Genghis Khan: Mongolian BBQ - Lake Forest

irvinehomeowner

irvinehomeowner

Well-known member
Genghis Khan Mongolian BBQ and Chinese Cuisine
23615 El Toro Rd
Ste P
Lake Forest, CA 92630
(949) 951-8296
http://www.yelp.com/biz/genghis-khan-mongolian-barbeque-and-chinese-cuisine-lake-forest

We've gone here for years but not recently until PS9 reminded me about it, so we went a few days ago. This place has been owned and operated by the same family since 1979 (I asked them).

What is Mongolian BBQ?

First you put thinly-sliced frozen meat in the bowl (chicken, pork, beef, lamb), add various vegetables (and they have noodles now) and then put sauces to take it from mild to spicy (and even curry flavored). I put garlic powder on mine:
ng92te.jpg


Then they cook it on this large "stone"... almost like a gigantic hot plate:
hsszrl.jpg


And this is kind of how it looks after:
qpf1ns.jpg


You can eat it with rice, but I usually stuff it inside these sesame pocket breads (although... you should probably not add noodles as it's too starchy):
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The ones in the mall (they have a Mongolian BBQ at Mission Viejo Mall) don't have the pocket bread which is my favorite part.

All you can eat is $14.95 at dinner (relatively cheap), I forgot how much it was at lunch.

They have kids meals which are pricey at $8-9 (without drink) and they don't have refills on sodas (strange). They also serve a regular Chinese food menu.

@PS9: Next time you get a haircut... you should go here first as it's 2 minutes away (in the next center by Smart&Final).
 
Hm shallow bowls so you can't stack your food high. I recommend using the frozen strips of meet and carefully line up the perimeter of the bowl to expand the holding capacity sort of like cantilevered beams. Then stack the smaller items from the base up. Avoid broccoli because the shape is really bad to use as the foundation. As you stack each layer make sure to use the sticky sauce in between as adhesive bond then compact the layers with a spoon.

During the cooking the volume will shrink about 50%. If the cooked contents still spill over The bowl then it is the right time for you to buy a home in Irvine because you have mastered the skill of getting the most from your money.
 
irvinehomeshopper said:
Hm shallow bowls so you can't stack your food high. I recommend using the frozen strips of meet and carefully line up the perimeter of the bowl to expand the holding capacity sort of like cantilevered beams. Then stack the smaller items from the base up. Avoid broccoli because the shape is really bad to use as the foundation. As you stack each layer make sure to use the sticky sauce in between as adhesive bond then compact the layers with a spoon.

During the cooking the volume will shrink about 50%. If the cooked contents still spill over The bowl then it is the right time for you to buy a home in Irvine because you have mastered the skill of getting the most from your money.
Click to expand...

Those are very good points.
The problem I have with the one located at the food court in Mission Viejo is they get upset and discourage you from pressing down on the bowl in an effort to add more meat or contents.
The all you can eat seems like a better deal overall, so we?ll give that one a try.
 
Yes... the benefit of AYCE is you don't need to worry about meat compression and proper vegetable balancing... you just go back numerous times.

One time when I was there... a guy just put ALL beef and a few onions... did that like 5 times... not sure if the wait staff were very happy with him... hehe.

The other good thing about AYCE... you can get all the pocket bread you want!
 
In school days my buddy would grab my bowl, smash it down on his to compact it and hand back my dirtied bowl.  The owner glared at us.

Does this lake forest restaurant have non AYCE?  One bowl might be sufficient if I perfect the bowl smashing techniques
 
There is also Genghis Khan: Mongolian BBQ - in Huntington Beach. The place still has the same waitress and the carpet is still the same as the early 90 when I went back there a couple of years ago. Ohhhh the food is still so good. AYCE is the way to go.  You can hit the lunch for a little bit cheaper. The stacking methods and the smashing methods got me rolling on the floor laughing because this is exactly how I did mine. I guess when we dine at these places we all think alike.
 
Stop posting Mexican and Mongolian foods. Both make me hungry and want to have either one for lunch. Will probably go to the one by Huntington Beach sometime today. I plan on staying there for several hours to get my AYCE money worth. I don't recall the place has enough ventilation and may stink up my my clothes and hair.

 
I kept looking at the decor. 2 images came to my mind. The interior is absolutely from the 1970s era. The decor reminded me the typical Bruce Lee's fighting scence where he single handedly killed 25 guys. The other  one is the dated homes in many of Irvine's older villages.
 
ps99472 said:
Does this lake forest restaurant have non AYCE?  One bowl might be sufficient if I perfect the bowl smashing techniques
Click to expand...
Yes it does... but I think it's only $2-3 less... not worth it.
 
Did some damage tonight... 4 rounds.. all beef and veggies.. no noodles.. didn't touch the bread and rice till the 4th.. could've gone for a 5th round if the kid wasn't acting up...  how come the wait staff there is a little creepy?  even the guy who does the cooking gives a weird look as he takes your bowl to cook..

want to come back.. but the wife might not like it..
 
Haircut followed by 3 rounds at genghis khan, $4 cheaper at lunch.  Better service this time, less creepy, owner is Chinese? 
 
Sadly, the long established Ebisu grocery and the pasta house in the same plaza shut down their doors.
 
Bumping this thread...for no reason except to continue the 2012 flashback courtesy of Mirabella and Mil Jugos thread bumps!

I still crave this mongolian stuff, but wife and kids thumb down and I don't want to be at a buffet by myself. 
 
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