Why I Don'T See No Farang Eating At Mk Suki Ever!

[manarak]

Most westerners prefer to see a load of lettuce leaves, raw mushrooms and indescribable vegetables inside a science book rather than a menu.

I concur

I'm not a big veggie fan, and I don't like boiled meat or watery veggie soup.

Also, the problem of knowing what to order for the soup sets me off a bit.

I tried their duck once, but it was mostly soft skin and bones.

I don't mind too much about the skin (but I would very much prefer crispy skin), but I hate getting served chopped bones - this is a recurring problem with chicken and duck in Thailand.

I guess it is popular with Thais because they like veggies and they like socializing around the kettle...

I never saw the MK dance though, I'd like to catch it on video once.

[Pseudolus]

Most westerners prefer to see a load of lettuce leaves, raw mushrooms and indescribable vegetables inside a science book rather than a menu.

Not sure I agree with this. Most evenings I BBQ meat and mushrooms cooked en papillote and a salad or veges. But the prospect of taking those veg and sticking it in what is surely a soup so flavourless that it actually sucks any flavour out of said vegetable is pointless.

[jinjinswing]

The gf is under directions after my one and only vist to go with her work mates and friends if she feels a desire of such watery products.

[atyclb]

Vegetarian/ mushroom is very nice but only if dipped in spicy sauce. You can make as much soup as you want. Side dishes are decent Unlimited no charge ice tea.

The staff is amazingly efficient and they use wireless devices to place orders and make the check. Staff dancing is distracting and not entertaining (for me)

First time I ate there was very disappointed as I expected Japan style sukiyaki. Thai suki is really Japan shabu shabu.

[gkinbkk]

I tried their duck once, but it was mostly soft skin and bones.

I don't mind too much about the skin (but I would very much prefer crispy skin), but I hate getting served chopped bones - this is a recurring problem with chicken and duck in Thailand.

Interesting. I like the MK Duck because I've never come across bones in it!

We go regularly. Our young kids love it and I don't find it outrageously priced, not that much more than eating in a fast food restaurant.

Didn't like it many years ago when I first tried it, must have assimilated since then.......

[xthAi76s]

Not sure anyone has covered the hygiene issue.

I think many of us Farang who understand the terrible food quality standards in Thailand shy away from dealing with cooking raw food when we can. To me, the concept doesn't match Thailand. It's perfect for Japan (and Korea) where food quality/handling standards are very, very high, but not in a country where people know largely nothing about food safety. I'd rather eat something deep fried...

[Neha]

Well, it is predictable and clean and the food is served free of crawling bugs!

(Great marketing!)

I found a dead fly in the "pee water" the first (and last) time I went there. I guess technically it wasn't really "crawling".

Edited April 26, 2012 by Neha

[bonobo]

I think the duck is OK, if a bit pricey. I would rather get duck and any number of Chinese restaurants around, or even at most food courts. The Chinese restaurants server better duck, and the food courts cheaper duck.

Most of my Thai friends love the place. I don't really like the main "suki," though. I love Japanese sukiyaki, and this is noting close, so maybe that has something to do with it. But I also think it is bland, even with the sauces. It all tastes processed to me. I would much rather go to the local moo ga ta (sp?). Many of those are also pretty bad, but the one near my home is actually decent.

[Jingthing]

I don't like it but if you add LOTS of the fresh garlic/fresh green chili stuff you can get there, it is not so bland at all.

[Wavefloater]

I ain’t never not seen no farangs neither.

Ya, Bubba. I ain't ever seen no farang not never been in that thar place, either.

(I guess the OP and and his title are a direct result of a hillbilly education.)

[sheisonlysleeping]

Mk is a family favorite for us. It took a few visits to figure out what we liked, but once we did we were hooked on the sauce, veggies, green noodles, and crispy pork. Last year we returned to America for an extended visit and we dreamed about MK for 6 months.

[xthAi76s]

Mk is a family favorite for us. It took a few visits to figure out what we liked, but once we did we were hooked on the sauce, veggies, green noodles, and crispy pork. Last year we returned to America for an extended visit and we dreamed about MK for 6 months.

If you dreamed about MK while in the US, you must have been in a pretty middle-of-nowhere place in the US.

The sauce is sweetened with far too much sugar, the meats are overpriced and sub-par and the food handling and storage is abysmal. No thanks.

When I go to NYC or LA or Chicago, I certainly do not dream about MK. Perhaps other Thai food, but certainly MK.

lol

[Jingthing]

I don't miss Thai food at all in the U.S. Too busy enjoying what I can't get in Thailand! OK, I would if I moved back there, but never MK.

Edited April 27, 2012 by Jingthing

[xthAi76s]

IMO, much of Thai food is among the best in the world, but MK is a middle of the road, bland, family joint targeting aspiring or newly middle class Thais. The food at MK really doesn't compete with much of Thai food that you can find on the street or in other more mom-and-pop type places. And, why wouldn't it be case? The same happened in the US. The burgeoning middle class in the US saw the beginning of the demise of good food from smaller operations that focused on quality and not quantity and large scale sales. Think US diners being replaced by McDonalds. Think Starbucks replacing many of the wonderful coffee shops in various markets around the globe. MK aims at appealing to as wide an audience as possible within the "suki" style, and part of that strategy seems to be bland'ing the food. I can't enjoy it, but many Thais absolutely love it, so surely the company is doing something right for a certain target market. Just not for me. Perhaps one argument that can be made for it is that with so much stronger-flavored food here, it's nice to occasionally eat something more bland.

[sheisonlysleeping]

I'm from the San Francisco area..... Some of the best food in America and I still miss MK. I eat what I like, you eat what you like - everyone is different. Stay happy...

[Hostile17]

go there few times a month. Quick and healthy. Only 400~ baht for 2 and drinks are free and tasty. Sauce is great.

But they just opened a hotpot/sushi rail thing place all you can eat for 300baht, so if it tastes good its byebye mk.

[Hostile17]

IMO, much of Thai food is among the best in the world, but MK is a middle of the road, bland, family joint targeting aspiring or newly middle class Thais. The food at MK really doesn't compete with much of Thai food that you can find on the street or in other more mom-and-pop type places. And, why wouldn't it be case? The same happened in the US. The burgeoning middle class in the US saw the beginning of the demise of good food from smaller operations that focused on quality and not quantity and large scale sales. Think US diners being replaced by McDonalds. Think Starbucks replacing many of the wonderful coffee shops in various markets around the globe. MK aims at appealing to as wide an audience as possible within the "suki" style, and part of that strategy seems to be bland'ing the food. I can't enjoy it, but many Thais absolutely love it, so surely the company is doing something right for a certain target market. Just not for me. Perhaps one argument that can be made for it is that with so much stronger-flavored food here, it's nice to occasionally eat something more bland.

Your gf must be a pretty bad cook. i have tried hundred of mom and pop thai food type places and all of them were disgustingly fat/oversurgared and used bad veggies/meats or were badly cooked and had no love. All those places care about is making your plate for as cheap as possible. Once you taste thai food from a good cook, yes i might agree but the average thai food available to thai people on the street is horrible and they keep eating there because its convenient for them.

MK is great. Its boiled food. Of course the food itself has little taste thats why you have a sauce which is pretty dam_n good according to hundreds of thais and farangs i know and no one has ever said the opposite except on thaivisa. Still tasteless with the sauce? Well then you are either a smoker or a drunk with a burnt palate. And even then you could add eggs in the mix.

Mk isnt high gastronomy but its definitely not tasteless if you're mouth isnt burnt from some dirty habits. I would only give it a 65% for taste but add to that a very cold AC, clean spots, free healthy drink, tasty fresh duck and quick service.. its a great family spot and i dont recall a single time i have been there without at least 3 other farangs.

[Hostile17]

IMO, much of Thai food is among the best in the world, but MK is a middle of the road, bland, family joint targeting aspiring or newly middle class Thais. The food at MK really doesn't compete with much of Thai food that you can find on the street or in other more mom-and-pop type places. And, why wouldn't it be case? The same happened in the US. The burgeoning middle class in the US saw the beginning of the demise of good food from smaller operations that focused on quality and not quantity and large scale sales. Think US diners being replaced by McDonalds. Think Starbucks replacing many of the wonderful coffee shops in various markets around the globe. MK aims at appealing to as wide an audience as possible within the "suki" style, and part of that strategy seems to be bland'ing the food. I can't enjoy it, but many Thais absolutely love it, so surely the company is doing something right for a certain target market. Just not for me. Perhaps one argument that can be made for it is that with so much stronger-flavored food here, it's nice to occasionally eat something more bland.

Your gf must be a pretty bad cook. i have tried hundred of mom and pop thai food type places and all of them were disgustingly fat/oversurgared and used bad veggies/meats or were badly cooked and had no love. All those places care about is making your plate for as cheap as possible. Once you taste thai food from a good cook, yes i might agree but the average thai food available to thai people on the street is horrible and they keep eating there because its convenient for them.

MK is great. Its boiled food. Of course the food itself has little taste thats why you have a sauce which is pretty dam_n good according to hundreds of thais and farangs i know and no one has ever said the opposite except on thaivisa. Still tasteless with the sauce? Well then you are either a smoker or a drunk with a burnt palate. And even then you could add eggs in the mix.

Mk isnt high gastronomy but its definitely not tasteless if you're mouth isnt burnt from some dirty habits. I would only give it a 65% for taste but add to that a very cold AC, clean spots, free healthy drink, tasty fresh duck and quick service.. its a great family spot and i dont recall a single time i have been there without at least 3 other farangs.

[Hostile17]

IMO, much of Thai food is among the best in the world, but MK is a middle of the road, bland, family joint targeting aspiring or newly middle class Thais. The food at MK really doesn't compete with much of Thai food that you can find on the street or in other more mom-and-pop type places. And, why wouldn't it be case? The same happened in the US. The burgeoning middle class in the US saw the beginning of the demise of good food from smaller operations that focused on quality and not quantity and large scale sales. Think US diners being replaced by McDonalds. Think Starbucks replacing many of the wonderful coffee shops in various markets around the globe. MK aims at appealing to as wide an audience as possible within the "suki" style, and part of that strategy seems to be bland'ing the food. I can't enjoy it, but many Thais absolutely love it, so surely the company is doing something right for a certain target market. Just not for me. Perhaps one argument that can be made for it is that with so much stronger-flavored food here, it's nice to occasionally eat something more bland.

Your gf must be a pretty bad cook. i have tried hundred of mom and pop thai food type places and all of them were disgustingly fat/oversurgared and used bad veggies/meats or were badly cooked and had no love. All those places care about is making your plate for as cheap as possible. Once you taste thai food from a good cook, yes i might agree but the average thai food available to thai people on the street is horrible and they keep eating there because its convenient for them. (trust me i know, we owned a restaurant and were the only ones spending more and taking our time to make every plate tasty and a lot of thais noticed that our food was for once edible. some of them blatantly admitted that they often skipped our place because they had to talk an extra 2meters or had to wait an extra 5mins for better food. So they notice but they dont care. Just like their political system. They notice the corruption but theyd rather watch tv soaps)

MK is great. Its boiled food. Of course the food itself has little taste thats why you have a sauce which is pretty dam_n good according to hundreds of thais and farangs i know and no one has ever said the opposite except on thaivisa. Still tasteless with the sauce? Well then you are either a smoker or a drunk with a burnt palate. And even then you could add eggs in the mix.

Mk isnt high gastronomy but its definitely not tasteless if you're mouth isnt burnt from some dirty habits. I would only give it a 65% for taste but add to that a very cold AC, clean spots, free healthy drink, tasty fresh duck and quick service.. its a great family spot and i dont recall a single time i have been there without at least 3 other farangs.

Edited May 4, 2012 by Hostile17

[Jingthing]

It's not that MK boiled mess can't have flavor if you sauce it up. Of course it can have flavor. Boring flavor.

A similar type of Asian communist eating concept ... not boring:

http://blog.travelpo...t.jpg/tpod.html

As far as I can tell, available nowhere like this in Thailand.

Seriously folks, MK is about as foodie as Dunkin Donuts.

Edited May 4, 2012 by Jingthing

[canuckamuck]

A cauldron of overpriced veg and meat, all tossed together because the mix doesn't matter. It all ends up the same flavor, MK sauce flavor.

One single solitary flavor for a whole restaurant chain.

Brilliant marketing, the herd is hooked.

[rod2011]

The crispy pork, roast pork and duck combo platter is great !

[jinjinswing]

To love MK is to love chain foods from Maccas to the mock Jap restaurants, dont know where you come from but in Australia we dont go for this trashie stuff other than the burger and chicken fast food outlets, we have real restaurants all over the country, serving an array of cuisines not some made up boiled crap.

I suspect marketing and the fact they place many in shopping centers are the driving force, and we all know that best is not always popular and bland if marketed and placed right can be a winner.

The old gf could not understand why i did not like it....she has never been to Melbourne or Sydney.

[robbo1]

We had a meal at MKs the roast pork and duck was very nice, the service was good and the meal was very nice.

[SOEYCHANLOY]

Personally I find MK healthy food but VERY OVERPRICED! ! NO FRESH food there. Only frozen.

Sent from my GT-S5830T using Thaivisa Connect App

[dingdang]

i had the duck and the big vegetable plate...

i dont know how you guys get full with the duck, i did not - an its very pricey...

the vegetable plate was disappointing.

i dont really remember, what it was, some things i wouldnt know, neither the mushrooms, but it was all tasteless or i couldnt like the taste...

from the amount on it, i found it very pricey, too...

something like a "salad" with onions, tomatos, cucumbers, bellpepper you only get in western restaurants...

the whole place felt like a canteen, and the screaming children didnt make it better...

[Cobalt60]

Oh thank gawd for that, i thought it was only me.

I get treated like an escaped mental patient when I say its disgusting.

[notmyself]

To love MK is to love chain foods from Maccas to the mock Jap restaurants, dont know where you come from but in Australia we dont go for this trashie stuff other than the burger and chicken fast food outlets, we have real restaurants all over the country, serving an array of cuisines not some made up boiled crap.

Good to know it hasn't changed. Maccas, Hungry Jacks, red rooster (?) and KFC was about it. Spent months driving around the east of Aus. and most of the time would eat at pretty little towns in the local diner/restaurant. Top quality food usually locally produced. Even at an out of the way gas station you could get a hot chicken sandwich made to order. Or lunch at cat on a hot tin roof (?) on my way between Melb and Syd.

[MaiChiang]

I've never eaten there but was going to go in once and looked at the menu outside and saw the prices. I don't understand the point of eating Asian food in Thailand at Western prices. There's tons of cheaper alternatives everywhere if I want Asian food. If I'm going to pay that much for fast food then I'll just eat western food.

[Jingthing]

I don't think it's disgusting. Just meh.