Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Bangkok Food Diary: Suki at MK Restaurants

MK is no stranger to the local Thai food industry; having established her name and outlets all over Thailand. Serving the Thai Suki, or simply known as suki, it is the Thai version of the shabu shabu or Chinese steamboat (hot pot) although the name bears resemblance to the Japanese sukiyaki.
The resemblance to the Japanese version ends in the name, as the Thai Suki is more similar to our local hot pot with variants of fresh raw vegetables, meat and seafood to be cooked in a pot filled with soup prepared before the serving.
Just like the Chinese hot pot, one may select from the types of soup available; clear, spicy, chicken soup, etc.



Having heard of the fame this chain of restaurants had garnered nationwide is enough to pique our interest and without question, it became the unanimous choice for dinner on the first night upon our arrival in Bangkok. (When traveling in a group, it is inevitable to have different opinions on the itinerary and choices of food, never mind the specific preferences, BUT, I was indeed fortunate to be traveling with this group who just went with anything and there was no trouble at all. It made the whole traveling experience a less-stressful one, definitely!)

We visited this particular outlet located in the popular shopping mall famous for its quirky interior design, Terminal 21.

I was rather fascinated with their cutleries, to be honest, as they came in unique designs and shapes!






The Menu; with a 3D-like effects on the front cover. Obviously, it was designed in a way to attract and to tempt your taste buds ahead for a tantalizing experience. It is always a good marketing gimmick to play with the vision and minds to stimulate the appetite of the diners.


Another interesting and cuteness factor overload in this little yellow duckie multipurpose holder; for signages, pamphlets, tissues, and toothpicks.
It is definitely not only for cute display, but proved that cuteness and functionality can go together!~



Setting up of the hot pot with the clear soup we had ordered; and the pot was filled with the clear chicken soup.
It was a better choice to go for a non-spicy version on the first night of our trip to minimize the risks before embarking on our adventures for the next three days in the city.




Platter of raw seafood and meat


Putting all the raw ingredients into the soup




The boiling soup indicates the food is ready to be consumed (cooked), and the table is designed with the tabs/buttons to turn the cooker on and off, or to adjust the temperature to the customers' preferences.


The dipping sauce is one of the important parts of enjoying the suki; the nam chim is also prepared to suit the local Thai tastes with the combination of chilies, coriander leaves, lime to make it spicy and flavorful to the Thai's liking.


Besides the suki, the restaurant is also famed for their Roasted Duck and Crispy Pork which my friends ordered in a small platter.







There are also dim sum on the menu, and we decided to try their Prawn Dumplings (Har Mai) which looked rather good in the pictures shown in the menu.
(Another marketing gimmick, did you realize how the food photos in the menu always look good? It would be luck if the actual turned out to be exactly as they were, but then again, the photos are always tagged with the disclaimer that they are for illustration purposes which probably meant heavy editing to make them look good.)


Still, we were not that unlucky either, as this did turn out to be quite good too.

Overall, I would say the dining experience in MK was not a bad one and was rather satisfying.
Price wise, it was also reasonable as it is after all, an air-conditioned restaurant (with a fame) and additionally, it was located within a shopping mall (higher rental prices for the shop).

The only thing was the unique factor; as this may be a Thai version of our local hot pot, and it is good for an experience of taste, but you don't travel all the way to another country to enjoy something you can make at home, right?
That aside, there are still plenty of other things to try on their menu, which is worth considering and besides, the plus point is also the hygiene which is definitely better in a restaurant compared to the streets.

My personal opinion? The Thai Suki may not be much different from our hot pot, but I am a fan of steamboat/hot pot anyway, so I'd definitely enjoy this anytime~ :-)


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