MK Restaurant, Central Festival

[ken68m]

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.

I think that is true...I took one there and she did the same thing to me...only 1k so I guess I got lucky.

[jocky king]

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.

47 little dishes for 1300 bt is a marvelous value...

[okdirl]

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.

 

 

47 little dishes for 1300 bt is a marvelous value...

Just go to hotpot and all the dishes are included so she can eat till she explodes.

[Ohyesuare]

I don't like how they don't give you a receipt and just tell you the price. Always feel like I am being ripped off. Or is it only me they do  this to?

[shagwell]

I like MK, on the last couple of trips I have been to another somewhat similar type of restaurant in Central, but more Japanese style. It has the moving rail where you pick dishes from as well some self-service counters with other dishes. And again you 'cook' the ingredients at your table. The price is around 350 baht for all you can eat in an hour. Both times I've been there despite having many tables I've had to wait 5 minutes for one to become free, and both times I've come out of there stuffed. Maybe another BM knows the name.

[Ohyesuare]

I like MK, on the last couple of trips I have been to another somewhat similar type of restaurant in Central, but more Japanese style. It has the moving rail where you pick dishes from as well some self-service counters with other dishes. And again you 'cook' the ingredients at your table. The price is around 350 baht for all you can eat in an hour. Both times I've been there despite having many tables I've had to wait 5 minutes for one to become free, and both times I've come out of there stuffed. Maybe another BM knows the name.

 

Shabusushi.

[kash buc]

 

MK Restaurant = Happy Girls = 

[superdaws]

I love MK or any of the hot spot style.  I tried the robot one, can't remember the name but there is a big robot out front, 5th or sixth floor of Central.  It was good too and the bacon was awesome.  The Grill place, again can't remember the name, was good too and a nice change.  I have been to some of the late night places that do the same style off soi bukhao and those are good too, but I do worry about catching something there as I am not sure the cleanliness is up to snuff.  Can't wait to go back there.

[Taa_Saparot]

 I tried the robot one, can't remember the name but there is a big robot out front, 5th or sixth floor of Central.  It was good too and the bacon was awesome.  

 

Hajime http://hajimerobot.com/#

[frank23]

I only eat the roast duck (goose) there. It is so great. Could eat it every night.

[hoss21]

Very informative pictorial review EP. Thanks!

Making me hungry just looking at all of the pictures! LOL! 

 

I don't like how they don't give you a receipt and just tell you the price. Always feel like I am being ripped off. Or is it only me they do  this to?

 

Not 100% sure, but I believe I get a receipt when I eat there. I do know they keep a tally of all the dishes ordered on receipt-like printouts. These are kept in a little cubby-hole, located under the outside edge of the table. I've noticed some tg's check these to confirm everything is correct before we check bin. Everything is written in Thai though, so I have no idea what is written on them. 555!

[superdaws]

Hajime http://hajimerobot.com/#

That's the one.  Thanks.

[boob_kook]

My first experience was at a BBQ Suki all-Thai place, the second was at an MK at central center. It's an amazing concept, much prefer the hotpot over the BBQ (it gets quite hot).

You're review really brings back memories, thanks for sharing..

[Evil Penevil]

My first experience was at a BBQ Suki all-Thai place, the second was at an MK at central center. It's an amazing concept, much prefer the hotpot over the BBQ (it gets quite hot).

 

You're review really brings back memories, thanks for sharing..

That's one of the great things about Pattaya: there are so many options for new dining experiences, and not just new in terms of cuisine. Eating a hotpot or other "cook-at-your-table" meal with a group of Thai girls is very different than having an ordinary restaurant meal with them. It's a cultural thing, I'm sure, but the girls really seem to enjoy the "preparation" of the meal.

 

Evil

[how122255]

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.

+1

[Cynical Sailor]

Great review. I've always walked past these places and haven't given them a second thought. You've just changed my mind. I'll definitely have a look next trip. Thanks.

[Evil Penevil]

A few more pics from another meal at MK.  I ate with BM capdagde and his wife and we went with one of the "sets" for three people. Besides the plate of raw ingredients that went into the hot pot, it included cooked noodles, a plate of greens and roast duck.  The cost was 1,030 baht and with non-alcohol beverages and a small tip, the total cost for three was 1,200 baht.  Unfortunately, I lost the picture of the duck dish due to file corruption.

Evil

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[THguypattaya]

anyone know some good 24 hours restaurants? thanks

[Evil Penevil]

An update to keep everyone abreast of some recent developments at MK.  

 

 

The a la carte menu has been expanded for those who don't like the "Thai suki" hotpot-style meals.  There are more roast duck and pork dishes, with several combos (duck and pork or several types of pork on the same platter).  They all cost 305 baht, which is good value for money.  Unfortunately, I don't have any pics as we had the hotpot the other day.  I should have snapped a pic of the menu, but I was distracted.  They say a watched pot never boils, so I was looking elsewhere.

 

 

Anyway, here's a couple of screen shots of part of the menu from the restaurant's Web site.  Many more a  la carte dishes are available, including noodles, soup, dim sum and vegetarian stuff.

 

 

 

Some pics I did take of the recent meal, as well as some earlier meals. We were both hungry and a lot of ingredients went into the pot besides the vegetable set. It was a meal of tit anic proportions.

 

 ...

 

 

 

 

The finished product:

 

 

 

It cost 700 baht for the two of us, including drinks.  It's good value for money considering we ordered ten small trays of ingredients as well as the vegetable set.  That's a lot of very healthy food for a small price.

 

MK is a great place to take a large group of people.

 

 

That time round I was helping the single mothers of Isaan, one meal at a time.

 

Evil

 

[lecarreblanc]

thumbs up for the great tits 

[Muso]

I have been to MK's all over Thailand. The thing I like about them is no matter where in LOS you go, they are all exactly the same, you know what you get, and the food is tremendous. I go there often, in Big C usually... Great food, and perfect to take a lady... Look forward to my next one in Jan... and the meal!!

[spider0064]

Usually visit once while I'm in town as said pretty good and consistent, the dancing does put a smile on my face  

[cousin it]

The duck and the steamed pork buns are to die for.......a month to go and i'll be there

[Evil Penevil]

Time for an MK update.  I eat there at least once a month because it's a favorite of a dining companion, but I haven't bothered to take pics or do any additional reviews because not much really changes at MK.  The popular chain has hit on a sure-thing among Thai diners and it stays true to its long-standing formula with Thai hotpot cooking as its anchor.  Some of the dishes on the a la carte menu may change at infrequent intervals, but MK remains pretty much the same year-in and year-out.

 

One thing that has always fascinated me since I was a child is the display of "plastic food" in the windows of Asian restaurants. Food dummies and models began about 100 years ago in Japan and were originally made of wax. In the early 1900s, workers from Japan's countryside began flocking to urban areas, many were illiterate and unfamiliar with city food.  The fake food displays served the same purpose back then as they do with with foreign tourists today.

 

 

Whatever company is making the models for MK does a damn good job of it.  You get a very clear idea of the types of ingredients you can order for the hotpot.

 

 

 

 

We stepped into MK at Central Festival around 5.45 pm and it was busy but not crowded.

 

 

The "base" for our hotpot was a plate of thinly-sliced pork.

 

 

 

My companion, who does all the ordering, also chose two of the "standard" sets of ingredients, featuring meat, seafood, vegetables, tofu and herbs.

 

 

 

 

She's also a big fan of enokitake, so we ordered a plate of the long, thin, crisp white mushrooms.

 

 

 

She also favors the salmon cakes shaped like fish.

 

 

A lot of assorted pics will follow, so I'll cut to the chase:  the meal cost 1,200 baht and fed three people to the "I'm stuffed" point.  That includes unlimited refills of Japanese-style iced tea. None of us had any alcohol or other beverages. Of course it's possible to eat cheaper by choosing other ingredients. You could have a very satisfying meal for three for 600 baht.

 

Once the soup stock was boiling, she began adding ingredients in an order I don't really understand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It doesn't take many minutes before the first bowls are ready to be eaten.

 

 

 

More ingredients are popped into the pot as the meal progresses.  There's a range of tastes and textures which is very pleasing.

 

 

 

 

In all, Thai-style hotpot is a satisfying and healthy meal.  You can find hotpot variations all over Pattaya, but a lot of the girls have a particular fondness for MK.

 

 

Evil

[Ohyesuare]

Do they still not give you a paper bill and just tell you how much to pay? I always hated that.