Wine Dine and Play: Wat Mongkolratanaram

Asian Food Market With Thai Brunch and Temple

Tampa, Florida USA

Cuisine Style: Asian, Thai, Food Market

Average Price: $

Overall Rating: 5/5

Dined in: August 2018

By Sean Overpeck (CFE)

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Wat Mongkolratanaram Zomato rating:

Wat Mongkolratanaram (Wat Tampa for short) is a Buddhist Thai temple on the bank of the Palm River in Tampa, Florida and was initiated in 1981. It is a center for meditation study and practice, Thai cultural and Asian cultural practice, and a school for Thai language and Buddhism study. The grounds are large that includes a temple, a few other buildings and several open picnic areas shaded with large oak trees. They are known for their Sunday Market also known as the Thai brunch but serve foods from all around Asia with influences in the cuisines of China, Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, and others. Though with that 90% of the food is ethnically Thai. It draws crowds in the hundreds every week, and you do not have to be a Buddhist to enjoy the food. The Sunday Market is cash only and you can also purchase your favorite Thai fruit trees and vegetables in a separate area from where the food is sold.

Wat Mongkolratanaram / Temple

The market includes a wide variety of Thai food (seasoned to your taste), and contrary to the rumor, not all Thai food is super spicy. Most of the food can be seasoned to taste from mild to red hot. The food here is all authentic Thai prepared by Temple volunteers.

Chicken and Pork at Wat Tampa on Sunday Brunch

Wat Mongkolratanaram / Chicken and Pork

The menu includes:

Grilled pork or chicken pieces on a skewer, a very popular Thai and Singapore street food
Kowthom - Thai rice soup
Thai and Indonesian chicken satay with peanut sauce
"Phat Thai" - ‘vegetable and noodles’
Various chicken curry dishes with vegetables
Kauew
Chinese and Thai egg rolls
Coconut Rice Noodles
Assorted sushi
mango sticky rice
"Guiteow" - Beef or pork noodle soup
"Som Dom" - Thai Papaya salad
Fried bananas, taro root, or sweet potatoes
Kow Neal Ping and Sesame Balls
A wide variety of Thai and other Asian centric deserts to include purple rice custard
Thai tea and coffee, plus other soda and water selections

Asian food at the market at Wat Tampa Sunday Brunch

Wat Mongkolratanaram / Asian favorites

What is Buddhism?

From the Wat Mongkolratanaram website:

Buddhism may be defined and explained from various standpoints as follows:

Buddhism, the teachings of the Buddha (the Enlightened One), proposes to develop humankind through purity (by means of morality), calmness (by means of concentration) and clarity (by means of wisdom).
Buddhism is a religion founded by the Buddha for the welfare of many, for the happiness of many and for helping the world. People from all walks of life can apply the teachings to practice in accordance with their ability and free will.
Buddhism is a religion of reason and practice for self-help and self-reliance and for extending a helping hand to others out of loving-kindness and compassion.
Buddhism is both a philosophy and practice. Though it accepts the existence of divine beings, it did not put belief in a supreme being as a significant part of the religion. Instead, it teaches the followers to have qualifications such as moral shame and moral fear, making one devine in the Dhamma in this life; to be endowed with right faith, morality, learning, generosity, and wisdom. Furthermore, Buddhism teaches that one who is free from defilement's of greed, hatred, and delusion is reckoned as superior.
General information about Buddhism is as follows:

Country of Origin: India
Date of Origin: Sixth Century BC (Buddhist Century)
The Founder: The Buddha (The Enlightened One - previously Prince Siddhattha of Gotama clan within the Sakya lineage)
Doctrinal Tenets: To avoid all evil, to do good, and to purify the mind
Type of Religion: Universal, spreading out to many countries of the world; Atheistic, regarding no divine being as the center of the teaching
Main Divisions: Theravada and Mahayana
Unity of Diversity: The World Fellowship of Buddhist is the world organization for unity of all Buddhist throughout the world. It has one hundred twenty-three regional centers in 37 countries (B.E. 2539 (1996)). The permanent headquarters of the World Fellowship of Buddhist is in Thailand.

Wat Mongkolratanaram / Dragons

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Final notes, review basics, observations, and more pictures:

Most reviews are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsible, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience to the best of the writer's knowledge, even if it includes metaphors the restaurant may not like to read about. My ratings are by the stars I award (from 0 to 5). The rating is calculated on a point accumulation of six separate factors based on individual experience. They include wine and other beverage selections, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, and wow factor. To see more details of this rating list, read this article:

What Is A Restaurant Review, And Am I Any Different?

Overall from this experience and the score factors outlined in the ‘about page’ section, based on my individual experience and rating, I give Wat Mongkolratanaram a 5 out of 5 stars, meaning that they not only exceeded my expectations and were far above the average dining experience of most restaurants, but they surpassed outstanding and were extraordinary.

Scores are detailed in the factor chart below:

Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings for Wat Mongkolratanaram	Max Points Possible:	Total Points Awarded:	Total Points deducted:
Ambiance	10	9	1
Food quality	9	9	0
Plate presentation	5	4	1
Customer service	0	0	0
Alcohol and other beverages	0	0	0
Total regular points awarded	24	22	2
Total percentage — less the Bonus		0.916666666666667
“Wow” factor BONUS	5	1	0
Total bonus percentage		0.0416666666666667
*Total percentage and bonus for a final star rating*		0.958333333333333
Stars Awarded (see chart below)	0 - 5	5

**A full break down and explanation of the observations and point disbursement is available in the linked article above. To receive a detailed copy of your score, feel free to contact me at any time and I will provide it to you.**

***

Overall Star Rating:	5 of 5 Stars: 96% Rating with a 1 point “wow” bonus An Extraordinary Dining Experience
Restaurant style:	Casual dining
Cuisine Style at Wat Mongkolratanaram:	Asian, Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Market, Singaporean Thai, Vietnamese Allergen or dietary accommodations: Farm to Fork, Gluten-free choices, Grass Fed, Low Carb Choices, Non-GMO, Organic, Sustainable, and Vegetarian Options
Reservations:	Not Required
Dress code:	Casual attire It’s Florida, everybody wear’s flip-flops!
Child policy:	The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a kids menu or cater to them; however, for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended that kids not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette. If not then: Hire a Babysitter!
Wat Mongkolratanaram Experiences:	Place for foodies, Great outdoor dining, Beautiful décor, Rustic, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood Gem.
Payments:	Cash
Parking:	Wat Mongkolratanaram has a private lot
Wifi	The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
Noise level:	Medium
Smoking:	Wat Mongkolratanaram is non-smoking
Patio or terrace:	Yes

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Food Prices

(excludes, alcohol, taxes & 20% gratuity’s)

$£€¥ - Under 50.00 (inexpensive)

$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00 (moderate)

$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00 (pricey)

$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00 (expensive)

$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)

**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**

Currency:	Price
United States Dollar (USD)	$
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)	£
Canadian Dollar (CAN)	$$
Chinese Yuan (CNY)	¥¥¥
European Union (EUR)	€

Wat Mongkolratanaram:

5306 Palm River Road

Tampa, Florida

33619

Contact Information:

Restaurant website:	Wat Mongkolratanaram
Maître d or host:	+1 813-621-1669
Website Contact:	Contact Wat Mongkolratanaram
Serving hours: Eastern Standard Time (GMT, Zulu, or UTC - 5:00)	Sunday Market 8:30 am - 1:00 pm
Social Media And Accolades for Wat Mongkolratanaram:	Wat Mongkolratanaram Facebook link
	Pinterest
	Instagram

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The worlds best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.

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Other Wat Mongkolratanaram Pictures: