Bar B Q Plaza at Central Festival Mall

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

A few days ago, I had lunch at Bar B Q Plaza on the 5th floor of Central Festival Mall. I'd passed by it many times, but had never ventured inside. That's largely because the young lady with whom I dine out most often is fairly set in her ways. She has her favorite restaurants and is unwilling to visit new ones, but she agreed to give Bar B Q Plaza a try.

 

 

 

Make no mistake- Bar B Q Plaza serves Japanese-influenced Thai food. Despite the name, it has nothing to do with U.S.-style barbecue. The food is cooked at the diners' tables on a combination grill and hotpot. The meat and some vegetables are grilled on the dome-shaped part, while the seafood and some vegetables are boiled in the lower section. I don't know if there is a correct term in Thai or Japanese for this particular type of table-top preparation. It's not like the one-track grilling or hotpot cooking or you find in other restaurants.

 

 

In action, it looks like this:

 

 

 

The grill "dome" is greased with the rendered fat from bacon and pork, then the thin slices of beef and pork are placed on it. They cook through in just a few seconds.

 

 

 

The seafood and most vegetables are dropped in the boiling water (not broth).

 

 

 

A generous portion of dipping sauce that can be "customized" with chiles, garlic and lime juice is given to each diner.

 

 

The first sample bowl (of many):

 

 

We also had some appetizers: crab cakes, spring rolls and fried mushrooms.

 

 

 

I liked Bar B Q Plaza. It was interesting to taste the grilled beef, pork, bacon and chicken as well as the hotpot-cooked seafood and vegetables, then drink the broth. The appetizers were also tasty. It was good value for money. For three people, it cost 1,200 baht, including drinks.

 

When we arrived at 1.30 p.m., the restaurant was full and we had to wait a couple of minutes for table. The crowd thin out considerably as we ate and there were only a few customers by the time we were finished.

 

 

Evil

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[yorta2 693]

Thanks for that. Yes, it is a great way to cook and eat. Called Moo Kata (or Krata), there used to be plenty of them in Bangkok, but are getting harder to find. There are still a few around Pattaya, but I haven't been to one for some years. The juices from the meats run down into the 'soup' that the vegetables and noodles are cooked in, giving a wonderful flavour. Here is a link to Youtube that shows the method:

[Billions 687]

Looks an interesting place!

 

Do the staff there give customers a quick tutorial on what to do and for how long to do it for,in regards to cooking methods?

 

And does it operate a set menu for a fixed price with preprepared portions,or can you get stuck in and eat as much as you like?

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Looks an interesting place!

 

Do the staff there give customers a quick tutorial on what to do and for how long to do it for,in regards to cooking methods?

 

And does it operate a set menu for a fixed price with preprepared portions,or can you get stuck in and eat as much as you like?

 

I ate there with two Thai ladies who knew the score, so no need for a tutorial. But I'm sure that if a customer didn't understand, the staff would be willing to explain, assuming a common language was shared.

 

You order sets or individual trays of raw ingredients at fixed prices. It's not all you can eat for a fixed price, There are also prepared dishes, like our appetizers, that can be ordered, but I didn't pay much attention to that part of the menu. I'll have to go back and look.

 

Evil

[Nightrider 340]

Those wooden bench booths look a bit uncomfortable to sit on for too long , but the food looks great......!