Happy Lamb Hot Pot

There's the age-old question that every person may have thought of, but hoping never have to come down to this. The answer to this question will require you look deep inside in your heart (or to the bottom of your empty stomach haha), just what kind of foodie you really are. The question is "what will be your last meal on earth?" WHAT?! That's just too hard there are so many things I like to eat! Ahem, well for me, I will have me some hot pot.

Hot pot - or in Chinese literal translation is "fire pot" is a cuisine known by many if not all. It's not suppose to be fancy, but it's homey, it's welcoming, it's the chatter you have around the table, and it's all about sharing. Hot pot is a traditional gathering or get-together type of meal. You share a big pot of flavored soup, there is a wide selection of meats vegetables and seafood as you wish, you cook (or blanch) your own food, and maybe steal a few things from your friend that lost a meatball. It's not just about the food, it's about the relationships that you build along with eating this type of food.

We found Happy Lamb Hot Pot to be pretty amazing this weekend. This location used to be another hot pot chain - "Little Sheep" I believe? I'm not sure if this is re-branding or simply was a take over, but the food and services are just as good as how I remember it. The decor is absolutely gorgeous, and the smell of freshly cooked meals are just so enticing as you walk into the restaurant. I can't get over the ceiling designs and you can even get a booth if you really wanted some intimate dining experience.

We sat somewhat in the middle and had a great view of everything. Here's what you need to know:
1) Pot and flavor selection: individual or shared pot
Family style eating calls for shared pot, you can get 2 flavors (spicy and chicken broth) so there's a bit of something for everyone. We got this type. The pot would be divided by half and the soup does not spill over each other, so no worries if you don't want you friends' fire peppers. It's got a down side if you don't like other people's utensils in your dish - I get it, you might not know her so well. For those who like your flavor and your food separate, get the individual pot - quite a few flavors to choose from and you don't have to worry about others taking your ingredients that you waited on for so long.

2) Meats:
Meats are sliced fresh to order, so the wait staff will only bring you a couple of plates of these to prevent waste. If you want more just ask! We tried lamb, beef, and pork - I have to say lamb was probably my favorite. Happy Lamb, duh.

3) Sauces:
If you think your soup pot flavor is enough then feel free to skip this bit. But I like mine a bit nutty, a bit spicy, garlicky, and full of chives - well they got all of that too. There's a sauce station where you can mix and match your favorite ingredients in a little bowl and use that as dipping sauce. I grew up with a pretty specific mixture, and really there's no right or wrong. You do what you like, everyone's got their preferred mix, just experiment a bit if you are not too sure.

4) Cold appetizers:
Most hot pot places provide some cold appetizers - to cut the grease, to wet your pallet, to munch on before your food fully cooks so you are not literally drooling onto the table. Regardless of the reason, they are there for you - I found standard Chinese appetizers like shredded potato salad, seaweed knots, and cucumber salad here.


5) AYCE everything else:
So once you got the right soup base, the perfect dipping sauce, a couple of cold dishes, and 2 plates of meat readily sliced, go nuts. This shop (like most) provides a huge range of things to throw into your pot: from tofu to shrimp tofu, from spinach to lotus root, from meat ball to cow tongue. You can be as bland or as weird... Ahem I mean authentic as you wanna get. Nobody gives weird looks here, all eaters are welcome. The difference here is you go to a station and everything is portioned to a few pieces a portion, in nicely stacked containers. Some of the other hotpot places will have them on a menu and you tick-off what you want on the menu to be brought to you. Either way, The portions are not huge so if you really didn't like something - it's not a huge waste. Without sounding complete barbaric and non-cultured, there's really no order of cooking and there's no wrong ingredients. I find it's largely region dependent - so really don't be afraid to give it a go however you like.

6) Desserts:
Yes there are desserts - I even missed it the first couple of times. There are 3-4 things on a separate fridge (like cream puff, cake, or chocolate mousse) for dessert along with some sliced oranges and honey dew. There's also hot desserts like sesame ball and fried dough with condense milk if you like (this is close to the cold appetizers). And... if that's not enough, they also offer you Popsicle in the end.

There you have it, my hot pot experience with Happy Lamb - they don't really have a website yet but both Tripadvisor and Yelp have lots of details about them if you googled these guys. I believe weeknight adult price was $25.99/pp and weekend pricing goes for $27.99/pp. At time of writing this post (Feb 2020), there's also a promotion event going on: Asialicious fest (https://asialiciousfest.com/). With the promo, you'd pay 1/2 pricing on the 2nd diner if you are a party of 2, and free 4th diner if you are in a bigger group - cash deal only. Not too shabby at all.

Hot pot is simply but complex, and it's one of my favorite things. And no I won't be offended if you don't think this is your type of eatery. But I do hope you will give it a chance, for its homey, friendly, and welcoming-ness. Hot pot is really a food of bonding and intimacy.