I’m no barbeque masterchef, but I love casual cookouts on gas and charcoal grills in my backyard.  It is a lot of fun, relatively easy, and the food always tastes great.  Many countries in Asia, Africa, South America and Australia have their own styles of barbeque.  Sampling local barbeque is always on the to do list when I’m in one of those places.

Friends in Phuket suggested trying Thai barbeque at Chengtalay Kungkata 2.  I gladly accepted.

20191226_224612
Chengtalay Kungkata 2 entrance

 

Location and Hours

There are several Thai barbeque restaurants in the vicinity of Patong Beach, the most famous/notorious tourist area on Phuket Island.  The address for Chengtalay Kungkata 2 is Patong, Kathu District, Phuket 83150.  It opens at 16:00 and closes at 04:00.  We went in the evening; however, Chengtalay Kungkata 2 would also be a great spot to close out a late night of partying.

Price and Process

This barbeque restaurant, like others in Patong, combines barbecue and hot pot cooking at your table.

20191220_212420
Chengtalay is a large restaurant with plenty of seating.

The price is 279 baht which converts to $9.25 at today’s rate.  Even with a strong baht, this buffet is still a good deal.  Similar buffets slightly farther from the center of Patong charge slightly less.  The price includes all-you-can-eat seafood and meat selections, side dishes, and dessert.  Beverages are extra.  Having a meal here is cheaper than dining at Banzaan Fresh Market by Jungceylon Mall.

20191227_010950 (1)

This restaurant takes credit cards without the normal 3% additional charge.

Once we selected a very nice teak wood table at the back of the restaurant.  An attendant brought out glowing charcoal from rubber trees for the hot pot and grill.    He poured water into the hot pot creating a kind of moat around the domed cooking surface in the middle.   The attendant also takes orders for beverages,  keeps glasses topped off and clears shells and trash from the table.

20191220_213251
Hot pot and BBQ grill. The domed cooking surface is used to grill meat, poultry and fish.  The “moat” is used to boil local plants and vegetables, fish and shellfish like shrimp or clams.

While the cooking surfaces were heating we went to the buffet to choose our food.  There is great variety.

20191227_010354
Pork, chicken, fish and beef.
20191227_010527
Shellfish

 

 

20191227_010826

Local veggies and plants are cooked in the hot pot and add flavor, texture and color to the meal.

20191220_212442
Side dishes such as steamed rice, pad thai, noodles, pasta, fried rice and soup.

Customers are the cooks.  But it’s not a chore.  It’s fun.  Each person cooks their order and shares with the others.  Crabs on the grill are extremely tasty but require a good deal of work to locate and extract all of the meat.

 

20191226_230937

20191226_231233
Crabs, large shrimp, and clams await their turn on the grill. Pork belly and chicken on a skewer for the hot pot cooking surface.

The marinated chicken on a skewer has a delightfully sweet/spicy taste and melts in your mouth.  It was my favorite.   I enjoyed all of the shellfish, pork belly, chicken – everything actually.

The charcoal was great for cooking.  It provided a long-lasting fire at an even temperature.

20191226_224707

The buffet also has fruit and homemade ice cream for dessert.  After going back for seconds and thirds from the buffet, I had just enough room for a bowl of ice cream.

Overall Impression

Thai barbeque and hot pot cuisine at Chengtalay Kungkata 2 is an excellent choice for great food at a reasonable price and a fun time.  Thai barbeque and hot pot meals offer a “taste” of local culture in Patong.  The next time I go back to this restaurant I hope to have improved crab-eating skills because I would love to eat more of them but crab is difficult (for me) to figure out how to eat.

Have you tried a Thai barbeque or hotpot buffet in Thailand or elswhere?