The flavor combination possibilities are simply endless at HuHot, the fairly new Mongolian Grill in Spanish Fork, beginning the moment you order your favorite beverage. 

Like most Mongolian Grills, HuHot invites diners to create any sort of meat, veggie and sauce combination that will be grilled to perfection for their entree. But this restaurant, which opened late 2013, also invites patrons to get creative with their favorite drink options, too. 

For the price of a regular fountain drink you can mix and match Coca-Cola flavors thanks to the Freestyle Soda fountain. Select your favorite soda, like Diet Coke or Sprite, and add a variety of flavors like orange, cherry, peach and more.

My family’s sodas of choice recently were the Orange Diet Coke, Cherry Vanilla Coke and my own Peach Sprite Zero. Didn’t like your first choice? Select a new combination for your refill. 

Before I tempt you with the delicious appetizer options, entree combinations and more, I must talk about the decor and ambiance of the restaurant. 

Walking into HuHot I was instantly impressed with the vastness of the restaurant — large, open and welcoming. I was also in awe of the stunning murals that adorned the walls. Images of beautifully illustrated dragons, samurai warriors, tigers and more, the drawings looked as if they’d stepped out of an award-winning children’s book and jumped onto the restaurant’s walls. A great ambiance, fitting for a delicious meal.

Now, on to the food! 

We decided to start with an appetizer combination called A Taste of the Bounty — eggrolls, krab rangoon and potstickers served with a thick sweet and sour dipping sauce. Not overly greasy, this tasty trio was a great complement to our Asian meal. 

While my husband, Steve, and I were eager to scope out the meat and veggie options at the food line, our 15-year-old, Courtany, decided to try the Chicken Teriyaki Salad for her entree. 

The salad was a huge hit, packed with oodles of teriyaki chicken, toasted noodles, almonds, tomatoes, mandarin oranges, broccoli and scallions, all tossed with mixed greens and a sweet and tangy Asian vinaigrette. Delicious and refreshing on a hot summer evening. 

Steve and I headed over to the food line where we were presented with dozens of meat, seafood, noodle and veggie options. With so many choices, how can you possibly fit all your favorites into one bowl? Such a dilemma. Good thing it’s all you can eat! 

While Steve gravitated to the krab and various sausages for his meat options, I loaded up my bowl with beef, chicken and pork. The only thing lacking from the options was shrimp and scallops — one of my Mongolian combination favorites. 

The vegetable options seemed endless and featured Asian favorites like bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. I also loaded up my bowl with plenty of pad thai noodles, cilantro, bell peppers, mushrooms and onions. 

Once my bowl was filled to the brim I found the sauce portion of the food line.

This is always the most difficult part of a Mongolian Grill restaurant for me. What sauces should I use and how much? Luckily our waitress, even before we loaded our bowls, instructed us to drizzle at least five ladles of sauce on our food for maximum flavor. Now the only problem was choosing which sauce. 

HuHot’s cleverly named specialty sauces were labeled with full descriptions of ingredients and degree of spiciness. My choices, from the 12 tempting options, were the Samurai Teriyaki — traditional soy sauce combination with sugar, sherry and sesame oil — for two ladles and the Black Thai Peanut — a creamy blend of peanuts flavored with coconut milk, mild chilies and hints of lime — for three ladles with a bonus ladle of lime juice for good measure. 

With my bowl practically bursting with food, I made my way over to the rotunda of the restaurant and the giant metal griddle where my food was cooked to perfection in front of my mesmerized eyes. I find it so entertaining watching skilled grill masters preparing my food. 

Digging into my creation, I was quite satisfied. The combination of meat and noodles blended perfectly with the sauce and veggies. And everything was grilled wonderfully, including the onions which were caramelized just right. 

Although we were all so very full and satisfied with our meal, I decided we all needed to at least try one of the dessert options on the menu. The winning vote went to the Cheesecake Rangoons. Drizzled with our choice of white chocolate sauce and served with a scoop of ice cream, these fried won tons filled with decadent cheesecake were a surprisingly delicious treat and a great conclusion to the meal. 

Overall, HuHot was an unexpected surprise. From its cool decor to its deliciously fresh food, this restaurant is sure to get many repeat visits from my family. 

HUHOT MONGOLIAN GRILL

Where: 693 N. 920 East, Spanish Fork

Hours: Lunch daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dinner Sunday to Thursday from 4-9 p.m., Friday to Saturday 4-10 p.m.

Prices: $3.49-$12.99

Info: (801) 798-5528, huhot.com