Customers are spoilt for choice at Golden Mile when it comes to selecting a restaurant for mookata. Here's another spot that stays open until late that also serves up a buffet-style mookata. But what sets this restaurant apart from the rest is its cheese. On top of the usual grill and soup moat, Cheese Story serves its mookata with a little pocket of melted cheese. The hot metal pocket sits within the soup moat, which keeps the cheese deliciously melty and perfect for dipping your ingredients in for an extra kick. For $29.90, customers get to choose from a wide selection of seafood and marinated meats, including oysters, salmon, beef shabu shabu and crayfish. And like Y CUBE, Cheese Story charges a surcharge of $3 for dining on Fridays, the weekends and public holidays.

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