YGF Malatang - Review - East Village - New York - The Infatuation

"If you’ve ever wanted hot pot on the fly—or even to-go—YGF Malatang comes pretty close. This fast-casual East Village restaurant is from an international chain that serves individual bowls of malatang. First, you add your own mix of proteins, vegetables, and carbs from a brightly lit station to the side. Bring it to the counter, where you choose between beef bone broth, mild tomato, or a dry-ish pot with mala sauce. They’ll charge $15 per pound and then cook your ingredients in the kitchen before bringing it out to you—and you still get to play around at the sauce bar while you wait. You don’t get your own burner, like at the Dolar Shop, and Mala Project’s dry pot is a better value, but the food is decent enough for a quick solo meal if you’re nearby. Food Rundown Beef Bone Broth For the strongest mala flavor, go with the beef broth. There are three spice levels available, but even the “extra spicy” is a couple rungs below the mala broth at a traditional hot pot spot. Tomato Broth Watery and flavorless. Unless you’re extremely sensitive to spice, we’d go with the Spicy Mix instead, which is actually pretty mild. Spicy Mix This is the drier, no-broth option, but it’s not fully dry. Nor is it particularly spicy. Everything is covered in a sesame and peanut sauce with the tiniest hint of Sichuan pepper. Still, it packs a lot of flavor—just be prepared for more peanut than mala." - Neha Talreja