MooJaa, Mookata Thai BBQ Steamboat

Tasting Invite

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I believe we are all very familiar with Korean barbeque and Chinese steamboat. Have you ever wondered what would happen if you were to combine these two? You get Mookata, which is Thai BBQ steamboat! Apparently, this can be found everywhere in Bangkok, but for some reason, we did not come across any Mookata places when we went there last year. Thanks to MooJaa Mookata, we had our first ever Mookata experience and it is definitely not the last!

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MooJaa Mookata is located at Chinatown and the place is actually quite well-ventilated.

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We had a glass of Thai Ice Tea ($2.50) while we waited patiently for our food to be served. It tasted like our local tea with milk except that it was sweeter and so much thicker and creamier!

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Shaun shared with us that traditionally Japanese Binchotan white charcoal is used which does not produce soot like black charcoal does and does not cause food to turn acidic.

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A piece of pork lard is placed on top of the skillet, which is the dome-shaped metal pan seen in the above. As the pork lard begins to melt and grease up the pan, you can start your BBQ partaaay! At the same time, you can fill the steamboat with ingredients such as vegetables and pork balls when the broth in the trough starts to boil.

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The Fish Skin ($6) had been deep fried and it was very crispy. Shaun taught us an interesting way of eating it which was to place it in the broth for a few seconds. The fish skin soaked up the flavorful broth and tasted even better, while still retaining a slight crisp!

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If having to decide from the À la carte menu is too much of a hassle for you, there are 4 types of Mookata Sets for you to choose from, inclusive of a $32+/diner buffet. We were given the chance to sample half of Set Moo ($45) and Set Gai ($45), so what you see in the above photo makes one full set (sorry there was significantly more meat but Shaun had already placed them on the pan before I could stop him). Each set can feed 2 people. To make things simple for you, both sets consist of prawns, pork balls, squid, scallops, crab meat, abalone slices, golden mushroom, vermicelli, xiao bai cai and kang kong. The only difference between both sets is that Set Moo has pork collar slices while Set Gai has boneless chicken slices.

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The 2-in-1 BBQ and steamboat experience was superb and we were kept busy the entire time! As you can see, there wasn’t much space for us to BBQ the meat and because of its dome shape, the meat slided into our soup on a few occasions when we were not careful.

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The trick here is not to keep flipping the meat if not it will crumble into smaller pieces very easily.

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As for the steamboat, we loved the broth which was sweet tasting and very flavorful after being brewed for about 5 hours. The scary part? It was when all the oil and grease from the barbequed meats start to trickle down into the soup. It is said to make the soup even tastier which I have to agree but it does sound artery clogging as well!

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The Cheese Balls ($8) were not included in the set but they are highly recommended. No you don’t eat them straight like that even though I got too carried away with the barbeque-ing and popped one into my mouth. Zzz.

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In order to achieve the hot molten cheese effect, simply allow the cheese balls to boil for a while in the broth. The result was simply marvellous! Shaun told us that he once had a female customer who ordered 31 plates of cheese balls and ate them all by herself. Yes, thirty one. It is THAT good.

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We also sampled the Kurobuta Pork Collar Slice ($22) which is an absolute must order if you love kurobuta.

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Just look at those beautiful marbled fats!

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This bowl of rice was not the main star but it played its supporting role really well. This is not ordinary plain white rice but white rice cooked with vegetable stock. Surprisingly fragrant and tasty!

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Not forgetting the dipping condiments too! Spicy BBQ was actually not too spicy and a little sweet. I kinda liked the Sweet Sour Seafood Sauce better which is not something you can easily get elsewhere or replicate. It is made from 30 different ingredients imported from Thailand.

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We were really really stuffed by the time we were done eating! Of course, misterchewy and I enjoyed our first Mookata experience 🙂

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Bumped into a fellow blogger Ruiting!

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In case you are wondering, “MooJaa” is an affectionate term in Thai which translates to “my lovely pig” and it is used when lovers put on weight during the course of their relationship, which is probably accompanied with a bit of belly poking 😛

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MooJaa Mookata Thai BBQ Steamboat
25 Keong Saik Road
Singapore 089132
Tel: 6536 4780

Opening hours:
Mon to Sat
11am – 2pm (excluding Sat)
5pm – 6am
Sun
5pm – 11pm

The Ascot @ The Grandstand: Authentic English Gastrogrub

Tasting Invite

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Wotcha chewys! Sometime back, misterchewy and I dropped by The Ascot at The Grandstand, formally known as Turf City. It was our first time at The Grandstand but we had been to quite a few of the seafood restaurants with our families when this place was still called Turf City. The change is quite huge and the place is livened up with many eateries and large crowds. Really glad to see that! 🙂

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Owner Sylvester Fedor Thang chatted with us for a bit and asked if we know what The Ascot is all about. He previously spent two years studying in the UK and wanted to recreate the very best of the quintessential English pub experience right here in Singapore. Lovingly referred to as a British ‘gastrogrub’ by Sylvester, he wanted to serve authentic British cuisine and Singaporeans would be exposed to a whole lot more than just the usual Fish & Chips.

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The Ascot at The Grandstand is named after the Ascot Racecourse, which is located in Berkshire. It seems that Sylvester is determined to share a piece of what he had experienced in UK with his fellow Singaporeans. Not surprisingly, The Ascot is very popular among expats as the food reminds them of home.

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I had always wanted to try Toffee Apple Cider because I had such a hard time finding it at various supermarkets. It tasted really sweet and a little bitter. I think I still prefer beer 😛 The husband had a bottle of Pear Cider which was less sweet and more refreshing.

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I was initially kinda skeptical of the Strawberry spinach salad with crumbled blue cheese, pistachios, bacon & avocado ($18) but the crazy unusual combination worked surprisingly well! The blue cheese was undoubtedly pungent and had a sharp acidic flavor but the sweetness derived from the strawberry slices and raspberry vinaigrette countered this well.

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The husband and I were both surprised by how unique this bowl of Smoked tomato soup ($8) tasted, very full-bodied with a slightly smoked flavor to it. At the same time, it was rich, tangy, and a little sweet tasting. This certainly whetted our appetite for the remaining dishes to come!

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The Cold Cut Platter ($18), featuring 3 types of cold cuts served with silver onions, gherkins, scotch egg & homemade bread, is a must order at The Ascot. Obviously, the scotch egg stole the show. It is essentially hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat, coated in bread crumbs and baked or deep-fried. Perhaps I should try this in my own kitchen next time!

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A bunch of bangers ($20) would definitely serve as a perfect pub grub, or gastro grub in this context. Have I ever told you that misterchewy and I loveeee sausages? I think we would have been on cloud nine if we had ordered beer instead of cider. Sausages + Beer = Heaven. We had two broiled sausages (instead of three because we don’t eat beef) on bubble and squeak drizzled with onion gravy. Bubble and squeak is a British dish made with shallow-fried leftover vegetables. Very interesting and we loved it.

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Since this The Ascot is a British gastrogrub, we did not expect the Chicken Tikka Masala ($18) to come into the picture. Tender pieces of chicken were marinated in yoghurt and spices. Bathed in creamy and spicy curry sauce, this dish was very addictive and we couldn’t help dipping pieces of naan into the gravy even though we were quite full by then.

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The Roasted chicken served with vegetables & potato lyonnais ($24) was even more tender than the chicken tikka masala. The first few bites were not bad but I soon found that the BBQ-like marination was too thick and sweet for my liking.

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The husband and I felt that the desserts wrapped things up really nicely and we were very satisfied. Served warm, the Classic Bread & Butter Pudding ($9) and the vanilla ice cream were a match made in heaven. Moist, fluffy and slightly spongy, we enjoyed this dessert thoroughly!

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We saved the best for last, and true enough, the Deep-fried Mars Bars in batter ($8) tasted as awesome as it sounds. Thick, gooey, caramelized goodness enveloped in a light, crispy and savory batter. This was a real sweet treat!

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If you have not popped by The Grandstand, The Ascot gives you every reason to do so now! The place is made accessible with free shuttle services from Newton, Botanical Gardens and Toa Payoh mrt stations.
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The Ascot @ The Grandstand
200 Turf Club Road
#01-16
Singapore 287994
Tel: 6462 0881

Opening Hours:
Tue
3pm – 11pm
Wed & Thu
12pm – 11pm
Fri
12pm – 1am
Sat
10.30am – 1am
Sun
10.30am – 11pm