01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
Khorkhog is Kopen’s signature dish: chunks of meat, potatoes and carrots are sealed with rock salt and hot stones, then steamed. The menu says it serves 2 people and requires advance reservation. Diners have described the meat as tender enough to slip from the bone, and the broth as full of lamb flavour. Share a serving, then add tsuivan—noodles steamed with lamb and vegetables—if you would like a little more.
The lamb dishes offer different ways to make a meal, from noodles and rice to soup. Bodaitai huurga is rice cooked with lamb and vegetables; pöntüüstey huurga pairs lamb and vegetables with very thick glass noodles. Soups on the menu include banshtai shöl, with bansh dumplings and vegetables, and guriltai shöl, a lamb noodle soup. One visitor noted that many of the lamb dishes are seasoned with rock salt. For diners who want to taste the ingredients themselves rather than complex seasoning, these options may appeal.
For a small plate or salad to start, consider khuushuur, described as releasing hot, savoury juices when you bite into it, gambir, a thinly cooked bread, or cabbage salad with a fruity tang. One diner found the carrot salad so unexpected that they might not have recognised it as carrot had they not been told. It can be fun to try a familiar ingredient in an unfamiliar form.
Drinks include Mongolian arhi, as well as hot fruit tea and Mongolian herbal tea on the menu. Diners have mentioned enjoying a conversation about Mongolian food with their meal; if a dish name or way of eating catches your interest, you could ask about it as you choose.
