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GK Mongolian BBQ, located in Roseville, CA, is one of two Placer County links in a chain of ten - soon to be eleven - Mongolian barbecue restaurants in Central and Northern California. The restaurant is located in the TJ Maxx Plaza, and serves custom-made Mongolian barbecue every day of the week. As with all restaurant reviews I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's just past the 11:00 o'clock in the morning time, Wednesday, June 29, 2022, and I've arrived at GK Mongolian BBQ, located in the TJ Maxx Plaza to enjoy some fine Mongolian barbecue. Besides amazing Mongolian cuisine, you'll be treated to lots of free, easy and safe parking, as Roseville is a very safe city.
Photo: As you enter the restaurant, you'll be greeted by a friendly staff member, and invited to turn the corner, glance at the menu, grab a bowl, and start choosing what you want to enjoy for your meal. I arrived to a very empty dining room, as I "opened up" the restaurant on this late Wednesday morning in late June.
Photo: The dining room is quite spacious, clean and modestly decorated. Patio dining is available just outside the front door, and it's shared with three other restaurants, including Taqueria El Burrito, which I visited back on Wednesday, November 25, 2015. Note: I need to revisit them stat! The small bar, which serves soft drinks, beer and wine is to the rear, and the grill and buffet line-up is to the left. The dining room is very comfortable and inviting. You grab a bowl, and make your selections from the buffet, and after the grill chef sizzles your meal to perfection, and bring your meal back to the table of your choice. When it comes to service, GK is a "sit down" restaurant, as the friendly staff will bring your sides, drinks and appetizers to your table, and when you're finished dining, they'll bring you your check. As in any full-service restaurant, a tip is appreciated to reward good service.
Photo: My friendly hostess, Ellie, shows me the menu, which is printed on an "old school" chalk board, as it occasionally changes. The menu is located at the start of the buffet, where you pick up your bowls. Click on this link or the image of the menu to see a larger, and easier to read image of the menu.
Photo: The "buffet line-up" is in the shape of a large "U," as you start by picking up a bowl. and work your way around clockwise until the last stop, where you give your bowl to the grill chef, and he'll grill your meal. Disposable plastic gloves are provided to make this very sanitary, and all food items are placed in your bowl using tongs or ladles. No "hands on" in this restaurant! If you're not familiar with the way a Mongolian barbecue works, it's basically a "you choose what you want and the grill chef cooks it." You pick up a bowl, and you start with the meat, and you work yourself around, clockwise, adding what you want to your bowl. You can put as much of anything and everything in your bowl, with the only limitation that it must all fit in your bowl. Truly, you get to enjoy your meal YOUR WAY! If you're certain of what you want, you can always take a look around the line to see what's available before placing it in your bowl. As per contemporary health practice, once you put something in your bowl, it stays there. When your bowl is filled, you hand it to the grill chef, and he'll place the contents on the sizzling-hot grill, sizzle it for a couple minutes, and when your food is grilled, he'll scoop it up, place it in another bowl, and then you're ready to enjoy your amazing lunch.
Photo: After you pick up your bowl, it's time to choose your meat. You get to choose between pork, beef, chicken or lamb. All meat is thinly cut, which is perfect for your meal. Be sure to save some room in your bowl for veggies and other goodies! For meat, I went with pork and lamb, but next time, I think I'll go "all lamb," as the lamb stole the show.
Photo: Next you get to choose between coarsely cut white onion, cabbage and spinach. I added some onion and cabbage to my bowl.
Photo: Moving clockwise, you came to noodles, broccoli, bean sprouts and more. I went with noodles, which are a MUST HAVE in your Mongolian barbecue lunch.
Photo: Next are a dozen varieties of veggies, all fresh, locally-sourced when possible, and simply delicious! Too bad my bowl wasn't bigger, as the choice was difficult, but I narrowed my choice down to thickly-diced green onion, along with baby corn, cut in half.
Photo: Last is the sauce station, where you get to choose between a wide array of delicious sauces, that are freshly made, in-house. I went with Mongolian sweet and sour sauce, but they all looked amazing.
Photo: There was a bowl of chow mien next to the sauces, and I added a bit for taste, and a bit of "crunch." I finished my lunch by dousing it with a couple tablespoons of sesame oil, to implant a rich, "nutty" flavor. Here's my lunch, ready to hand over to the grill chef.
Photo: I handed my bowl full of goodies to the grill chef, and he went to work on his super-hot grill, seasoned with sesame oil in implant a rich, "nutty" taste into my delicious lunch.
Photo: I'm guessing my food was on the grill for about three minutes or so, and I found it interesting the grill chef stirred and rotated the food clockwise, as he kept the food constantly moving. This gentleman has talent on the grill, as my lunch was simply amazing!
Photo: Meet my charming hostess Ellie, who delivered my appetizers to me with a simile. Ellie was a truly gracious hostess and treated me like royalty.
Photo: I'm a happy guy, as I'm about to enjoy my delicious lunch at GK Mongolian BBQ, located in Roseville. My thanks go out to my charming server, Ellie, for snapping the photo.
Photo: My delicious lunch, complete with a bowl of Mongolian barbecue, including sides of a pork pot sticker, bowl of steamed rice, egg flower soup, and an optional Japanese beer. I chose pork and lamb for my meat, which were thinly sliced and made for perfect grilling. Mongolian barbecue reminds me of stir frying on a griddle, as all items you choose, including your sauce, are placed on the oiled grill and cooked together, over high heat. It's similar to the way street venders grill carne asada on the streets of Mexico. Besides meat, I went with noodles, copped white onion, chopped cabbage, diced green onions, baby corn along with chow mien noodles for texture and a bit of "crunch." For sauce, I chose Mongolian sweet and sour, and I added sesame oil to the mix. The grill chef asked if I wanted garlic salt, and I replied with a bit YES! The meat was amazing tender, juicy, and made this a robust, filling lunch. The beef and lamb were simply delicious, but the lamb stole the show, as with every bite, I could taste lamb. I ADORE lamb... I think next time, I'll simply go with lamb for my meat. The veggies were amazingly fresh, and cooked perfectly tender, but not mushy, as the corn still had a bit of "snap" to it. The Mongolian sweet and sour sauce held the whole dish together, and made each bit consistently delicious. Naturally, you just can't have Mongolian barbecue without noodles, and the noodles didn't disappoint. Finally, the chow mien added a bit of "crunch" to the meal and added a rich, "nutty" taste. GK Mongolian BBQ serves delicious barbecue! This restaurant is truly among the best Mongolian restaurants that I've enjoyed during the 25 years I've been a Roseville resident. Friends, this is SOLIDLY DELICIOUS barbecue!
Photo: My bowl of Mongolian barbecue, showing all of the goodies after sizzling on the grill. You get to choose what you want in your bowl from the 30 or so ingredients offered... truly, you get to enjoy your meal, YOUR WAY! The meat and vegetables are fresh, and locally-sourced when possible, the sauce is amazing, the grill is very "Mongolian," the staff is friendly, and the food is simply delirious! You get to taste the wonderful cuisine of Mongolia, without ever leaving Roseville, when you enjoy fine dining at GK Mongolian BBQ. GK Mongolian BBQ Copyright(c) 2022 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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