Moo krata blends Chinese-style hot pot and tableside barbecue, with broths and meats grilled on a tabletop dome. The format originated in Thailand in the 1970s and 1980s and remains a popular communal dining trend there. New York has had few moo krata restaurants until Unglo opens on the Upper West Side at 35 West 64th Street and Broadway on September 5. Unglo is a collaboration among Chidensee Watthanawongwat, Kitiya Mokkarat, Supatta Banklouy, and chef Nate Limwong. The restaurant presents an upscale, glamorous interior designed by Watthanawongwat with earthy hues and dramatic lighting and carries higher price points than typical Thai moo krata venues.
Moo krata ("pork pan" in Thai) is a combination of Chinese-style hot pot and tableside barbecue, a la the Korean style. It's a relatively newer genre of dining, even in Thailand, where it emerged in the 1970s and 1980s. While it may be one of the hottest dining trends in the Southeast Asian country, New York restaurants serving moo krata have been rare - until now.
Cue Unglo, a new collaboration between Chidensee Watthanawongwat, Kitiya Mokkarat, and Supatta Banklouy (who are partners behind the Thai noodle bar Soothr and barbecue skewer-focused Sappe), and Nate Limwong (chef of Southern Thai restaurant Chalong). These powerhouses of regional Thai cuisines have teamed up to create Manhattan's first moo krata restaurant, which opens on the Upper West Side at 35 West 64th Street and Broadway on Friday, September 5.
Indeed, the restaurant's glamorous interior and dramatic lighting make it feel like it belongs in the portfolio of the Rockwell Group, which designs sleek, clubby hotspots like Din Tai Fung and Nobu. However, Watthanawongwat, who has an arts background, designed the space himself. Earthy hues in various shades of clay and multi-textured curves framing the bar feel more like the desert set of Dune than a Manhattan Thai restaurant.
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