Mokka

Located right next to Brown Sugar on Sarasin Road, Mokka isn’t exactly aiming to attract the snobby, foodie crowd. In fact, coming here exclusively to dine can produce the gastronomic equivalent of a shoulder shrug and a “meh”. But considering that their main objective is to provide loads of calories for Thais and expats there to soak in the booze and the music from Brown Sugar—and the otherwise dwindling nightlife in the neighborhood—that’s not necessarily a disaster. While we usually scoff at this sort of thing, at Mokka it makes sense to have a broad menu, with Thai noodles and fried rices and Western pastas and pizzas and the occasional fusion option. And many dishes are comforting and hit the spot, like the Esarn Lover Pizza (B180 for an 8” pie), which is competently handled, thin but not too thin and nicely charred, though we do wish they’d use stronger sai krok (Isaan sausage) flavors in it, but that’s just a personal preference. The curry fried rice with chicken satay (B120) is an odd combination of a decidedly non-curry fried rice bowl topped with three satay sticks and a side of peanut sauce. But the rice is neither soggy nor greasy, the satay is moist and we like the peanut sauce. But other dishes are either ill-executed—like the pumpkin soup with garlic bread, a cream overload which lacks both the pumpkin color and flavor—or ill-conceived, like the smoked salmon spicy mango salad. The Thai-style mango salad in the middle is tart, crisp and balanced, but the odd-looking rolls of smoked salmon surrounding it are just OK, and we can’t help but think that the dish really just needed fresh salmon. The service is pleasant, but patchy, and the experience is a lot more like a bar than a restaurant. But honestly, after a few Beer Lao or a couple of cocktails, you’re not going to care very much, and you might even find yourself ordering more carby comfort food. Besides, with the run-down, Parisian absinthe den décor and many little private nooks, including one on the second floor balcony, there are far worse (and pricier) places in the area to have a plate of pasta and a glass of cheap house wine.