Sun Town Mookata Bali — Restaurant in Kuta

I was excited to hear a Thai style Mu Kratha place had opened up in Bali as I loved them in Thailand and I live in Bali. As the sign says "Mookata Bali - The first traditional Thai BBQ Steamboat in Bali"

What upset me the most and prompted this elaborate review were the posters on the wall (see attached images) that offered a free drink for a good review on Trip Advisor or Google – “review us and get a free Bandung Chin Chow – simply draft your review and allow us to click ‘submit’ ” – I find this appalling and basically the only way they received any 5 star reviews both here and on Trip Advisor.

The disappointment started immediately - there was no pork on the menu. The word mu kratha literally means ‘pan pork’ in Thai and pork is the traditional dish of Bali. When asked why, we were told the owner preferred not to serve pork.

The traditional bronze charcoal heated steam pots were replaced with non stick versions sitting on top of camp style portable gas stoves that could not get hot enough to brown the meat even after 15 mins of cooking. There were 5 of us including a young child and we ordered one each of the double portions of chicken and beef - this was quite confusing as they had 2 options for the same thing on different menus and different prices - apparently one targeting 'bule' (white folk) because we eat more than locals. The range of accompanying vegetables was quite nice.

For both the beef and the chicken there was 3 flavours - 1 completely unseasoned, one in raw garlic and the 3rd in a black pepper style sauce. The chicken meat was cut too thick and also had a small portion that was basically raw minced chicken which when cooked just fell apart and was difficult to eat. There were also some cut up sausages thrown in. The end result was far from tasty. The unseasoned version was completely tasteless and the homemade sambal was bland. The garlic option was just wrong and the black pepper flavoured meat had way too much spice and garlic and a heap of what we could only determine to be msg (which is used like salt here in many restaurants) although I could be wrong as they claim in a response to another bad review that they do not use msg – nonetheless the black pepper flavoured meat was too intense.

Oh, and none of the above flavours are Thai…

We ended up with a bill of about AUD $65 – which is way too high for Bali for what is traditionally supposed to be a quick and cheap eat. We only had 4 beers so that was not a huge part of it. A milo milk drink my niece ordered was $6..!!! again ridiculous for Bali.

The staff were friendly and the service was good.

I would avoid this place – way over priced for the type of fare provided and the food was a...

Warung Panda!!

So being a Singaporean myself, I know good food when I taste them and believe me this is really good food and it cost almost nothing comparing to Singapore ofcourse. Finding out Andrew was also from Singapore, gave the menu more meaning even the drinks like Milo dinosaur, Chin Chao & Bandung. Andrew is extremely warm and welcoming, which is truly a breath of fresh air.

So we've had moo kata 4 times I believe and also had their really delicious fried rice! I absolutely loved all of my meals! The first time we had moo kata Andrew was very kind to spoil us by being our very own Chef and helped us cook our meals and we had great conversations too. I would say the soup he makes from it is really great, adding egg to it gives it so much flavour and texture. But ofcourse my Boyfriend and I were fighting over their famous black pepper beef, it's Soo tasty and perfect.

Their take on Moo kata is truly unique and different, you'd leave with a full tummy but not feeling unhealthy in any way. The fried rice is very well made by the Chef, the beef is also cooked very nicely and its tender and juicy. The only thing I would change from the moo kata are the meat balls, I believe they can definitely get better ones that are less floury.

Andrew and his staff are really amazing people to have as friends being a tourist you tend to need help and good advise and they are always willing to go the extra mile for you out of their amazing hearts and kindness.

This is us coming back to Bali after 2 years and the people, food and experience only gets better! Thank you warung panda family, for spoiling us well...

Visited this establishment on our 3 day visit to Bali. As a Singaporean, I have to admit that what this Mookata has to offer is incomparable to the ones in Singapore. The meat is marinated to perfection, which is what many mookata places fail to master. The beef is definitely a must try when visiting- succulent, tender and packed full of flavours. Also, being a Singaporean, the chilli is an important factor. Accompanied with the meat, the homemade chilli dip was spicy with a punch, which never failed to make me dive in for more! Trust me, like many things in life, the soup gets better and better in time. The attentive and friendly service staff was prompt in re-filling our pot and checking in on us. A cheery 'thank you' as we left too. It's these little things which will keep us customers coming back.

To sum up, highly recommended for any who wants a true taste of Mookata in Bali. Skip the fancy and overpriced stuff and settle for this and I promise you'll be...