16 May 30th-June 5th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | meal of it. But you’d be a fool to miss the main event. Taming the fire You might be able to walk in and snag a mookata table if you’re lucky, but this isn’t one of Thailand’s monster mookata dining halls where a staff of four or five people are dedicated solely to tending the charcoal. The logistics of managing live-coal fire in a tiny restaurant necessitate reservations. Once you arrive, however, Mr. Baan’s has made a relaxed process of the experi- ence. You’ll spend 15 minutes, give or take, with a drink or a nosh while the staff makes final preparations. And once the fire is ready, the scene shifts to a wooden deck where the full setup awaits. It’s impressive. On the table, a brick slab supports a small brazier loaded with red hot coals, atop of which rests the mookata grill, a large aluminum pan with a raised, perfo- rated dome in the center. Two ice-chilled plexiglass boxes sit nearby — one loaded with fresh vegeta- bles, the other with marinated meats — plus cooking tongs and a pitcher of pork broth. Scattered about you’ll find bowls, chop- sticks and a pair of dipping sauces — the same bright and fragrant nam jim seafood that adorns some of the precooked skewers, and nam jim suki, a spicy sweet-sour condiment that’ll get the chile junkies fired up. The staff — a friendly, laid-back bunch — will walk first-timers through the basics, and then you’re off. A mighty, meaty feast Start with large chunks of pork fat, best placed at the apex of the dome where gravity can do the work, lubricating the cooking surface as the fat slowly melts. Slivers of marinated beef cook quickly, and crushed coriander seeds in the sweet sauce lend a citrusy scent to the smoke when it hits the grill. Soy-marinated pork belly — the “moo” in mookata — is bound to grab attention, as pork belly does, but the chicken thigh is not to be overlooked. Plied with garlic and a heavy shot of black pepper, it’s equally tasty charred on the grill or simmered to a silky smooth consis- tency in the soup. Speaking of, the soup might be my favorite part of the meal. Sunny’s broth is a clean, clear, under- stated brew built on pork neck and a touch of scallion for sweetness. But that’s just a baseline to add to. Start with garlicky minced pork, simmered in the soup to add fat and a bit of meaty texture. Add a couple of raw eggs, enriching the liquid with their yolks and producing thin ribbons of cooked egg white. Load up the moat with tender egg tofu or vegetables like Napa cabbage and mushrooms. Pro tip: Be sure to periodically spoon some of the broth over the dome, deglazing its charred surface and dripping all of that concentrated meaty essence back down into the soup, turning it a deep bronze color and building up a flavor so wildly intense that it rivals the meat itself. Devotees of all-you-can-eat barbecue may squawk at Mr. Baan’s finite format, but I’ve yet to bring a crowd that could finish the job. (You can leave with your left- overs, provided you cook them first.) And if you somehow manage to empty the ingredient bins, lingering over some skewers, another drink and maybe a banana ice cream sand- wich for dessert is a mighty fine way to round out an evening. I can think of few places in Phoenix where I’d rather spend an evening, period. The meat would be more than enough, but Mr. Baan’s allure isn’t limited to the grill. As rare as mookata is in the United States, restaurants this easygoing feel almost as sparse. The Martins have culti- vated a vibe, so to speak, and if I take a moment to sit back and disengage my crit- ic’s brain, I keep returning to the same thought. Relaxing with good food, good drinks and good friends at Mr. Baan’s is the most I’ve enjoyed a restaurant in a very long time. That makes it one of the rarest restau- rants of all. Mr. Baan’s Bar and Mookata 218 E. Portland Street (entrance in alley behind Lom Wong) 480-685-3636 mrbaans.com 5 p.m. to midnight Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday; 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Cocktails $16-$18; Skewers $8- $12; Mookata $59 per person. Casual diners can drop into Mr. Baan’s for a cocktail and grilled skewers, including the stellar pork bathed in nam jim.(Photo by Dominic Armato) Mookata from p 14
