Christina Y.
Yelp
We are mad fans of Lom Wong and when my husband received an email from the restaurant in regards to a brand new place serving mookata, we were all over it! Initially, he made a reservation, thinking it was for the restaurant, but later realized he had reserved a spot in the bar area. After correcting the reservation, we secured a table for an early dining time at 5:15 pm, instead of our preferred time after 7 pm. We arrived 15 minutes early.
Upon arrival, we discovered it was a soft opening, and we were seated at the bar while they prepared our table. They apologized for still ironing out details on their first day. While waiting for our dining table, we ordered drinks. Not being a frequent bar-goer, I found the drink prices steep for the ambiance. in general, I'm realizing that prices in Scottsdale/Phoenix area equals or even surpasses prices in New York. (sigh) My husband and I joked that the cost of one drink could probably cover an entire meal in Thailand. It also seemed the bartenders were still in training, discussing the ingredients for various drinks. Regardless, our drinks were delicious, and I have no complaints.
Finally about 15 minute past our reservation time, we were seated at our table. We realized that they are all outdoor seating and they were prepping our mookata grills while we were waiting, because the grill and the broth in it were already at a roaring boil by the time we were seated. All the raw meat in a see-thru acrylic containers were neatly compartmentalized by different meat. We were instructed how to grill and prep the meat before eating. It's a cross between K-BBQ and Chinese hot pot where you grill the beef and pork bellies on top of the dry grill and dunk the ground pork and chicken inside the broth. Chicken is boiled first then finished up by grilling on top of the grill top. The weather was absolutely perfect for an al fresco dining, but I don't see how they can open this place during the hot summer months! When it gets colder, they'll need to provide heat lamps. We were provided plastic tongs to grill the meat, but maybe they should think about switching to metal ones so that they're reusable and don't break. I had to get another tong as they broke on me. Another suggestion is providing individual plates along with the bowls for a more convenient dining experience.
All the meat, including the chicken, was incredibly tender and delicious. We struck up a conversation with a pleasant young couple seated next to us, and the wife, who happened to be Thai, confirmed the authenticity and high quality of the mookata. She also expressed her love for Lom Wong. Overall, we are delighted to have this new addition to Lom Wong and truly appreciate the culturally authentic experience it brings to the Phoenix dining scene.