JiJi’s lunch no longer Mongolian wok self serve?

[TrinaLC]

I saw in a Facebook group that JiJi’s is no longer Mongolian wok style at lunch, but rather a very limited menu similar to how Cucina is at lunchtime?

 

If this is true, I’m really surprised at that change given the volume they could process as compared to Cucina lunchtime. 
 

Can anyone confirm?  We sailed in December and it was wok style as can be inferred from this post!

 

 

[Saint Greg]

I can't tell you how it is now but It's never been self serve in JiJis. It's always been mongolian wok off of a menu..add in wontons and a salad. Very similar to the pasta lunch format in Cucina.

[TrinaLC]

4 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

I can't tell you how it is now but It's never been self serve in JiJis. It's always been mongolian wok off of a menu..add in wontons and a salad. Very similar to the pasta lunch format in Cucina.

To be clear this is at LUNCH TIME.  Has always been standing in line for Mongolian wok, whereas Cucina is order off a limited fixed pasta menu and they beep you when ready. 
 

Person on FB even posted a picture of the purported new “menu” - very much like Cucina’s, with 5 or so fixed choices, eg steak + noodles + Szechuan sauce, chicken + noodles + bean sauce, GLUTEN free shrimp + rice noodles etc. 

Edited January 6, 2023 by TrinaLC

[Saint Greg]

6 minutes ago, TrinaLC said:

To be clear this is at LUNCH TIME.  Has always been standing in line for Mongolian wok, whereas Cucina is order off a limited fixed pasta menu and they beep you when ready. 
 

Person on FB even posted a picture of the purported new “menu” - very much like Cucina’s, with 5 or so fixed choices, eg steak + noodles + Szechuan sauce, chicken + noodles + bean sauce, GLUTEN free shrimp + rice noodles etc. 

 

Not in JiJis. It's always been ordering off of this menu. 

 

Edited January 6, 2023 by Saint Greg

[TrinaLC]

Obviously then JiJi’s vary!  On the Sunshine lunchtime has been Mongolian wok style. You stand in line, grab a bowl, fill with noodles and assorted veggies, hand to a chef and specify the protein and the sauce. They cook it up and hand it back to you. 
 

last sail I had was mid-Dec 2022. 

[Doug910]

Here's your answer...

 

Mongolian style lunch is servered different ways on different ships.  Some ships have "Counter/Self service" in an area in the buffet. You grab a bowl, add protein, noodles and veggies, and give it to the chef. He adds sauce, woks it all together while you wait, and hands it back to you.

 

On ships that have Jiji's, you get served via a "fill in the box" menu, as Saint Greg stated above. 

 

We usually make Jiji"s our "go to " spot for our embarkation lunch, as it is usually empty. Fellow cruisers don't realize that ther is a really good lunch there until later in the cruise.

 

Hope this helps...

[TrinaLC]

Doug, Sunshine has a JiJi’s. Wonderful restaurant at night but at least as of December 2022 for lunchtime was Mongolian wok style counter service - you line up and see above. No menu. 

[Saint Greg]

1 hour ago, TrinaLC said:

Obviously then JiJi’s vary!  On the Sunshine lunchtime has been Mongolian wok style. You stand in line, grab a bowl, fill with noodles and assorted veggies, hand to a chef and specify the protein and the sauce. They cook it up and hand it back to you. 
 

last sail I had was mid-Dec 2022. 

 

I can't speak for Sunshine. I've only had the lunch at JiJis on Vista (2019 and 2021) and on Panorama (2020 and 2021) and it was always off of the menu...which I like. I wouldn't eat there if it was standing in a line grabbing the tongs everyone else is grabbing.

[kwokpot]

36 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

I can't speak for Sunshine. I've only had the lunch at JiJis on Vista (2019 and 2021) and on Panorama (2020 and 2021) and it was always off of the menu...which I like. I wouldn't eat there if it was standing in a line grabbing the tongs everyone else is grabbing.

JiJi's on the Sunshine is quite unique and may be the only one with a cafeteria style Mongolian wok lunch in the fleet. Since they took out the Aft pool the whole Aft space is indoor restaurants and seating. Mongolian wok was indeed cafeteria style. On Vista class ships it was never built that way from the get-go, hence it's always been order from a checkoff sheet. 

[TrinaLC]

Another confirmed on FB that the Christmas week sailing of Sunshine JiJi switched over to “menu style” at lunch from “cafeteria style”. That was the week after we sailed. 
 

The menu style she posted is much more abbreviated than shown upthread for other JiJis. 5 choices are set - no mix and match protein and sauce. (Steak = Szechuan. Chicken = Bean.  And shrimp is gluten free, rice noodles. No options to switch among.)

 

Edited January 6, 2023 by TrinaLC

[Joebucks]

3 hours ago, kwokpot said:

JiJi's on the Sunshine is quite unique and may be the only one with a cafeteria style Mongolian wok lunch in the fleet. Since they took out the Aft pool the whole Aft space is indoor restaurants and seating. Mongolian wok was indeed cafeteria style. On Vista class ships it was never built that way from the get-go, hence it's always been order from a checkoff sheet. 

 

I wish all of them were this way.

 

I went to Jijis for lunch last year, it was identical to Mongolian Wok. The difference was you sat down and filled out the bubble menu vs standing in a line.

[DallasGuy75219]

8 hours ago, Doug910 said:

You grab a bowl, add protein, noodles and veggies, and give it to the chef. 

Can't add your own protein. That would be entirely too expensive for Carnival. 

[vwrestler171]

I still love lunch at Jijis.  Seems to be a lot faster than the old style Mongolian Wok.  Maybe because its out of the way and a lot of cruisers either don't know about it or forget about it.

[TrinaLC]

12 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

Can't add your own protein. That would be entirely too expensive for Carnival. 

You’re right, you specify the protein to the cook. I noticed that even when people asked for “double”, they pretty much got the same amount as a regular (not double) order. 

[audcc77]

11 minutes ago, TrinaLC said:

You’re right, you specify the protein to the cook. I noticed that even when people asked for “double”, they pretty much got the same amount as a regular (not double) order. 

I’m not too crazy about the Sunshine’s protein options.  Unless they have salmon which is rare.  
 

The first thing I do is walk over to Cucina and get 2 orders of just shrimp.  They’re bigger shrimp.  
 

Then over to Mongolian and get a bowl of the veggies , noodles etc.  

 

Takes a little longer but the results are delicious.  😁