Mongolie Grillers celebrate 800 years of conquest
A Weekend Warrior. You know the type. A person who goes screaming down black runs at breakneck speeds. Zooming off moguls, over cliffs and through powder, trying to get as much as air as possible.
Who knows what fuels their insanity. Its got to be more than a thirst for that adrenaline rush. Perhaps in a previous life they were actual warriors. You know, those bloodthirsty types charging into battle with swords and shields.
Now, just a minute. Extreme skiing to sword battles? Maybe Ive seen Gladiator too many times. Well, perhaps my theory wouldnt be too far fetched for you if you ever had a weird deja vu feeling while waiting for your stir fry at Whistlers Mongolie Grill.
You see according to the Grills kitchen manager, Ryan Davy, the stir fry got its start back in the days when Genghis Khan was conquering half the world. Khans merry men, after killing anything in sight, would turn their blood soaked shields over and cook whatever they had killed over an open flame. Do you think they knew their brand of partying and cooking would be the inspiration for the Mongolie Grill, 800 years later in Whistler?
"Stir fry is a great way to cook. Its really healthy and the food retains much of its flavour and healthy ingredients, much more so than any other cooking," says Davy.
Davy says he came to the Mongolie Grill three and half years ago after apprenticing at a White Spot in his hometown of Kamloops.
"I liked Kamloops. It was a good place to grow up and Sun Peaks is a good place to ski, but Whistler is better. I love it here."
Davy says he makes it up the mountain at least four times a week for some snowboarding and loves Whistler in the summer for baseball and swimming.
"I used to skateboard but the body starts to hurt too much after 20 for that sport, so Ive cut back on that one."
Since accepting a job offer from the Mongolie Grill, Davy has worked his way up the food chain to where he manages the kitchen staff. But the Mongolie is different from any other restaurant in Whistler in that the cooks share much more of the duties.
"Its kind of neat here in that all the cooks do the same things. We all handle the grill, prepare the meats, vegetables and sauces and keep the food bar stocked. If you can do that and enjoy talking to customers, you can probably be a cook here."
Cooking at Mongolie is a unique proposition as literally every dinner is different. Patrons choose from among 18 sauces, 12 fresh fish and meat entrees, a variety of noodles and 26 different vegetables.
"Ive cooked it all," Davy says with a shake of his head. "Combinations you would not believe. But one good thing about it, customers cant complain about the meals ingredients. After all, they picked it."
But certainly Davy has some input into what people bring to the grill in order that they dont have a train wreck of a meal say too much sweet sauce on a normally bitter food, or vice versa.
"Well, you can make recommendations. Find out what people like and recommend what would go with it. Thats whats part of the fun of this job, talking to customers, something most cooks dont get to do. So Ill recommend our chefs blend sauce if they tend towards the sweet flavours or our house blend is better if you like your food with a bit more zip on it."
Davy says he has had customers who declare they dont like stir frys upon entering the Mongolie, but end up becoming converts by the end of their meal.
"It makes such a difference in being able to choose your own ingredients. If you like prawns, load up on them and combine it with whatever sweet or sour sauce you like. If you like beef or chicken teriyaki, load up on that and combine it with whatever noodles you like. Anyone can find something they like on our menu."
And anyone can find something on the Grills drink menu as well. Grill GM, Ingo Fanslau, who did previous stints at Glacier U Brew and the Bearfoot Bistro, says what makes the Mongolie work along with the food is the fun atmosphere which is reflected in such drink offerings as the Geishi-tini, Mongolini, or Kahns Killer Kool-Aid.
"We also offer good domestic draft and have got a good wine list as well. But it is fun to have all those martinis and house drinks. Patrons seems to really like them."
While the martinis, except for the 007 traditional, are definitely tilted to the sweet variety, nothing could pass the Mongolini for sweetness. A house specialty, which bills itself as better than a Bellini, a Mongolini is a strawberry-peach smoothie, blended with rum and finished with a fresh fruit sangria. Well, if you like your drinks sweet, why not?
Fanslau says Whistlers Mongolie Grill differs from its Vancouver counterparts in that it serves higher end items and has a more fun atmosphere.
"Its just a real fun, happy, casual atmosphere. When it gets packed in here and the music gets pumping, people get up and start dancing."
One can just imagine a conga line snaking around the tables and food carts and people shouting Homer and Barts salsa chant, "You cant make friends with salad!"