Not much needs saying about the No.1 mala hotpot — CQK MALA Hotpot. Today we're at the Seacon Srinakarin branch. A lot of people worry about mixing a bad dipping sauce, but trust us, this recipe never fails: one equal spoonful of everything.
We ordered items Thai diners don't usually order but Chinese diners love: a tomato soup that pairs beautifully with sesame dipping sauce, a mellow sweet pumpkin soup, a rich mala oil soup, garlic-stir-fried crayfish, a cold tofu salad, and Chinese green bamboo shoots, which are hard to find elsewhere.
The standout items to cook in the pot: tender, delicious wagyu beef, springy and well-balanced crab-roe shrimp balls, sliced duck with great bounce, and crab-fat meatballs, juicy and highly recommended, plus sliced kurobuta pork and tofu-skin rolls fried and dipped in the soup — absolutely delicious. Drinks come from WYNN TEA, and it finishes with fried sticky rice stuffed with yogurt.
Currently 6 branches (Huai Khwang, Crystal Ekkamai, Seacon Srinakarin, Samyan Bantadthong, with Ekkamai, Pattaya, and Phuket opening by year's end). Some branches have private rooms for 10-20 people — book ahead, they fill up fast.
