There seems to be some confusion in the Toronto area regarding the Mongolian Grill. Google Mongolian Grill in Toronto and that confusion seems warranted. On review sites, people regularly compare the place in town with the places around the suburbs. News flash folks, they are totally different restaurants! They aren’t even related. One chain is called JB’s Mongolian Grill and the other is the Ghengis Khan Mongolian Grill. To make matters worse, the JB’s people haven’t updated their website in years so some of the new stores aren’t listed on their main site, but they have new individual sites for the new locations. Do these two companies have no clue about brand imaging?

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to visit both Ghengis Khan Mongolian Grill on Don Mills Road in Toronto and JB’s Mongolian Grill in Whitby. The idea that supports both restaurants is the same. The guest fills a bowl full of meat, veggies and sauce, which a guy then cooks in front of you on a large round cooking stone. It’s a great concept that promises a fun meal. Same name, same concept. Where the 2 places differ is in the execution and layout of the “assembly” area.

On Friday night, I joined 20 or so co-workers at the Ghengis Khan for a celebration. What we found was a large space that was a more comfortable, stylish version of your typical chinese food place. In other words, loads of uncomfortable black lacquer chairs. Fortunately, the decor and dramatic lighting saved the room. At the back is a large buffet, remniscent of the Mandarin, but with a difference. One of four long buffet tables is dedicated to the assembly of bowls waiting to be cooked. The first stop is the meat and seafood. Large trays of fresh looking, thinly shaved, still frozen meats and assorted frozen seafood that looked fresh also. There were maybe 30 bowls of veggies and asian greens waiting to be piled atop your meat on the way to the waiting cooking stone. Along the line, there are lcd screens explaining the cooking process to us newcomers and giving tips like “don’t be afraid to add lots of greens as they add flavour”. The food is cooked by a team of old Asian guys that use long wooden sticks to keep the selection moving on the cooking surface. The food from the grill was incredible. Crisp veggies and tender meats, with just the right amount of spice. After 5 or 6 bowls, there isn’t much space left for dessert, but the well stocked dessert bar has lots of small portions for tasting. Overall, it was a great experience.

JB’s Mongolian Grill in Whitby is a 2 level affair that looks well suited to a younger, more suburban crowd. The atmosphere is comfortable and modern looking. Having already visited the Ghengis Khan version, I was a bit surprised to find that there is actually a menu and not a buffet. Of course we had come for the grill, so we went for the grille & salad bar rather than choosing from the menu. The salad bar really was a let down. Stuck in a corner by the kitchen entrance, it really seemed like an afterthough and was stocked with a dozen or so items that would have been more at home in a Ponderosa Steakhouse in the Seventies, rather than a modern theme restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, the salads were fresh, but the lettuce, croutons, bacon bits and baby corn didn’t leave for much imagination. Likewise, the assembly bar for the grill was underwhelming at best, at least when compared to the warrior competitor. The single bar is only about 10 or 12 feet long and might have one third the selection of the other place. Perhaps more of a concern, all of the meats were sitting raw in trays on top of a bed of ice. While this may be fine, it’s not as confidence inspiring as the thinly sliced, frozen fare at Ghengis Khan. While instructions aren’t portrayed like at the other place, they do have suggested combinations posted on chalkboards along the walls. One thing we did notice was that there was quite a lineup at the grill, even though the restaurant was less than half full. If the place was packed, it would be a long wait to get one’s dinner cooked. Once cooked, the finished result was excellent, and perhaps most importantly the kids loved their dinners. Dessert consists of premade standards from a menu. Boring, but it made the kids happy.

So….who wins? Well, JB’s is the original in Ontario, so they should get the nod. For our family the location is hard to beat. Ghengis Khan on the other hand is a bit of a drive. The experience though is miles ahead of the original. Both spots are definately winners, but there is no question that the newcomer takes the gold medal.