Not quite a commentary on the upcoming Rio Olympics and Michael Phelps, we are headed to one of the iconic seafood joints in all of SE Asia. Though the name is famous, Seafood Market and Restaurant, it took my travel buddy, Mr. Mike, and long time friend, Brian, to push me into trying it. Most people call it a once in a lifetime experience. I will reserve judgment until AFTER dinner.
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Seafood Market and Restaurant is possible the largest seafood restaurant in the world, and one of the priciest, at least for a place like Thailand, where seafood is plentiful. Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market is the biggest fish market I have ever visited. But Tsukiji’s charm is in the wholesale distribution process, not the on site consumption of massive amounts of “pearls of the sea.”
A straight jaunt down famous Sukhumvit Road from the J.W. Marriott, and after an hour or more of cocktails in the Club Lounge, we plan to arrive, eager and hungry. The process follows a slightly different pattern, first guided by a hostess, we get to pick our own fresh seafood and vegetables. The waiter arrives when we are seated to discuss the preparation of our bounty. A virtual army or navy of chefs await our decisions. I am told the grilled king lobster and chili crabs are simply the best.
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Minor details, like the cost based on weight and items selected, did little to dampen our enthusiasm. Of course, the last time I did this in Puerto Banus, Spain, the dinner by weight scam cost me several hundred dollars!!! But, when in Bangkok, I might as well swim with the big fish. The scent of Thai curry sauce dominates the scene.
From their website:
“Choose-Your-Own-Seafood”
To answer customers’ difference food preferences, Seafood Market and Restaurant offers “Choose-Your-Own-Seafood” service where you can opt for fresh seafood along more than 50-meter fresh food stall as if you pick it from the sea yourself.
Our waiters were available to give recommended menus and cooking methods. Then the selected raw materials will be directly sent to our kitchen for cooking at an indoor outdoor kitchen.
You can easily follow these steps:
1. Select seafood
2. Weigh in seafood and make a payment
3. Cooking your chosen menu
4. Wait a minute
5. Once finishing the meal, make a payment for cooking and drinks
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We arrived to a place the size of a football field, with about 5 employees per customer. We sat quietly with a few Singha beers before taking a look at the wine cellar. Nothing of note, so we started the seafood extravaganza. Everything is sold byweight, so we had no idea what we were spending. For about 4000 baht, we got two jumbo prawns that tasted more like lobster, six giant oysters on the half shell, a whole grouper, and a variety of veggies for two stir fries. Of course, Mike had his French fries, and I had a bowl of rice.
After paying, we told the waitress how we wanted each dish prepared. Slowly, each made their way to our table, with an accompanying fee for prep. The huge oysters were actually quite good. They had us top eavh one with dried sauteed onion, hot seafood sauce, some herb I have never seen before, and a squirt of lime. It was actually delicious.
Then came the two stir fries, the real fries, and the grilled prawn/lobster. Finally, the whole steam fish arrived with my bowl of rice. What a feast, slightly touristy, quite expensive, but a taste sensation with a very unusual experience. The beer, water, rice, and cooking fees totalled another 1250 baht, not including tip.
It was crazy, but fun.
I have not seen a spread like this since the famous Rasa Sayang Hotel in Penang, Malaysia, or maybe Donde’ Augusto’s in Santiago, Chile. Buon apetite!!!
