Soyombo

Some friends and I were meeting up for dinner the other night and we wanted to try someplace new. I heard that Soyombo Grille recently opened in Canton and I was craving some Asian noodles so I suggested it to my friends. The fact that Soyombo has a parking lot was an added bonus.
We arrived around 6:30 on a Sunday evening and the place was empty which we found a little strange. After glancing over the menu we all thought the Build-​a-​Bowl option sounded awesome. You pick a base (rice, noodles, etc) and you pick a protein (fish, meat, chicken, tofu or pork) and then you load up the bowl with veggies, spices and a sauce.
Someone who works there will help put the protein in your bowl. Each bowl comes three proteins so you have more than enough with each dish.
After you load your bowl up with a protein, you pick out your fruits and veggies. There’s celery, chopped onion, pineapple, mandarin oranges, water chestnuts and more. You get as many as you want and as much as you want of each. The pineapple was my favorite addition.
Next you pick out some spices. I threw in some wasabi powder among other random things. It’s not often I get access to a spice bar to season my food. Next time, I would put in less spicy elements because when it was time to eat the food, I was chugging water after every bite.
The final step for creating your own bowl is the Sauce Station. I mixed two sauces together because I couldn’t decide what I wanted but I ended up really liking it.
This was my bowl with all the elements after I picked what I wanted. (All those spices on top come back to bite me while I was eating it)
When you’ve finished mixing your crazy ingredients into the bowl, you drop it off to the chef for him to cook it, hibachi style.
While your food is cooking, you can wait at your table and when it is ready the waiter will bring it to you. This is my bowl once it was completed. The base was soba noodles and the meat was chicken. Everything else was a random assortment of what I thought would taste good.
One friend had Pad Thai noodles with seafood mixed in.
My other friend had fried rice and chicken in her bowl.
And my last friend had rice, salmon and tilapia in her bowl.
The build-​a-​bowl option is great for even the pickiest of eaters. With so many combinations it’s hard not to find something to love. Or to have something completely different every time you’re there. Soyombo Grille also offers a traditional menu if you’re not into creative food options.

My husband and I had planned on trying Soyombo for an early dinner… went to the door and it was locked up tighter than a drum. Open sign was up; according to the hours of operation posted on the door, it was supposed to be open.
Ended up eating at Langermann’s across the lot and asked our waitress if she knew what happened. She said they just closed up one day and that was it. Nothing posted on the door that they were closed.

The BF and I came here for what we expected to be a casual dinner on Sunday and we were VERY pleasantly surprised by our experience. Walking in, we noticed a sign for Happy Hour all day that included a host of drink specials and also half priced appetizers. Because we were starving, we decided on Orange Crushes and steamed dumplings to start while we perused the menu. For our meals, we opted to go for the BYO bowl and I loved everything about the deliciousness I created! Our waiter (Shawn) was excellent. He provided great service with awesome tips about mixing some of the sauces (in the BYO bowl area) to get a unique flavor. I mixed sweet chili and fajita and absolutely loved it — I would have never thought to combine two together. After eating half of our meals and feeling completely stuffed, Shawn comes to ask if we had an interest in dessert. The BF always has room for something sweet (which is why he is dating me ;-P), so we ordered some Fried Cheesecake Eggrolls to go. Shawn talked up this dessert and boy did it deliver! It came with fresh berries and key lime Chantilly cream that was to die for! Last but not least, the décor is superb. The inside is completely unassuming, and has the feel of a sexy, loungey restaurant. I think it would be great for a date night, group gathering/​celebration, casual dinner, or anything in between. There is also a bar area for those wanting to watch the game. Needless to say, I am oh-​so-​happy that we discovered this place and cannot wait to have another visit!
PS: I tried this place when it was Bang Bang, and prefer the food and ambiance of Soyombo much better.

I’m honestly at a loss for words… I’m not really sure what to say about Soyombo. They basically took Bang Bang and transformed it into a sit-​down, bar-​like atmosphere, all the while keeping the build a bowl concept as well. Of course, I came in to build a bowl… if you don’t, that’s just un-​Baltimorean.
The problems I foresee this business having, that I’m sure they don’t really care to fix… is that there is no «direction». If you’re asking someone coming to Soyombo for the first time and they want to build their bowl — they obviously have no clue what they’re doing. See, I had been to Bang Bang before but even still, I was confused when I awkwardly walked up to the build a bowl station. They do however offer «recipe cards» about how many scoops/​dollops/​oz. to put in your bowl to make a specific type of bowl, if you wish to use them.
My beau and I opted to build our own bowl. The waiter/​waitress serves you your protein and you get up to 9oz apparently. So you can either choose all of one, or three different proteins. I went for a seafood bowl with shrimp and scallops… and I immediately regretted that decision. I would recommend that the shrimp tastes delicious but the scallops, if you know anything about seafood, tasted like middle river grit water scallops. Otherwise, I just loaded up on veggies and sauces that I thought I would like and honestly. I just wasn’t that into the flavors or protein, which kind of ruined it for me. My boyfriend also built his own bowl and just managed to mess his up, as lovely as I messed mine up. It’s $ 30 for a huge bowl of food but I wasn’t really into it.
I dont’ know… maybe we’ll stop back in. sometime?

Based on the Unilocal reviews it was a little tough to gauge whether or not to go here. Let me clarify things for you… meh. If you have been to Bang Bang (previous site) then it is the same thing but they have made it more upscale looking. We did the build your own bowl and you awkwardly walk up and choose your bowl items and then the waitress brings it out to you… no recommendations on spicing or flavor mixtures. The meat helpings were huge and created for a large take-​home amount. The service was absolutely terrible and our waitress was very strange. It felt like we were being rushed out before we even sat down… the waitress asked us to order dessert and asked if we wanted our check before we were even done with the main course. The décor is some saving grace but they really have created two spaces between the bar and dining area. There are much better options in the city… search on!

There is absolutely no way this place is open by this time next year. Absolutely confused and clueless business and I have no clue how this currently has 4 stars, it is not a 4 star business.
When you walk in, you will be struck at the modern and sleek setting. It has great lighting, great tables and great décor. You then see that the menu is that of a cheap Chinese takeout spot mixed in with some completely absurd items that have no business on a «Mongolian» restaurant’s menu (i.e. Guacamole and Nachos). Half their menu is a build it yourself stir-​fry station, which is tacky, cheap, and uncreative.
With that said, I ordered an appetizer of chicken dumplings and they weren’t bad. The sauce that came with them was actually quite good. I then ordered the soba noodles with steak for dinner. The steak was tough and cheap tasting and in small portion and the «noodles» were greasy, bland and disgusting.
The bartender was taking our orders and he was actually a very nice guy. Several other things peeved me about this restaurant:
You have an atmosphere that is conducive to dates and yet you’re blasting top 40 trash over the radio. When was the last time you went into a good Asian restaurant and heard them playing Miley Cyrus? That music is a complete mismatch for the look you have going.
You have 3 TVs at the bar and every one has its view impeded by something (see attached pictures).
Because you have a trendy look, why are you serving the least trendy food imaginable. Stir-​fry? Really? Any college student is capable of making that at home and based on quality, any college student can probably do it better themselves.
Why again do you have Nachos on your menu? Why do you have chicken wings? Why do you have guacamole? That’s not «Mongolian Fusion» that’s just having a bunch of random menu items. There’s nothing «Mongolian» about any of those dishes. This is just lazy.
Why do you think someone wants to come to an upscale seeming Asian restaurant and eat chicken wings? Why do you and the King Wok down the street from me share a large portion of your menu?
This restaurant is terrible, it is entirely mismanaged, and it will not exist for much longer.

Went in here because I had a craving for noodles. I still had memories of when it was Bang Bang Mongolian and wasn’t expecting anything spectacular… but I was wowed from the second I walked in!
The décor has changed to a really sexy dark red and black color scheme. My man friend and I chose to sit at a high table in the bar area which was dim enough that we forgot it was daylight outside. Our server, Carlton, came over immediately to get our drinks started and explain the menu. You can choose from fixed entrée items, such as a variety of Asian themed salads, glazed salmon, ribs, stir fry, a naan burger, etc… or you can make your own noodle bowl for $ 10.99 (lunch portion with 2 proteins) or $ 14.99 (dinner portion with 3 proteins). Obviously my man friend and I chose the noodle bowl option, and Carlton walked with us up to the area when you put together your own ingredients and have it cooked on the grill.
They had a TON of fresh toppings, and I was especially wowed by the protein choices: scallops, shrimp, rib eye, sausage salmon, pork, tofu… The list goes on and on! The chef scoops out the meats of your choice, and then you pile on your veggies, seasonings, and sauces. At the end, you tell the chef what type of noodles you want, and he turns your pile of grub into a drool-​worthy noodle bowl which is brought over to your table, so no need to crowd around the grill (unless you want to watch the chef in action)!
And then there’s my favorite thing about this place: THE BAR. We ended up talking to the front of house manager, Anishia, and she was telling us about the crazy good HH specials, including ½ price beers, $ 3 rail drinks, $ 4 wines, and menu items for 50% off. HH at Soyombo is not just the regular weekday thing, but also a late night HH on Friday and Saturday from 10-​close!!! Also, while we were there, Anishia was talking about testing a blood orange crush. AMAZINGNESS!!!
For a place that just opened a few weeks ago, they sure are running smoothly. I highly recommend this place. Big thanks to Carlton at the bar for awesome service!

Not sure why it took this place to reopen as the same exact restaurant, only plus a ton of unnecessary staff. There is a hostess, a server, someone else brings you your meal, someone else has to scoop out the meats for you when you do the stir fry bowls, cooks, bar tenders, sheesh. Seemed like a lot of unnecessary people for mongolian stir fry. The shrimp all needed cleaning and looked gross, no broccoli, limited sauce choices, just not a lot of options for stir fry. There are other things on the menu, but I don’t think I’ll be back to try them. Just not memorable.

We are glad that Soyombo recently opened in Canton! Ambiance is great. Limited seating though. Food is good. We got the gyoza dumplings, which were good but nothing special. We both built our own bowls for our entrée. The staff was nice and let us fill up on extra tofu since we are vegetarian. They couldn’t tell us whether the sauces had fish sauce or not, though. Dessert was amazing — we highly recommend the fried cheesecake egg roll. We’ll be coming back again!

Great staff. Very nice atmosphere. The build your own bowls were great, and so were the wings. The waiter took time to inquire about a wine I asked for. The chef was great to talk to.

This was amazing food. I have never left a restaurant saying «…those were some good nachos!» but Soyombo has perfected nachos. They were so good and the presentation was top notch. There was a one star review from ³⁄₁₃ saying their «build a bowl» wasn’t on their menu… I went on ³⁄₁₄ and it took up two pages of the menu. Build a bowl comes with 9 oz of protein and whatever else you can fit into it. Can not recommend this place enough.

Gorgeous place with an awesome menu. Staff is all really nice. Build a bar is on the menu and its very simple. Will definitely be back

I am really struggling with deciding between 1 or 2 stars here. On one hand, our experience was literally the worst dining out experience I have ever encountered. On the other hand, the Chef came out and was extremely apologetic and I really wish it had been a great experience. I will say that this place definitely has potential but just reallyyyy needs to work out the kinks.
Here’s how it all went down…(Sorry in advance for the length)
We were greeted by an extremely friendly hostess who seated us immediately. Our server was very nice, but didn’t really do a great job of explaining the menu or how the build a bowl option works (which is not currently on the menu).
We started with the curry guacamole. They actually do it table side which was interesting. For a single order, they only use ONE avocado. For $ 9, that’s a little ridiculous. You can go to fancy Mexican restaurants and get a minimum of 3 for that. Our server also left the pestle in the bowl which make it awkward to get around. They serve it with wonton chips, which I thought were a great idea, BUT they were extremely too thin and kept breaking which made it impossible to dip or really hold much guac on them. They were also slightly greasy.
For entrees, I ordered the build a bowl. When I went to the station, there were no instructions telling you how it works. At Soyombo, they don’t allow you to get your own proteins. Someone has to do it for you, which is totally fine, but I was standing there for a few minutes before the two guys behind the station stopped their personal conversation to help me or even guide me through. When I got to the sauce station, I had to wait again for them to finish talking so they could answer a question I had about one of the sauces. Pro: There are tiny spoons so you can taste the sauces. Con: There is no where to dispose of the spoons so you have to awkwardly carry them back with you. Also, there are significantly less vegetable options than Bang Bang used to have. Because I ordered a bowl, my food was ready 30 minutes before the other’s arrived. I’m not sure how this could have been timed better, but it was awkward to have to wait to eat my food before everyone elses came out much later.
My husband ordered the Singapore noodles. He actually said that he really hated his and he eats EVERYTHING. No flavor and just a small portion that wasn’t worth the money. My friend ordered Phở-​Ga and the Soba Noodle Salad w/​Chicken. First, you shouldn’t call your food Phở-​Ga if it is going to be absolutely nothing like the real Phở Ga at a Vietnamese restaurant. Especially as Phở-​savy as people are around here. It just sets you up for major disappointment. My friend ordered the large, and it only came out as a small. She also said it tasted like boxed Lipton chicken noodle soup. When she asked if she could get her correct order size, the server told her that she could, but it would take a long time since there are other orders in front of hers. Shouldn’t you expedite an order if it’s incorrect? The Soba Noodle Salad didn’t have any chicken in it and there was a giant pile of spinach on the bottom of the plate as filler and not enough actual noodles.
When the bill arrived, they hadn’t gotten all the food items into the system correctly so we had a lot of random items labeled ‘hot food item” on our bill and we had asked our server for an explanation of it so we knew what we were paying for. She offered to get a manager to explain it to us which we said was fine. We waited TWENTY minutes for the female manager to finish smoking her cigarette outside in front of us. She finally came in and didn’t even end up coming over to our table, instead, sending out the chef to smooth things over. (Who was really hospitable and sorry about our experience, as previously mentioned). That’s honestly bad business and they should not be so visible smoking cigarettes outside. Soyombo should think about hiring capable front of house staff. I only saw the manager ask one table the entire night how everything was. The chef shouldn’t have to come out to do damage control.
Overall, first experience was horrible. I could also hear other neighboring tables complaining as well, so I knew it wasn’t just us. I’ll wait to hear other reviews and hopefully things will get better before I give it another shot.