Khan's Cave Grill & Tavern

When I first noticed Khan's Cave I really didn't know what to make of it. Somehow, Genghis Khan, and the phrase "Bar & Grill" just didn't seem to go together. This corner of the strip mall location used to be Hsu's Szechwan, an American-Szechwan-Mongolian BBQ restaurant that must've been around since the gold rush. Perhaps a tie-in with the old Mongolian BBQ joint? Who knows.....

After Khan's Cave opened, it became one of those, "oh, yeah, I need to check it out one-of-these days" places. You know what I mean, you drive by, and go "oh, yeah......" And a few blocks later, the image has receded into the nether regions of your brain. which is what always seemed to happen to me. FOY, Rebecca sent me an email at the end of August, telling me of her very positive experience at Khan's; and yet it still took me almost three months to get there!

 

Before visiting, I had checked out the menu on the Restaurant's website, which was a mish-mash of Asian influenced dishes from all over the map, and more than a few Fusion items, which left me, well, a bit con-"fused". I also noticed that dinner prices ran from $12-24, with lunch being a better deal. But the best deal of them all, was happy hour, which ran 7 days a week, from 4pm to 630 pm.

 

 

Appetizers and selected menu items were $2-3 off, and $1 off all beer in the patio and lounge areas. I decided that this would be a nice thing to try out. The restaurant has been renovated, and the warm looking bar area now occupies the former Mongolian griddle area. The selection of draft beers is pretty good, 20 in all, with 25 or so wines available by the glass.

 

So I got a nice tall "Arrogant Bastard", and looked over the bar menu.

Rebecca had recommended the Pepper Salt Calamari ($7 - happy hour price), which sounded like a nice beer grub type of dish. It would also be a good test of the kitchen.... to see if they could do two deceivingly simple things right; cooking calamari and frying.

 

When the plate hit the table, I thought it looked kind of greasy, but these were good. Crisp, light batter, the calamari were cooked to perfection (not hard and rubbery), and the squid rings had that nice Chinese "salt and pepper" flavor. Yes, salty indeed, but my kind of bar grub.

I also had thoughts of ordering the Pepper Salt Chicken Wings, but showing much restraint, I went with the Sriracha Thai Chicken Wings ($7).

 

The wings had a nice texture, with a bit of the fried crunch remaining, and was well coated with a spicy sauce which slowly got hotter and hotter as you ate them. This was reminiscent of Buffalo Wings in flavor(without the margarine fattiness), and like Buffalo Wings, I'd have enjoyed a nice "foil" for the heat and acidity, a la Blue Cheese dressing. These got a bit mundane after a while, but I was glad it wasn't too sweet.

This was more than I could finish, and I ended up taking a bit of it home with me. Overall, it wasn't a too bad experience. I also found out that the Chef was from Hong Kong.

With that experience in hand, I decided to grab lunch at Khan's. And this time I went with one of the ultimate, "it really doesn't exist in the supposed Country of origin dishes"; Singapore Noodles ($9.95). Really, there is no such thing as what we call Singapore Noodles in Singapore(well, maybe now with globalization...) , which puts the dish in the class of Chop Suey, Crab Rangoon, and Sesame Chicken.

 

That doesn't mean that I don't like it if it is well prepared.  The portion size was on the small side, which in this day and age of humongous portions is not necessarily a bad thing. Several nice sized shrimp were provided as well. The vegetables were hard and undercooked, and though there was a nice curry kick, the dish lacked any other flavor, and was badly in need of soy, and perhaps chicken stock to add flavor. The one thing good about the dish was that the noodles weren't overcooked and mushy, and the dish came off as being less oily. At 10 bucks, I thought it was a bit over-priced, and at almost $12 for dinner......

As I've mentioned before, it's a fine line between Fusion and Con-Fusion food. Pulling off Seafood Pad Thai, Yakisoba, Ramen, and Pasta well, is a daunting task. I think the decor in the dining room at Khan's represents the food well:

 

Everything from decent tables and chairs to barrels(?) used as a table stand, and nice tile work transitioning to cheap looking carpet. Khan's has also kept the original ceiling from Hsu's, which adds even more kitsch to the equation.

  That doesn't mean I won't be returning for a $5 - 22oz draft beer or some nice salty fried things during happy hour. I've filed it away as, "Asian TGI Fridays, meets PF Chang".....

Khan's Cave Bar & Grill
9350 Clairemont Blvd
San Diego, CA 92123

Thanks for the recommendation Rebecca!

One more thing. For some reason, I think FOY CAB may want to check out this dish:

  

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Comments

[Carol]

lol! Wow, I completely forgot about this place. It really is an "oh yeah." And with that CAB strip, I'll have to stop by soon. Hmm, wonder what the CAB stands for? It's not on the website's menu from what I can see.

The inside looks brighter now. Yum, that calamari looks like a winner! And I can always go for wings. Did you notice the panini sandwiches in the lunch section??

[Kirk]

Hi Carol - Cathy also mentioned the panini's. The first thing that came to mind when I saw CAB...well, was you! The second thing was Carne Asada Burrito??? No, that can't be......

[dave]

happy hour! now you're talking. the beer selection looks good, too. your list of "dishes which don't exist in their country of origin" reminded me of cashew chicken. when we moved from nyc to san diego, we stopped one night in springfield, MO. we found a brewpub kind of place for dinner. the waitress rattled off the specials for the night, ending with 'and of course, cashew chicken'. we were puzzled why a brewpub would 'of course' serve cashew chicken. it turns out that it is the unofficial dish of the city. a chinese immigrant chef had created the dish in springfield in the 40s and it was a hit.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashew_chicken

[Dennis]

Hi Kirk, thanks for posting this. So is the Mongolian grill gone for good? I remember feeling sorry for the poor chef in "the greenhouse booth" middle of hot Summer.. next to a giant flaming griddle!

[Chubbypanda]

Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!

Sorry. Just had to insert the Star Trek reference. =b

[kat]

everything looks tasty too bad it was a little expensive.

[Kirk]

Hi Dave - That's funny.

Hi Dennis - Unless it's hidden behind the bar, it's gone!

Hi CP - LOL! You've been in fine form recently.

Hi Kat - Yes, a little bit on the high side for uneven food.

[tina marie]

I really like that "Tall Bastard" damn too bad I don't drink anymore. Looks like you had a mixed bag there, the calamari and wings are on my go to list if I remember to stop by my next visit to SD. ;)

p.s.
I am not a fan of the name they chose for the restaurant. Who wants to eat in a cave? haha

[Sandy]

I keep making mental notes to try this place as I drive by it on my way to work. Thanks for the report on your visits; one of these days, I'll check it out for myself. I received some coupons in the mail.

I also wondered about the Mongolian grill. And I agree on the strange name for the restaurant.

[Kirk]

Hi Tina Marie - That was my inital response too. Cave = damp, cold, uncomfortable... or cave = warm and welcoming?? I dunno....

Hi Sandy - With those coupons, and happy hour, it may be well worth your while.

[UC Rich]

No posts since Dec '08?! I'll fix that. It was my turn to pick the HH spot and, since my dept's holiday party was nixed here last year (internal politics) Khan's was it. Delighted! Pomagranate martini and then a mango one- YUM. Loved the calamari, the sauteed spicy eggplant (side) and the chicken lettuce wraps! Seafood Pad Thai was OK. Lots of fun & leftovers and a very attentive waiter. I'll be back. "Khan"? "Cave"?!

[Kirk]

Hi UC Rich - I've had many posts since 12/2008.... just not on Khan's Cave. Some of the dishes are fine, some of it suffers from getting too fusion-fied.