Hot pot is when you order fresh, raw ingredients and cook it yourself in a hot pot of boiling water.

I went to Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot on a weekday for lunch with my husband and mother-in-law. I have to admit, the menu was a little overwhelming. I had no idea what to order.

We went with the original broth, assorted meat, pea shoots, bok choy, shinoki mushrooms, udon noodles, and fish balls. This turned out to be plenty of food for 3 people. FYI: If each person chooses a different broth, they put a divider in the pot. So you can have spicy and original broth in the same pot.

What is different about Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot is that their broth is full of healthy, Chinese medicinal herbs and vegetables like goji berries, dried dates, ginger, garlic, and green onions. This broth also flavors the meat, vegetables, and noodles well. Other hot pot restaurants I have tried only use plain water for the hot pot, giving the food no flavor at all, which leaves you to rely on a dipping sauce for flavor.

The meats are sliced thinly to cook thoroughly and quickly so you don’t have to worry too much about eating undone meat. There is also an order which they recommend to cook the ingredients. Meat first, then the rest of the ingredients since meat takes the longest to fully cook.

We really enjoyed the experience of cooking the foods and slurping the soup. It beats waiting around at a restaurant for your food to be cooked.

Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot
215 S. Ellsworth Ave.
San Mateo, CA
(650)343-2566