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Great Khans Mongolian BBQ, a closer look
Aloha!
5/19/09 - It'll be a quickie today, in 'n out! As I said last time while catching the latest Star Trek, we passed-by an interesting eatery tucked into a small corner of the Pearl Ridge Shopping Center Food Court. Mongolian bbq? Sure sounded interesting!
Behind a circular counter and matching glass panels, and situated right at the entrance of the store, lay what looked like a giant cast-iron pan with no sides, only a thick, black-topped saucer that was the center of attention.
But, we'll actually see more of this hot saucer later...
First thing's first, and the first thing you'll need to do here is check with the host at the register. He'll give you tray of napkins, utensils, and a small ($5.99) or large ($7.99) bowl, completely empty. He then instructs you to pick from a collection of different meats, veggies, and sauces, only, not really... Both my buddy Jeff and myself were a bit confused, as we stood there looking at everything, not knowing if we should open the lids to select the various items ourselves, because they sure didn't seem so easy for customers to get to. We stared hopelessly at the host for a good minute or so, hoping to illicit some attention, but I guess he was just too busy tending to customers who arrived right after us. Finally, just before I was ready to knock the lids off those refrigerated bins and grab raw pieces of meat housed there with my bare hands, a couple of guys appeared behind the counter to ask what we wanted.
There was a selection of chicken, turkey, pork, and beef, all rolled into hollow, stubby-cigar-sized tubes, of which I picked chicken, beef, and pork. A few rolls were tossed in, and we moved right along to the veggie section, where I grabbed mushrooms, baby corn, onions, green onions, and bell peppers, omitting bean sprouts, cabbage, tofu, and carrots.
The last series of choices come from nine different sauces, out of which you can pick several - I went with oyster, bbq, sesame, and spicy. The worker then piles a huge load of noodles directly on your already-swollen bowl, making it look like you're getting your money's worth. but is it, really...?
The only reason I ask is because on the Mainland (not sure if it includes all spots there), customers fill bowls themselves! Yes, in case you never knew, Great Khan's Mongolian BBQ is actually an international chain of eateries found all across the US, as well as Hong Kong, Taiwan, and even Mongolia itself! And yes, I guess Hawaii is just too expensive to have us local bruddah's packing everything into those bowls, cramming and pushing down even harder than we'd do a dummy in CPR class, especially since those rolls of meat, being hollow, take up so much space, and the workers don't exactly do their part to let all the air out!
Can you imagine how high we'd go, and all the spillage that'd be incurred? In actuality, me-thinks they're pretty darn smart to change the rules, really.
But moving right along, with tray and noodle-topped mound in hand, I then passed the whole thing off to the cook, whose tools of trade are that giant black grill, a sauce/moisture pitcher (yes, even more sauce!), and a curious-looking utensil, indeed...
The thing looked like a giant wooden tweezer, with yardsticks for arms! With it, our hard-working cook tossed, turned, and scraped the mixture all over that hot griddle, beginning in one area and working his way around almost 360 degrees! The sizzle, the dance, the quick tossing - it all moved like clockwork in a matter of seconds, the end-result being a plate lunch-style, styrofaom housing filled with a hot, tasty, everything-in-one meal! Not bad at all for fast-food, really, the thick egg noodles coming al dente, the meats infused during grilling with dark, Asian sauces, the vegetables substantial, and in everything, the smoky-seared flavor from that unique monster-grill. The mix is tasty and very well-flavored, so you may wanna think twice about adding any more of the finishing sauces that are available (besides a little hot sauce and garlic, perhaps). There's no msg, but lemme tell you, one hour after eating, the both of us were suddenly hit with a serious case of dehydration, leaving us wondering just how much salt we'd earlier consumed! If you like bold and strong, this is your spot; if you prefer something a little more delicate, make sure you let them know. We both also requested shrimp, for an extra $2, but I'll never do that again, as the shrimps are small and of very little consequence.
How'd the finished plate look, you ask?
..... Oops, I'm gonna have to leave that to your imagination, as for some reason, I mistakenly erased the shots of the dishes, themselves! Waaay not cool!
But then again, I was lucky to have even gotten any shots in the first place! Per last visit, I asked the person there if I could take a shot, and she flat-out refused, without asking any further questions. This time, I figured I'd put on a bigger smile and do a little shmoozin' to the owner him or herself, as I couldn't imagine that person not wanting a little free advertising, right? Well... The guy let me go, at first, but for some reason, then did a quick-turn and waved his hand, saying "No, no, no!"
"What?" I thought you just said it was ok!
I could barely understand what he was saying, but lemme tell you, he was not polite at all, not during the hand-waving, nor during the initial ok. Grump-city, boy, for sure! I just smiled back, said thank you, and walked off, hoping he wouldn't chase me down and steal my camera! Luckily, we ate in peace, but not after feeling slightly miffed. Like I said earlier, these people, they just don't understand - "I'm not the enemy, I'm helping you folks out, too! I'm not the Department of Health capturing images of your kitchen or a competitor stealing trade secrets! I'm just lil' ol' me!"
Oh, well. Live and learn...
All is still well in Paradise! Cockroach Bay (Baby Makapuu) was going off today! Didn't get out there, but still, my secret spot had some decent sets to offer, just the same! Happy, happy!
Take care and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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