Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot

Upon my better half’s return from a trip to Shanghai, he could not stop raving about the Hot Pot dinner he had.  Now you have to understand, he was quite leery of the food he was going to be exposed to while in Asia, so I was happily surprised that he was excited about this meal.  

Having spent time in Asia and absolutely loving their cuisine, I was curious to see what this Hot Pot meal was all about.  Naturally, when we found out that the Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot restaurant in Shanghai, also had a location in Montreal, we had to give it a try!

The restaurant is located in China Town at the corner of Clark and de la Gauchetière East.  The place is by no means fancy, but who cares when the food is so oishii!  Let me start by saying that our waitress was very friendly and sweet.  She took the time to explain how it all works, which is essentially this: you start by ordering your drinks (there was a special on beer, so we went with that!), then your broth and finally any meats – very thinly sliced beef and lamb – with her.  

Then you’re off to stack your plate with a wide variety of leafy greens, mushrooms, other veggies (some I had never heard of before), tofu, fish, noodles, etc.  A final stop at the sauce station to whip up your own concoction (garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, cilantro, spicy red paste, sesame paste, etc., etc.), before settling in front of your very own boiling Hot Pot. 

In terms of the broth, we opted for the Half Half, since we wanted to try both the original and spicy versions.  Be warned, the spicy does have a nice little kick to it!  Which is probably why I think this would be an awesome meal on a cold and rainy day.  The thinly sliced beef and lamb showed up shortly after we returned with our veggie, protein and sauce haul.  We wasted no time in tossing a few of our goodies into each side of the hot pot and swirled until ready.  

Let me just say that the combo of the delicate meat, the kick of the stock and the highlights from my sauce, well - it was just delish!  Even the veggies (broccoli and Chinese cabbage were my fave) had a nice zing to them.  The pairings are endless, so each bite offers something new to explore.   Oh, and did I mention that it is all you can eat?!  

      

Very reminiscent of the traditional Shabu Shabu I had in Japan, which is equally oishii. 

Enjoy!