Tang Kung Bar-B-Q, Taipei

This afternoon I asked my local colleague where the best Mongolian BBQ was in Taiwan, so he took us here (283 Sung Chiang Road 2F, 2502-6762), a place that he said was much better than that Genghis Khan place we went to last time. This place was still pretty grimey, but the BBQ spread looked encouraging. Not only did they feature venison among the meat choices, but they also had fresh basil, which was a new experience for me. And when I finally brought my bowl up to the chef, he kept telling me to load up on more sesame oil, which this sesame oil-lover was more than happy to oblige.

Unfortunately, it didn't quite taste right to me after I finally got it. I'm sure that part of it was because I took it easy on the seasonings. But I also realized that it was because there was one critical ingredient that was missing: noodles. They didn't offer it at all - it was just meat and veggies. The only carbs to be had were those sesame bread things, which didn't really do anything for me either. I guess that noodles are really only present in the American version, eh? Well, Atkins dieters can rejoice here. Me, on the other hand? I think I'll wait to go to the States for my next bowl of Mongolian BBQ.

One thing that I did appreciate about this place though was the fact that they also gave you that sour veggie and pork hot pot stuff; apparently the sour broth was meant to help cleanse your palate after eating all of the meat from the BBQ. I definitely liked the quality of the meat that they used here; the pork was thin, tender, and full of porky lard flavor...yum. But after having had a couple of bowls of BBQ before, I really couldn't eat that much more.