A friend of mine had a bit of craving for Mookata, said he had found a place that served it up buffet style at a (very) affordable price, asked me if I was interested to go.
Of course, why not?
My friend had kept it mysteriously vague as to where the location was, so a bit of a surprise to me it was when we alighted at the bus stop (on a very hot afternoon) and found ourselves right at the main gate of Shun Li Industrial Park in Kaki Bukit Avenue 1.
Now, mind, I'm not complaining about the place.
On the contrary, I find it intriguing.
I find it intriguing that some of the shiokest foods are actually not found in the shopping malls, or even the hawker centers and coffee shops, but in the canteens of industrial estates all around the island.
Best part about industrial canteen food?
They're not just delicious, they're also incredibly affordable.
Most canteens these days are easily accessible- just walk along the main road and you'll be able to spot them.
There are times, however, where Google Maps brings you on a merry-go-round and you find yourself wandering lost through a bit of factory corridor.
Which was how it was for us this afternoon.
But when we did find it, phew, glad I was to see that not only was the place sunny and airy, there was also no crowd (weekend), and it made for an experience that went exceptionally well with the fun, lively, street-food vibe that Thai style Mookata completely is.
People have different tastes when it comes to Mookata.
Some people go straight for the seafood and minimize little else.
Others, however, like me, vary their meat between the vegetables and the meats.
It isn't that I don't like seafood.
It's just that I am not that huge a fan of crayfish or shellfish- I don't know how to grill them- and I am too lazy to peel the prawns with my hands.
So even when I do take seafood at Mookata, all I do is to dunk the prawns into the moat- and leave them to cook in the soup there.
If you're not familiar with Mookata, the moat is a distinctive feature of the Mookata cooking apparatus where the grill is in the shape of a dome, and the moat around it is where you put your soup base.
Most of us layer pieces of frozen pork fat lard at the top of the dome, or swipe all over it before laying down the meats and letting them grill. The technique is that oil from the cooking meats will slip down the sides of the dome into the moat below, flavoring the soup with its beef, pork, or chicken.
This afternoon most of my food leaned towards the meats and vegetables.
First up was beef.
Lots of it.
Afterwards we took chicken and pork.
Eventually we decided to stick to just the chicken.
It wasn't because the beef didn't taste good.
it's just that we have one of those dining patterns that prefer unmarinated meats over marinated ones, and the beef here came all marinated.
They were good, actually, marinated with what I think is bulgogi sauce.
But I have been too used to clean-tasting meats that won't overwhelm my dipping sauce of choice, which, even though Mookata has chili, chili sauce, soy sauce, and even fish sauce, we make our own using a small tub of Greek-style yogurt, some garlic powder, and a scoop of red miso.
I like the homemade dipping sauce.
Not only does it help with the digestives (so you can eat more), it gives the meat a light, slightly sourish, very creamy taste that is smooth and rounded at the same time too. Your tongue doesn't feel like it has been seasoned twice over, and because the digestives work just fine, you don't get jerlak from having all that meat.
Besides the meat, I also like my vegetables dunked in soup.
Visually they are bright and refreshing.
They are also cleansing.
Lettuce and cabbage are two of my favorites, but if they be having not enough of each, then I go for the green leafy ones.
Today the cabbage from the chiller seemed to have mostly the heads- you know, the end part that cooks easily but is smallish- so I went for the green leaves instead.
There were more than just these vegetables, actually.
If I'm not wrong there were also carrots, mushrooms, and sweet corn.
Somehow I might have missed those.
Looking at these pictures now I wonder if I should have tried wrapping the meat inside some of these cooked leaves and eaten them together.
Maybe I will, next time.
But today I made myself a small bowl of noodles with everything that I had in the grill, and the pot, throwing in a bit of grilled meat, some soft, mushy cabbage, one quail egg, and one cheese tofu that I could not resist taking,
It makes for a nice, liberating experience getting to eat a bowl of noodles with ingredients that you yourself have chosen, you yourself have cooked, which you yourself eat.
Besides the warm, homecooked feel, there is, also, the realization that it speaks of one's choice, one's identity.
Maybe that is what the whole experience of Mookata and hotpot is about.
We often hear of it being a shared experience, but beyond that, in a Mookata or a hotpot, based on the food you choose, you can still have your own perspective, your own identity, and your own presence, even if it be a shared meal.
We ended off the meal with dessert.
They had potong ice cream (I'm not sure if it were unlimited) and my choice today was Thai milk tea. Then they also offered you triangular shaped agar agar like those that you see in cut fruit stalls.
I liked this Mookata.
It made you feel full, and satisfied.