MK Restaurant, Central Festival

[Evil Penevil]

The MK Restaurant is located on the sixth level (5th floor) of the Central Festival Mall on 2nd Road. It is one of the six MK branches in Pattaya and the three hundred or so nationwide. Like all MK Restaurants, the Central Festival branch specializes in Thai-style hot pot meals cooked directly at the diners' tables, but also has an extensive a la carte menu. MK itself says the main offering of its restaurants is Thai-style "suki," although Thai-style hot pot cooking isn't very similar to Japanese sukiyaki. The MK hot pots are more akin to Chinese hot pot cooking, which has existed for at least 1,000 years in Chinese cuisine.

The MK Restaurant at CF is spacious, brightly lit and very clean. Service is fast and attentive and has one special feature you won't find at many restaurants- more about that later.
 

 

The diners order the ingredients for the hot pot- meat, seafood, veggies, noodles, dumplings, etc.- from an extensive photo menu. The waitress fires up the cooking plate under the pot of broth and the ingredients are added as they arrive. We ordered some dim sum as an appetizer and it came immediately.

 

 

The main ingredient in our hot pot was finely sliced pork.

 

 

Chicken livers:

 

In goes the first set of ingredients:

 

 

 

Then the tray of mushrooms went in:

 

 

And the veggies:

 

 

A taste test:

 

And a sample to see if the pork and veggies had cooked long enough:

 

One of many bowls out of the hot pot. The broth was delicious! There are different sauces with varying degrees of heat in which to dip each bite.

 

 

My dinner companion:

 

I'm not sure of the timing, but several times over the course of an evening the staff will do a line-dance routine to music. Just about all the staff - waiters and waitresses; bus boys; managers, etc, get into the act. It's fun and amusing, but the staff didn't really look like they were enjoying themselves.

  

 

 

I really liked the hot pot meals I've had at MK. It's also very popular with Thai girls. How cheap or expensive it gets depends on what and how many trays of ingredients you order, but our meal came in at around 700 baht for two.

Before anyone comments, I know there may be cheaper, more authentic and perhaps even better hot pot restaurants in Pattaya, but my companion asked to go MK at Central Festival. It was her choice.

Evil

[Piece Corp]

I never go for the hot pot, I like the wanton soup and the roast duck.

[fugazi]

Not my cup of tea, but nearly all TG's I know love it.

[jerry]

 I'm not sure of the timing, but several times over the course of an evening the staff will do a line-dance routine to music. Just about all the staff - waiters and waitresses; bus boys; managers, etc, get into the act. It's fun and amusing, but the staff didn't really look like they were enjoying themselves.

 

Would you ... ?  

[brewster]

Some of the MK staff at Central are quite cute.

 

My GF prefers Shabushi (on the 6th floor) but we still eat at MK about once a month. The hotpot is good, but, like Piece Corp I like the duck and also the crispy pork.

[Chris Los]

I love MK's it's bloody lovely

[999Baht]

You ask a Thai girl what restaurant they want to eat at and 7/10 will say MK, 2/10 will say Fuji and the others will just say up to you....but they want MK too. 

 

I don't mind the place but I thought that maybe there was a finders fee for the girls who bring in Farangs.

They seem to really really love it. 

 

Great review. 

[Sounder]

_{Great pics!}

[Raistx]

I've eaten at MK at MBK in Bangkok twice. Very good meal and everything seemed really fresh. Actually the place at MBK had no choice but to be fresh, was packed both time i went there.

But I must admit i prefer the ones with the BBQ in the middle for the meat and the soup moat for veges, not sure what it's called.

[robert69]

I've eaten at MK at MBK in Bangkok twice. Very good meal and everything seemed really fresh. Actually the place at MBK had no choice but to be fresh, was packed both time i went there.

But I must admit i prefer the ones with the BBQ in the middle for the meat and the soup moat for veges, not sure what it's called.

 

Moo gata

 

BBQ Plaza on same floor does that.

 

But I prefer the buffets

[uklad_in_ireland]

I must agree the duck was great here. The rest I could not really care about as I just let my TG do all the cooking as I was too hungover to do anything, in fact I wish she stop taking slices of my duck dish.

 

Well the dancing and music was fun I did feel sorry for them doing that shit.

[dtyolmn]

     I eat at MK in Central a few times each trip.  Very good food and it's very clean and the Wait Staff gives great service. 

[jocky king]

When i come to Pattaya for 7/8 weeks, i usually go to MK once a week. You better have a thai with you, so that you could sample her choice of menu when you are choosing yours. Helps alot.  

[Lubudi]

MK restaurants are great places if your TGF takes you there, guides you through the menu, and cooks for you.

In 2010 I had a BKK TGF who loved MK ... and Sukishi (which I preferred).

Alone or with only other farangs forget it, you're lost !!

[PokeHerFaces]

The roast duck and pork dishes are stunning in there.

[tizza]

love MK! laughed so hard when everyone broke out into that dance, they all hate doing it. the food is great, and for me i had never experienced that style of restaurant, i enjoyed the interaction with cooking your food of sorts. good fun having a lady to feed you aswell

[The Storm]

Great report EP - hot girl too, where did you find her?

 

I went here with Ning during my last trip and she loved it - she seemed to get a real kick out of ordering and preparing everything. She has been many times before and knows exactly what to order.

 

It was a Buddha day though so it was packed out when we went and we were lucky to get a table.

[Evil Penevil]

Great report EP - hot girl too, where did you find her?

You're gonna love this - she's now an agency coyote at Sensations, although when I first met her, she was working as a coyote at Sapphire and before that, at Whats Up.

 

I went here with Ning during my last trip and she loved it - she seemed to get a real kick out of ordering and preparing everything. She has been many times before and knows exactly what to order.

Same-same with Bow. I would have added the ingredients to the broth in a different order than she did, but wisely decided to leave such matters to her.

 

Evil

[The Storm]

You're gonna love this - she's now agency coyote at Sensations, although when I first met her, she was working as a coyote at Sapphire and before that, at Whats Up. Same-same with Bow. I would have added the ingredients to the broth in a different order than she did, but wisely decided to leave such matters to her.Evil

No way, I can see some more massive bins being dropped at Sensations very soon......

[THAJEC]

Thanks for the interesting review sites and interesting photos. The truth for me is a phenomenon very classy place and I have a rather ordinary restaurant where I felt uneasy and uncertain.

[taylor1975]

I don't really get the attraction ........everything is just boiled and dipped in a sauce???

 

Am I missing the point to it?

[thebigh]

Over priced for Thailand. Not good value for money.......

[Evil Penevil]

I don't really get the attraction ........everything is just boiled and dipped in a sauce???

 

Am I missing the point to it?

I don't really get the attraction ........everything is just boiled and dipped in a sauce???

 

Am I missing the point to it?

It's delicious, healthy and Thai girls love it, which all makes for a pleasant dining experience.

 

Evil

[jocky king]

Lads. Believe me, if you ask a thai Gf to bring you down there, you will be surprised about the quality of foods. Be a foods adventurer. I tried Japenese first time in New York, i love it, Tried Chinese first time in 1977,i love it. I am positive that all of you (MK virgins) will love it too.

[cjtrader]

I go to MK about once a week for the duck. It is SOOOO good and only 150 baht. The one time I was foolish enough to invite a Thai girl, she ordered about 47 little dishes to be cooked and the bill ran to over 1300 baht. I guess this is the culinary equivalent of buying lady drinks for all her friends at the go-go. LOL.