is one of two Mongolian barbecue restaurants in South Australia. Named after the , this long-standing institution serves nothing short of a feast fit for a king.
Customers choose their meats, vegetables and sauces, hand them to chef-owner, Cuong Ho, and watch him stir-fry them on a large wood-fired cast-iron grill, all in a matter of 30 seconds. Diners then help themselves to fried rice, steamed noodles, prawn chips and warrior’s buns (damper), and can return as many times as they like.
This smorgasbord barbecue, known as the ‘Victory Feast’, is inspired by the traditional meal eaten by Mongol warriors in the
According to legend, Khan’s troops camped on the banks of the River Khan-Balik. They hunted for meat, which was thinly sliced and sometimes tenderised the meat by placing it .
At the end of the day, the meat was thrown into a large battle shield that was heated over a campfire and tossed with long branches until cooked.
Ho reimagines this ancient Mongolian barbecue method at Kublai Khan. The restaurant’s round iron grill resembles an ancient battle shield and the metre-long chopsticks for stir-frying resemble branches from bygone days.
The restaurant's chefs use metre-long chopsticks to stir-fry ingredients on the barbecue. Source: Kublai Khan
Ancient Mongolian diets consisted of mutton and beef, but diners at Kublai Khan choose from chicken, lamb, beef and pork. The addition of fresh vegetables to the smorgasbord is a Chinese innovation, as vegetables were scarce in Mongolia during wartime. There are nine on offer, including mushrooms, carrot, cabbage and sprouts and also ten sauces, which are made fresh daily, including chilli, garlic, parsley and ginger.
A Taiwanese chef trained Ho for two years before the opening of Kublai Khan and taught him traditional Mongolian barbecue techniques and recipes.
“Our menu hasn’t changed since we opened over 30 years ago and neither have the recipes,” he says.
Customers can end their feast with a steamboat dessert that is cooked at the table and served like a hot pot or fondue. Kids love the chocolate steamboat with banana, apple and marshmallows, but there is also an apple and cream version prepared with crème de menthe, cloves and cinnamon.
Many things have remained the same at Kublai Khan for decades. Source: Kublai Khan
“I still love to do this work – to serve and talk with the regular customers who have been supporting me for over 30 years,” Ho says.
Many of these customers followed Kublai Khan to its current location in the inner-southern suburb of Parkside. Its original site was 30 minutes outside Adelaide.
I still love to do this work – to serve and talk with the regular customers who have been supporting me for over 30 years.
“We had a restaurant in Hahndorf before, but there were not enough people in winter so, after two years, we moved to the city,” Ho explains.
Kublai Khan has been thriving in Parkside for over 33 years and the 67-year-old chef still works the battle shield grill every night. It’s safe to say that Ho has conquered Mongolian barbecue cooking.
Sunday – Thursday 5:30 pm – 10 pm
Friday – Saturday 5:30pm – 11 pm
Feast your eyes on this
Sizzling Mongolian lamb
