Little Sheep Mongolian Hotpot

On Sunday I went to go check out the new hotpot place in Plano. Everyone has been talking about it and they don't take reservations so the wait is usually 2+ hours!

Little Sheep Mongolian Hotpot
240 Legacy Drive
Plano, TX 75023
(972) 575-8887
http://www.littlesheephotpot.com
Price: $$

We decided to go at 5pm before it gets busy. We were immediately seated. There were only a few other tables there at the time. It started filling up by 6-6:30ish. And by the time we finished at 7 or so the entire front lobby was packed! WOW...

If you've never done hotpot before, here's some simple directions to get you started...
1. Order a soup base
2. Order different foods to cook in the broth
3. Cook foods in the broth. Keep in mind different things take different times to cook completely. For example, napa cabbage will take much longer than a thin slice of beef. If you are unsure, you can ask the waiters for suggestions.
4. Eat! (You can order extra dipping sauces, but the broths have flavor already so it's not necessary.)

We got the Half and Half (House original and house spicy soup bases) $8.95~ The spicy wasn't spicy enough. Both broths had a lot of spices in it and different kinds of Chinese herbs. Reminded me a bit of Chinese medicine, but in general flavors were fine. A bit too salty though. And the spicy side is usually too oily for my preference (even when eaten in Asia).

Ribeye Thin Cut $9.95~ Pretty large pieces of beef and good quality but very few slices.

Slice Pork $5.95~ Pork is my favorite protein for hotpot. Not surprising... haha. These were sliced super thin. Just the right amount of fat and meat.

We had to ask for Extra chilies!! It wasn't spicy enough! My family eats really spicy. The waiter informed us that they have to have a standard spicy level for the general public but brought us extra. It still wasn't spicy but was definitely numbing enough!

(From top left - clockwise)
Enoki Mushroom $4.95~ Always a must in hotpot in my family.
Tong Ho $3.95~ Interesting vegetable. Kind of looks like a weed. Has interesting flavor. Kind of herbal, has a spice to it. I like it. Doesn't take long too cook at all!
Napa Cabbage $3.75~ Another staple for hotpot. This takes longer to cook so I'd recommend putting it in first!
Homemade Beef Meat Ball $6.95~ I wasn't a fan of this. I only eat one kind of meat ball for hotpot and it's "Gong Wan" (貢丸). It's more Taiwanese style so since Little Sheep is more mainland style, they didn't offer it. :(
Shiitake Mushroom $4.50~ Mmmm. Love mushrooms.

Egg Dumpling $4.95~ They ran out of the fish dumpling so we just got the egg dumpling. Pretty good portion for the price. It was tasty. I think I ate 70% of the entire order. haha.

Thick Noodle $3.50~ I try to avoid carbs but my sister wanted noodles. We usually have noodles when doing hotpot at home. I'm just trying to eat less. These don't take long to cook depending on how al dente you want them to be. It had good texture.

Premium Beef Slice $6.75~ We got more beef. This time a cheaper kind. Smaller pieces and sliced super thin. Also pretty good. Next time we can skip the ribeye and just go for this. hehe.

Pork Intestine $4.95~ I love pork intestine. It's so bad for you, but so good. Not something for the weak. haha. But if you are daring, give it a try. :) The intestines come pre-cooked, so all you have to do is put them in to heat up and it's ready to eat!!

For their grand opening they did an All-You-Can eat deal for $20 a person. Unfortunately it ends today... last day of October. But just to give you an idea. All the food we ordered (and we couldn't finish it all) was for 4 of us. We were stuffed and ended up around $20 a person...

All in all it was decent. We don't have anything remotely close to this in Dallas (as far as I know) so it's something interesting to try. It pales in comparison to all you can eat hotpot places in Taiwan, but I don't think we can compare anything here to foods in Asia. haha. The ingredients were all really fresh and good quality. The waiters were very informative and very efficient. I guess they have to be with the wait they have.

If you can't make it in today for the all you can eat, still give it a try. Just make sure you go SUPER early!!

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~