All-you-can-eat nutrition and taste
Published Friday August 29th, 2008
The Mongolian Red Pepper Restaurant offers a different choice for those who want to eat healthy without giving up on eating out
"Lots of nutritionists send their clients here," says Yune Chen, co-owner/operator of the Mongolian Red Pepper Restaurant, 161 Robinson Street, Moncton. For the past two years, Yune and her husband K.C., the other co-owner/operator, have been running the 52-seat restaurant, which opened in February 2004.
"The main thing that we offer is for people to create their own stir fry," says Yune. "They select from a wide range of fresh meats and vegetables, then bring their plate to the chef, who stir fries it for them."
The meats include beef, pork, and chicken, while fresh vegetables include onion, carrots, red and green peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, cauliflower, zucchini, olives, celery, and tomatoes. Diners can choose from three different kinds of noodles: Mongolian, egg, or rice noodles - which are gluten free.
"We also provide fresh fruits, such as apples or pineapple," says Yune. "We like to alternate different fruits and we offer some unusual items such as sweet potatoes and tofu. We also offer seasonal products such as pumpkin at Hallowe'en." Shrimp and scallops are also available, at an additional charge.
The food is cooked in less than five minutes at very high temperatures (between 400-450 degrees Farenheit) and the chef uses only a touch of oil and mostly water to lightly steam the food. White rice is also available to accompany the meal.
"Because we use very little oil and due to the quick-cooking methods, all the vitamins are retained in the vegetables," says Yune. "We also don't use monosodium glutamate (MSG). Instead, we use fresh spices and homemade sauces to flavour the food."
The sauces, which are homemade on the premises, include Mongolian (sweet and sour), Hot Mongolian (medium-hot sweet and sour), Teriyaki, and a honey and garlic sauce. The fresh spices include ginger, garlic, and jalapeno pepper and dried hot pepper.
At lunch, the chef adds the spices; while at dinner, the diners add the spices themselves. A homemade tomato soup is included in the all-you-can-eat meals, which cost $10.95 at lunch and $13.50 for dinner.
"Some people prefer to have their meal served at the table, so they can order chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, or scallop and shrimp stir fries off our menu," says Yune. "These items are not all-you-can-eat and are priced accordingly. We also offer Chicken or Seafood Rice Bowls and other menu items such as chicken wings and chicken fingers and fries." One major downside to having the all-you-can-eat option is unnecessary waste.
"We are more than happy to serve people who eat what they take," says Yune. "But, sometimes people take three or four plates of food, without finishing most of what they took on the previous plate. With all the hunger in the world, we hate to see food wasted."
In addition to serving customers from downtown Moncton, the Mongolian Red Pepper attracts people from Saint John and Fredericton.
"We have many Chinese and Korean students who come here to eat," says Yune. This is the first restaurant that the couple has run. Future plans include possible expansion to larger premises and the addition of a salad bar and a bread bar.
"We want to continue to build awareness of healthy eating," says Yune.
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