Photo: MongolianBBQ.ie

Our regular commenter Laine sends in this recommendation for the Mongolian BBQ in Temple Bar:

I used to ignore this place until my cousin told me about it. She’s a student, and they know all the best deals. For lunch time they charge a measly €5 – you can’t even get a pretentious panini for that.

The entertainment value is worth it enough as it is a DIY affair. You get an empty bowl which you fill with as much fresh raw veggies (great selection) and noodles as you can pile on. Watch the students, circus balancing acts galore. You also get a prefilled bowl of meat, choice of chicken, beef or their special combo with spices(very hot). You can then pick from an array of dry spices and wet sauces to flavour your food.

Hand over your carefully selected food to the guys manning the BBQ. Watch them cook it before your very eyes. When you get your food, you go back to your table and the lovely staff have already placed a bottle of water and a bowl of steamed rice there for you. You can ask for more rice if you want.  You can’t complain about the taste because you made it yourself. Really enjoyable. They even have refresher sweets at the till when you pay! Retro. The staff are really nice and friendly. I’m going there today and looking forward to it. See you there!

The €5 covers one trip to the buffet. Throw in an extra €3 and you choose a starter or dessert. The all-you-can-eat lunch is just €9.95. Good value at dinner time too: all-you-can-eat buffet for €15.99.

I haven’t been to the Mongolian BBQ for a good few years. Yes, it’s good craic, and a great place for a party, but I find the novelty wears thin quite fast. You really need to marinade your meat for quite a while to make sure it maintains its flavour, and I prefer the chef to make my choice for me when I eat out (I also don’t find the idea of cooking my own steak in Rustic Stone particularly appealing either; I’m eating out because I want a chef to create a recipe and cook it for me. But maybe I’m just a grump).

Have you tried the Mongolian BBQ? Do you think this is a good deal?