Everyone has a favorite restaurant, or maybe a favorite food. If you had told me 10 years ago that today my favorite food would be Mongolian Bar-B-Que, I'd have laughed out loud.
I moved to Virginia Beach in 1995 from the Washington DC area. If there were any Mongolian BBQ places in DC when I left, I wasn't aware of them. It wasn't until I moved to Virginia Beach that I first saw a sign saying Mongolian Bar B Que. I'm not sure what I thought "Mongolian Bar B Que" was, but it was three years before I actually tried it. I wish I'd tried it the very first day.
There are several places to get "Mongolian BBQ" in the Hampton Roads area, but DW's is the best. There are a few Chinese buffets that say they offer "Mongolian BBQ" but their version totally misses what's so good about it. What makes Mongolian Bar-B-Que so good is that you get to choose everything that goes in it. It's hard to explain unless you've had Mongolian done the right way, and a good place to start is DW's Grill at Hilltop in Virginia Beach, VA.
When you arrive at DW's you are greeted, seated and the waitress asks what you want to drink and whether you want hot and sour soup or egg drop soup. They are both excellent soups. I prefer the egg drop while many of my friends choose the hot and sour. The fresh egg flavor of the egg drop soup reminds me of eating breakfast. Damn, I'm hungry already and I've only written four paragraphs.
With your soup, DW's serves a basket of freshly baked, hot from the oven sesame flat bread and your choice of either steamed or fried rice. The sesame bread is absolutely delicious. It's especially good right when it comes out of the oven. When your waitress refills your bread basket, make sure to eat the fresh bread while it's still piping hot. MMmmm...
Be sure to visit the salad and sushi bar. DW's offers a wide variety of salad items and everything is kept fresh and cold. The sushi is very good, especially when you remember that it's included in the price of the meal.
Now you are ready to build the perfect bowl. Why is it perfect? Because YOU choose everything that goes into it. You start at one end of a buffet of ingredients starting with some cooked noodles then raw vegetables, meats and finally seasoning sauces. I love the noodles so I always get a lot of those. Then I add thin carrot strips, sliced zucchini, bean sprouts (love that crunch), and a healthy serving of sliced beef. DW's has a larger selection of vegetables and meats than any other Mongolian BBQ I've ever visited. I've been to Mongolian places from here to Stockton California and everywhere in-between. DW's is the best.
The secret is in the sauces. Once you've filled the bowl with your selection of raw ingredients, you add flavor in the form of sauces. The sauces they have include Garlic, Hot Pepper, Lemon Water, Sugar Water, Wine, Sesame Oil, Ginger Water, Oyster Sauce, and Mongolian Sauce. If you take one ladle of each sauce, your bowl will end up being very tasty. Every time you eat Mongolian BBQ you can add more of what you like and less of what you don't. Every time it gets better. Every time it's exactly the way you want it.
It's the perfect place to eat! The kids get exactly what they want, (with a few healthy additions at Mom's request), people on a mild diet can have theirs mildly spiced, and those of you like me will load it up with hot pepper and garlic. It's the only place I can get food that's spicy enough for me.
If you don't want to mess with it, the chef will add the spices for you, but either way it's time to hit the grill. The chef adds your food to a very hot, flat, round, circular grill. The food cooks very fast on this blazing hot surface. The chef uses a long pair of chopsticks to turn your food as he walks slowly around the grill. It's the coolest thing to watch. Sometimes there are three chefs preparing three dishes at a time on the same grill and they all have to work together. Fascinating.
The flavor is truly wonderful. The blend of all the sauces and especially the brown sauces (Oyster Sauce and Mongolian Special Sauce) combine to make a very savory and spicy flavor. There's a lot of people who eat at DW's three or four times per week. It can be highly addictive! HAA! There are some elements of the flavor that remind me of "Chinese" dishes, but at the same time it has a unique flavor that makes Mongolian Bar-B-Que quite different from the average Chinese meal.
Save room for dessert because DW's has a wide variety of cakes, cookies, fruits, Jello! and individual containers of ice cream. By the time you are finished, you will be full and happy.
Everyone at DW's is friendly and helpful. If you have any questions, everyone at DW's will be more than happy to help you.
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