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| Genghis Khans Restaurant Manchester - member's reviews |
"Genghis Khan's is a buffet style layout that you can help yourself to as many times as you like, choosing your own meat, fish, vegetables, salad and spices, then watching the chefs cooking them on the grill.
It had a very relaxed but busy atmosphere, with people talking and laughing. The wooden table and chairs contribute to the feel-at-home vibe. The price is what you would expect to pay in the city centre.
The staff were really, really friendly and welcoming; so much so, my boyfreind bought us all shots at the end of the evening with the management even joining in. I really enjoyed the whole experience. It is the second time I've been there and it still feels fresh and exciting." ~
Donna Enright, Manchester - member since Dec 2007 (28/8/11 visited on a friday evening) |
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"The concept at Genghis Khan is hard to understand. I usually go to a restaurant to have the chef cook my meal, not for me to distinguish the ingredients myself. I was offered no help and was not alone, as several people around me were struggling with the service as well. Our first waiter seemed fine but she left to attend someone else and the next lady spoke very poor basic English. I complained to the Manager but was moreorless told that I was the one with the problem. We were offered wine as a gesture however, to which I refused. I will definitely not be going back here again. Flat drinks, wonky tables, flavourless starters which were cold, very poor service from the staff. I highly doubt Genghis Khan dined like this!" ~ steven brown, bury - member since Jan 2010 (4/8/11 visited on a thursday afternoon) |
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 "Im not sure how many Mongolian BBQ's you'd find if you actually went to Mongolia, or where the concept started, but I've been to a few of these places, and never failed to have a laugh, or walk out feeling 3 stone heavier. They are inherentely good value, all you can eat, buffet quality, novelty factor dining, best enjoyed with a few mates, once you've got a few pints into you. To be fair, I can't imagine going when sober, although who knows if that's good or bad?
On a busy Saturday night, fancying something semi healthy for a change, we booked a table for 8:30, to give us chance to get a few jars in beforehand. We arrived and waited 10 minutes for our table to be prepared, as it was pretty busy, at peak time on a Saturday night as you would expect. We were feeling pretty chuffed that they let us use our Hi Life card at peak time, as its rare indeed!
We ordered a starter each, since we were on Hi Life card, so only paid for one. We went for the Genghis Platter (£4.95), which has a mix of various starters from breaded prawns, spare ribs, to wraps, all frozen and then deep fried, with tonnes of overdressed salad. No problems though, and tasted OK, in a big enough portion. Then, we moved onto the grill, and had already started to wonder why we had bothered with starters which you have to pay extra for, when the grill is all you can eat. Oh well, maybe the cocktails and wine prior to the restaurant were messing with our judgement? Regarding the food at the grill, you can't comment on it as you could in a normal restaurant, or even a buffet, since you choose exactly what goes into it. If it tastes rubbish, dont blame the cook! The quality of the meats was reasonable, and only the squid and crocodile weren't decent quality. The veg was all fine, and the range of spices and sauces were OK too. We ordered sides of rice and noodles to go with the grills. The noodles were fine, but the rice was undercooked and a bit hard. The main point is that prawns and squid cook a lot faster than chicken and beef etc, so be warned, they will be overcooked and as hard as leather by the time the chef has had them on the hotplate for 5 minutes. You eat here to have a laugh and gorge yourself though, so it's not worth worrying about overcooked food to be honest.
We tried most of the meats, and dabbled with a few combinations, and for me you still can't beat a spicy beef stir fry. They have all kind of Chinese, Indian and Thai sauces for you to mix with your meat and veg, along with a couple of recipes on the wall in case you dont have a clue what to do. Again though, you probably won't care to be honest. Just throw in whatever you fancy, see how it comes out. That's the point of this place. Fun, not quality.
There was a compulsary service charge of 10%, which is a bit of a joke to be honest, since all the staff do is bring your drinks. Fortunately, the booze isn't too badly priced. We got a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, and I forget its name, year or anything else. The only thing I remember is that it was simple plonk, and was probably £2.50 a bottle from Costco, but we still enjoyed it, in true Genghis Khan spirit!
The main gripe in this place was the couple of vegatarians who didnt seem to mind one iota the fact that they were holding up the already 10 minute queue, with their messing about, having everything on the grill separated, having their beansprouts and tofu with a dash of salt being wrapped in foil, and then quizzing the chef as to which kind of oil they used?! If you're a vegetarian, then sorry, this is a BBQ! They only have one grill, and I guess the vast majority of the people here eat meat, so you will get a tiny bit of meat or juice in your dish whether you like it or not! Genghis Khans is not geared up for vegetarians, like most places in reality, if you saw what went on behind the scenes!
Anyway, after a fun filled time, the bill landed, and with the Hi Life discount, it came to £40 for 2 starters, 2 grills, rice, noodles (£2 each), the plonk and their compulsary 10% service charge. They initially charged us for both starters, but this was soon fixed when we pointed it out. I guess that they don't usually get orders for starters, and I can see why to be honest. All you can eat for £14, or all you can eat plus a starter for £19. Easy choice really.
Right, Im really not sure how to rate this. I'm tempted to rate it based on what it is, a casual, buffet, fun filled, self service Mongolian barbeque, and give it 4 for food, 3 for service, 4 for price, and 3 for smartness, but then that wouldn't be fair in reality. If you're being honest and comparing it to a more traditional restaurant, or even a good buffet, the food is average, the wine was poor in comparison, the service is ordinary, and it looks like a Mexican diner without a refurb. And is is really good value? £14 for their all you can eat grill is more than most buffets in town, so probably not really.
Food - 2/5 ~ Service 2/5 ~ Price - 3/5 ~ Smartness - 2/5 ~ Overall - 2.5/5 (But still a quality night out)" ~ chris handley, salford - TRUSTED REVIEWER (27/4/09 visited on a saturday evening) |
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