ABC Mu-ga-ta in Chiang Mai: A pretty scary establishment with great food

When I say that it is scary I am talking about unwanted visitors during our meal. Although I couldn't get the camera out in time during any of the occasions that it occurred, we spotted rats on the floor on multiple occasions.

This isn't the establishments fault. They are located right next to the moat and also next to a busy street and to be honest, i don't think they could really do anything to prevent it as there are likely more rats in Chiang Mai than there are people (I'll delve into why that is the case in another article someday.)

Mu-Ga-Ta is merely a term that is used all over the country that means that you cook the food yourself on a grill-type thing that is in the center of your table and you have access to as much of it as you want. The flat rate of 145 B / person is applied regardless of how much you eat, or how long her are there. For the most part I only go for the thick cuts of bacon (pork stomach) that is called "Moo Saam Chan."

The juices from the meat go down the sides and go into a reservoir of sorts where you put a bunch of vegetables and later it becomes a very tasty soup. I don't think that my pictures do it justice but it really is nice especially with the spicy dipping sauces and the fact that large bottles of beer are 70 baht.

This Mu-Ga-Ta was different than other ones that I have been to in that there is a person in the back that is arranging various trays of meat for you to choose from instead of just having a massive buffet line where all the best parts have already been removed by the first patrons of the evening. This system allows for equal access as all of the cuts seem to be relatively the same (plus the lady in the back was super-friendly.)

We were here for nearly 3 hours and everyone ate until I don't think it would have been possible for us to eat any more of our stuff which for me was basically a kilo of bacon and perhaps 2 bulbs of garlic and our total bill for 4 of us was less than US $30 including the 6 large beers we had.

Despite the proximity to the road and the rodents that occasioned the perimeter of the restaurant, I would definitely return here. It might be a little shocking for newbies to the area, but since these places have to be outdoors (because of the charcoal) I suppose it just kind of comes with the territory.