Gordon Y.
Yelp
Cuisine: 8
Service: 6
Decor: 8
Value: 6
Overall: 7
Guess what? This restaurant is not the Szechuan style hot pots that dominates Flushing, and all over NYC. This new entry into an already saturated market has a unique selling point - NORTHERN STYLE HOT POT !!!
What makes it different? First of all, you will notice the old school style copper pot with chimney that's on every table. They use charcoal inside these apparatus to create the heat for boiling the soup base. Does it make a difference in taste? I don't think so, but it looks kind of cool. You can control the heating process by simply opening and closing the chimney to your liking.
Another key difference is the emphasis on fresh lamb, in this case, meat from the neck. I really wish they had other selections as well, but their fresh hand cut lamb neck meat alone will bring me back. It is expensive, but truly outstanding. Tender and slightly fatty, but most of all, so flavorful. Fyi, I love lamb and the "gaminess" does not bother me. In Northern China, they prefer mutton because they like the flavor of the animal. This cut of meat has more "gaminess" than the average lamb, so be warned.
Another standout was their equally expensive fresh hand cut ribeye beef slices. Super tender and comes in a plate of four large slices. Honestly, when I come back, I would skip the average tasting ring of meat (looks cool) or the Japanese pork belly (actually pork shoulder). I would just order fresh hand cut lamb neck and the ribeye beef. Pair my meats with some veggies and I'll be pretty happy.
The decor is very nice, but somewhat similar to many of the high end Chinese restaurants that are popping up. Take note that they only have two tables large enough for a party of five or more. Service felt a bit slow due to likely understaffing and still newly opened. They also lacked knowledge of what they offer and pricing. However, they were very friendly when serving us.
Btw, there are no meat bone broths of any kind if that's what you are looking for. However, they have a wonderful mushroom broth that was excellent. With that said, their spicy broth was just average. Next time, I'll try the tomato broth. Looking forward to coming here a few times this winter.