When I was at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, I found that there were no shortage of food choices, options, and selections. There were many different restaurants selling Chinese, French, Indian, Irish, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Uzbekistan, Western, and many more.
I recalled the saying,
"When in Rome, do what the Romans do"
Modern Nomads Western & Mongolian Menus
National Museum of Mongolia History
Hence since I was in Mongolia, I tried to seek out Mongolian food, dishes and delicacies. I started searching the Internet and via TripAdvisor saw a bunch of reviews about this chain of restaurants called "Modern Nomads". It has its fair share of positive and negative reviews but I usually consider these reviews with a pinch of salt.
My first experience with it was after spending an afternoon at the afternoon at the National Museum of Mongolia History (I'll write about this attraction later). Base on TripAdvisor, there was a Modern Nomads (Branch #1: location here) 600 meters towards the north of the museum. However on the way towards the first branch, I stumble upon the third branch.
17 June 2015. The waiter & waitress there could understand simple English. The drinks and food menus were printed in both local and English language.
This chain serve both Western dishes and local Mongolia dishes. As I was looking to taste the local dishes, I placed the Western Menu aside and started previewing the Mongolia Menu (click on the photographs to enlarge the image).
Modern Nomads - Soups selection
Modern Nomads - Mains dishes
For a main dish, the 'Stir Fried Vitals' - stir fried lamb livers, kidneys, lungs, hearts and tripes flavoured with onions served with vegetables caught my eye due to the array of colours and the potential variety of taste texture I could experience. As it has been a chilly day outside, I decided to order a soup, 'Mongolian Noodle Soup with Lumb Vital Mixs' - it is traditionally favourite lamb five vital soup cooked with homemade noodles. I saw on a food television program that Mongolia was also famous for its milk from cattle, and goats. So I ordered a 'Hot Light Milk' - I did not ask whether it was from a cow or goat ;-)
A short moment of taking my order, I was served an appetiser and my hot light milk. The waitress returned shortly to inform me that the main dish that I ordered was not available so I had to change my order to 'Tsuivan With Pork' - it is Mongolian traditional noodle with stir fry pork and sweet peppers.
Appetiser, hot milk (Price: MNT 1,500) and wet towel.
Appetiser - fried dough, cross section
Mongolian Noodle Soup with Lumb Vital Mixs (Price: 7,500)
Mongolian Noodle Soup with Lumb Vital Mixs - content
Tsuivan With Pork (Price: MNT 11,900)
The portions were quite large - leftovers
The Taste
The appetizer reminded me of the Chinese Yau Char Kway (Chinese Cruller), it was more dense then Chinese Crullers. At this point in time I was thinking if I had a cup of hot coffee to dunk it in; it would have been fabulous.
The Hot Light Milk had a mild salty taste to it, it was not as thick or rich as full cream milk (I guess hence the name 'light'). It was nice given the cool weather of between 12 - 18 decrees Celsius outside.
The Mongolian Noodle Soup with Lumb Vital Mixs was somewhat interesting. The noodle were is large strips form and the blackish substance felt like a blended mix lamb organs. The texture was soft and felt like I was eating mashed tofu. The soup was light as felt like some of the oil from skimmed off - unlike the mutton soup or 'sup kambing' we usually have at home in Malaysia.
The bill at Modern Nomad 3, came up to MNT 20,900 (approximately USD 11)
Finally the Tsuivan With Pork, this this was simple and was as described. I must have been hungry because I was eating it up quite quickly. It has a mild taste with a hint of pepper and mildly season with salt. This dish needed to be eaten while it was hot, as it was cooling down I felt the noodles were become hard and rubbery.
The underestimated the size of the portions here in Mongolia and in the end I was not able to finish up everything as shown above with the leftovers. The bill came up to be MNT 20,900 including 10% Value Added Tax (VAT) - this works out to be approximately United States Dollar (USD) 11 or Ringgit Malaysia (RM) 40.
Modern Nomads (Branch #2: location here)
18 June 2015, our second experience with Modern Nomads. Being a bit wiser with the size of the portions, my partner and I decided to just order two items; a soup and a main to share between us. The soup was called 'Drover Soup' - Traditional lamb soup with dumplings and grilled lamb and for a main dish, the 'Stir Fried Vitals' - stir fried lamb livers, kidneys, lungs, hearts and tripes flavoured with onions served with vegetables.
Modern Nomads menu - soup section
Modern Nomads menu - main dish section
The service here was a bit slower (than Modern Nomad 3). It took approximately 15 mins for the drinks and appetiser to be served and subsequently another 20 minutes for the soup and main.
Modern Nomads - Appetizer
Modern Nomads - Hot Milk with Honey (Price: MNT 2,500) and Schweppes Soda Water (Price: MNT 3,500)
Modern Nomads - Drover Soup (Price: MNT 7,900)
Modern Nomads - Stir Fried Vitals (Price: MNT 9,900)
The Taste (again)
The bill at Modern Nomad #2, came up to MNT 23,800 (approximately USD 12)
The 'Drover Soup' was clear served with six dumplings - the dumpling's filling was a simple mixture of minced beef and some vegetables. The grill (lamb) rib was tender and it added a some of flavour to the soup.
The main dish of 'Stir Fried Vitals' was what I had imagined, a variety of textures of various meats. It was served on a hot plate so the meats remained hot till we finished every bite.
The combined portion of this two dishes was sufficient to satisfied my partner's & my hungry bellies. The bill came up to MNT 23,800 (inclusive of 10% VAT), this works out to be approximately USD 12 or RM 46.
The Decoration
The interior decoration of both branches varied.
Modern Nomad 3 had a more traditional feel with the walls decorated with patterns printed on fabric as well as real paintings.
Modern Nomad 2 used printed wall papers. The tables and chairs here were more modern and overall feel was more towards being a modern cafe.
Interior of Modern Nomad branch #3
Interior of Modern Nomad branch #2
Just A Thought Ah
As this was our first taste of Mongolian local delights and dishes, we felt the general taste was towards our liking - it had some similarities to Chinese dishes and cooking style. Price wise was a bit on the high side however at the time we did not have a means to compare as this was the only chain of restaurants we went to try Mongolia dishes.
It was later when we went for a day tour to Terelj National Park that our guide informed us that Modern Nomads were very commercialised, more to cater to tourist, and not the first choice for the locals. This was the second location where we had some local dishes.
Nevertheless, we truly enjoyed our eating experience.
Mongolia is a beautiful country. My partner & I have the opportunity to visit the country from 16th to 21st July 2015.
Landscape view of Turtle Rock at Terelj National Park
On 20 June 2015 (Saturday), my partner and I decided to take a day tour and we asked the hotel concierge for some information and recommendation. We came about this company called Nomadic Discovery (http://www.nomadicdiscovery.com/) and signed for the “Terelj National Tour” which cost us USD130 per pax.
The Guide
The guide / owner was Munkhbileg Ulambayar (he asked us to call him ‘Munkh’ for short). He is able to communicate very well in English - later during the trip we found out he actually studied and graduated from London, United Kingdom (UK). He originally worked in the private sector, however ventured into this business which he started in 2013. This young gentleman has a very friendly and pleasant demeanour. He made sure we were comfortable and well taken care off throughout the tour.
The Sights & Delights
1. Chinggis Khaan (Genghis Khan) statue complex (location here)
A complex structure dedicated to one of their great historical leader. This complex was build in this area as it was said to be the location where Chinggis Khaan found his divine 'Golden Whip'. There is a museum at the basement of the complex. It contains the history of the nation of Mongolia, their ancient tools and weapons used and statutes. No photography nor videography were allowed in the museum's area.
There are staircases and an elevator which allowed tourist to climb to a platform to see the beautiful landscape. The platform is actually the head of the horse. The photo on the right is the head of the statue and on his right hand, you can see the golden whip.
Here is a brief video showing the view from the platform;
At the lobby of the complex, there are two displays; one representing the golden whip and a boot.
After about 40 minutes at the complex, we proceeded to Terelj National Park. The view along the country side was very beautiful as show below;
2. Horse Riding (location here)
After driving approximately approximately 50 kilometers, we reached the site of our next activity, horse riding. Munkh, our guide made arrangement with a local horse owner to bring us on a simple expedition, we had the option of going upwards towards the mountains or downwards towards a river. This being our first time riding horses and not feeling too adventurous, we chose the river.
As we were waiting for our local guide and horse owner, a group was returning from their expedition.
We were given some basic instructions on how to direct the horse with the reins; pull the reins to the direction you wish to head (right --> right / left --> left), and pull both side towards our body if slow or stop the horse. The local guide enquired of us about our level of confidence to manage our respective horses, or he will lead and manage the horses for us. We decided to be led, and he held on to a rope that was tied to the reins of the horses we rode.
Below are some photographs during the expedition along the river bank. Click on the photographs below enlarge the image.
3. Lunch (location here)
After about a 40 minutes horse side, it was time for lunch. We had lunch at one of the two hotels nearby, and this called 'UB 2' (Ulaanbaatar 2) hotel. Munkh upon our requested ordered local Mongolian dishes.
UB 2 Restaurant
Beef Liver Steak with potato wedges & salad
Fried Dumplings with pickled cucumber
Fried Dumplings fillings - minced beef and vegetables.
After lunch and resting for a bit, we proceeded to our next sight seeing destination called Turtle Rock. It is a formation of stones that resembles a turtle when viewed at a certain angle. It was just a short drive from the restaurant. Below is a video as we are approaching the Turtle Rock.
(Note: the road / terrain was rather rough hence the video is quite jerky).
After we reached the base of Turtle Rock, we were able to climb a side of it to view the surrounding landscape. Thought it was approximately 2:00PM in the afternoon and the sun was high in the sky, we did not feel that it was hot. There was a cool breeze blowing and we just breath in the fresh air. Once again a magnificent sight to behold.
Landscape view from Turtle Rock at Terelj National Park
Here a short video of the surrounding landscape view from Turtle Rock;
5. The Return to Ulaanbaatar
After spending about 20 minutes on Turtle Rock, we decided to make our way back to Ulaanbaatar as we have a performance to catch. Below are some photographs and a video logs of sights & scenes during the trip back to the city. Click on the photographs below enlarge the image.
6. Tumen Ekh National Song and Dance Ensemble
The final item of the tour is the Tumen Ekh National Song and Dance ensemble performance. This is an optional part of the tour and adult ticket for the show cost Mongolian Tugrik (MNT) 20,000 (which was approximately USD10). This is truly a must see performance when in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
"Tumen Ekh" ensemble, Mongolia’s leading traditional song and dance ensemble featuring folk and traditional music, song, dance and contortion.
The Tumen Ekh ensemble was founded in 1989 and has gone on to win awards across the world. The ensemble’s goal is to present a rare selection of ancient Mongolian performing arts and culture to local and international audiences, particularly younger generations.
Here are some videos of their performance.
Just A Thoughts ah
The tour was money and time well spent. My partner and I truly had a enjoyable and memorable time.
If you can spent a day during your time in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, I will recommend you sign up for this Terelj National Tour with Nomadic Discovery.
