"Eating at Muukata6395 in San Francisco’s Richmond district involves getting hands-on with your food. Mu kratha (sometimes also spelled or known as mookata) is a style of Thai barbecue that commands the attention of diners around the table. The metal mu kratha pan, domed at its center, sits over charcoal as diners grill sliced cuts of marinated rib-eye or chicken over the pan’s slatted curves. Pork broth bubbles gently in a trench at the base of the pan, as bits of vegetables cook in the soup, becoming more and more flavorful as marinade drips into the broth with each sear and flip of meat. Muukata6395 debuted on Geary Boulevard in March 2023 and it’s one of the city’s new restaurants keeping the lights on until midnight. It’s also quite possibly the Bay Area’s only mu kathra restaurant — or so the Muukata6395 staff claims. It’s attracting both Thai expats missing a taste of home and those new to this style of cooking. Muukata6395 is the newest restaurant from couple Phornthip Korkiatnun and Ittriuj Niamchan, who own Ginza Sushi on Haight, as well as two locations of Naya Dessert Cafe in San Francisco. Muukata6395 is different than those two businesses, but as fans of mu kathra, the couple decided to take on the challenge and work on the restaurant began in 2021. The couple imported special pans, and installed charcoal grills into the restaurant. Meanwhile, Niamchan — a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu — developed the flavors of the Muukata6395, including the veggie and pork bone broths, the restaurant’s accompanying Thai dishes, and the dipping sauces central to mu kratha." - Dianne de Guzman
