Kublais Rock Mongolian Bar And Grill

Kublai's surprised me. I always see it but never really bothered to stop by until a few days ago.

Pros:

Food and drinks were good. It's dim with really cool airconditioning inside. The place showed signs of age, but all told, if you're after the food and drinks, it's a good place to hang with friends on the way home to pass traffic or for a quick get-together, maybe if you don't want to dress up on a friday or saturday night and just want to chill. Our waiter was really nice and attentive too.

Generous servings, very tasty food. Fairly priced too.

Crowd is from the south so very relaxed vibe. A lot of people from the neighborhood too (Magallanes) so definitely okay.

Cons:

Not sure if they really don't play music and just have the tvs on, but the night we were there, they were tuned into the local news showing drug addicts, someone shooting a pregnant woman caught on cctv, etc.....not  exactly for people eating and drinking. I feel like they should either put it on a sports channel or play music videos instead, if keep it on at all.

There was a member of their staff who wore a really short jumper dress with nothing inside but a bra which definitely showed. She was walking around talking loudly the whole time. Seemed inappropriate.

Close your eyes ... then transport yourself in the early eighties.  Step in this bar, the cool air-conditioning relaxes you and you're hit by the (loud) sound of Clapton's Cocaine.  It's dark and the sweet smell of alcohol and food designed to compliment, invites you further.  Next to Roxy's, Kublai's Rock was among the finest.  Ahh, maybe it was the smoke induced 80's that made such places magical.

You can wake up now, it's the nineties or whatever decade thereafter and it does not matter anymore (or at least until someone invents a time machine.)

Went here for a couple of drinks, didn't expect great food, but it was actually quite tasty - don't go by presentation! Recommend eating - Cheese & Vegetable Croquettes, Chicken Skin, Spicy Chicken Lollypops. I had the sangria to drink, and it was actually not bad at all!

"Kublai's Rock on Jupiter St. was the place to be in the late 80's." according to Christine of ramblings from a gypsy soul. Unfortunately, I wouldn't know and the name does not ring any bell. I started hitting the bars in the 90's already during my college years. As with anything that is 80's, this legendary place is making a comeback and hopefully for good after 20 years. ( Can somebody share what makes this Kublai Rock a legend during its time?)

What interests me in this place is the all-you-can-eat Mongolian Buffet that my wife and I have been craving for the past years after our favorite mongolian restaurant along Mile Long closed down, no other restaurant here in manila have been able to fulfill this craving. I'm sure some of you would remember that simple Mongolian restaurant (they even have 2 stores at that same location), the favorite hangout of almost everybody before watching a Louie's movie (the first THX movie house in the Philippines) in Milelong, Makati. So ever since Christine posted "The Return of a Legend: Kublai's Rock", we were looking for the first opportunity to eat in Kublai's Rock and finally we satisfied our hunger for Mongolian last Sunday night.

The good thing about Mongolian is that the food is as good as how well you would mix and match the ingredients. So for me, I had the best Mongolian buffet that I have ever tasted in years :) Although, I think we ate too much and we were so excited that we finished 3.5 bowls. I was not disappointed with the assortment of meat, seafood and vegetable ingredient, including my favorite fish ball, mushroom, and tofu. They also have a free potato soup that comes with the buffet that just tasted like too much arina. We were hoping instead of soup, that they would include a dessert -- that sago coconut milk dessert which gives closure and a satisfying experience after eating a lot of mongolian bowls. But I guess you go here to experience the Legend of Kublai's Rock.

It was hilarious and it provided entertainment as I wait for my dish with tag #33 to be cooked and served to me. Sometimes, you would wonder what is going on in the mind of the writer (or what is he drinking) when he wrote this.

Ah, my mongolian dish. It was perfect as I fantasized it to be -- hot, spicy, sweet, with lots of slices of fish balls and squid. If not for my high uric acid, I would have put a layer of chopped peanuts on top of it which would give that crunchy texture and nutty taste.

The ingredients were placed in sosy white dishes with a play on different shapes and height on top of a back lit counter top. It was actually a great display concept and they were able to creatively put all the ingredients in a table with limited space.

And then the confusing choices of seasonings that overwhelms you at first. I was looking for a kodigo, which would help me with the sweet, spicy combination that I like. I tried to access my long term memory of how many spoonfuls should I add to create the right spicy sweet taste. I would just go for the tried and tested combination of Oyster Sauce, Teriyaki Sauce, Sweet Chili, with lots of Garlic :) At some point, my wife and I would have a contest of the best tasting Mongolian and every time that I would mix my own ingredient, somehow, I would like my wife's concoction better than mine. (Any favorite combination that you would recommend?)

Of course, rice is an important part of the mix and you should be careful not to put too much rice because for some reason, it multiplies when it is cooked. Here is a photo of the entire mongolian display. Only thing here is that during peak hours, expect a somehow long queue. By the way, they are still in the soft launch phase so as always patience would be very appreciated.

The place felt like a bar with the chunky furniture, heavy leather square seats, and the black interiors and walls. I hesitated to go in with my kid expecting that it might be smoking area inside with the bar crowd. Surprisingly, I saw families with their toddlers eating there, after all, it was a sunday night and it means it is still a family day. I heard that the place really turns into a bar hangout place late at night specially last night during the world cup champhionship. We went there past 7pm so it was still a wholesome place to eat with your family and friends.

My overall assessment... Can we please have that cool mini sago with coconut milk dessert back to complete the mongolian buffet?