Chun M.
Yelp
When it gets cold outside, it's Hot Pot time! Wasn't this called Little Sheep or was that the one on Main St? Anyway, Happy Lamb makes me a happy camper! Their pricing though is a little confusing because they have different levels of food (meat) grade levels and they have discounts and specials for different days of the week in trying to attract more business on off days. Of course, it's also never crowded during the week. We usually go for the $32.95 House Special All-You-Can-Eat option and it's discounted to $26.95 on weekdays. You can pay a little extra for the premium meats, but the regular selection is just fine with us. My wife works down the street a couple of days and I'm happy to grab dinner here. If I get to Flushing at 6:30pm, it's just $0.75 to park for another 30 minutes on Northern Blvd and it's free after 7pm.
Hot Pot is a communal thing that I've missed since Covid. The 2-4 seat booths have a single induction pad and the 6-8 persons have 2 for your pot. The power controller is at the end of the table below the edge. Order your favorite type of broth and there are hybrid spicy/non-spicy choices with a partitioned pot if people at the table have different tastes. The thinly sliced meats are also AYCE with the mid-level and your opening order of those with your broth as well. Then it's off to the vegetable, mushroom, seafood, noodles and fish/meat balls bar to get some staple hot pot items. They even have these faux reconstituted fish molded into the shape of lobster claw meat! There are also some cooked food like spring rolls, dumplings, tea eggs and sometimes even onion rings & french fries for the kids but try not to fill up on those. I also see from pictures that they roll out some unique foods on the weekends. Get your own drinks from the fountain soda dispenser and make your secret dipping sauce mix from the sauce bar and you are ready to cook & eat.
We order a variety of meats: beef, lamb, chicken & pork. They are frozen and sliced to just barely a millimeter thick in order to cook fast in the boiling broth. My wife doesn't like the gamey flavor of lamb, so she makes us cook on the opposite side of the pot. The broth imparts some flavor but I use my dipping sauce on just about everything. Most of the food you know is ready to eat when it floats to the top like the fish balls and mushrooms, but you have to go fishing in the depths for meat, vegetables and noodles. The more food you cook, the more flavor goes into the broth and the staff will come to refill your pot as it evaporates, concentrating the flavor. By the end of the meal, the soup has some serious flavor and I'll ladle some out to taste. If you have room for dessert, there are a few items, but I'll usually go for a few more fish balls or maybe a corn on the cob.