Starr C.
Yelp
I first learned about 37 Xiang because all of their tables are in their own private rooms/stalls and that really appealed to me during this panini, and was absolutely sold when I learned they include sashimi and oysters as part of their AYCE menu, so this was the first restaurant I dined indoors at in many months, and came back to celebrate my birthday with a larger group 2 months later.
They have a handy automated system that handles reservations and the waitlist. Our first visit, our table-ready text came 40 minutes after the confirmation text, so we returned and were promptly seated in a little stall that could seat 4? up to 6?? We were actually checking how ventilated it was since we were being so cautious and were super impressed by the very low CO2 readings we go, so we ate quite comfortably, save for the bit of a draft from the window on what wound up being a chillier night.
ONTO THE FOOD
First, I have to say my expectations for the quality of the sashimi and oysters were low and they were exceeded! Very solid raw fish and I slurped down a lot of oysters. (Oysters do come with a little bit of cocktail sauce already dabbed on each one, as a heads up, and lemon wedge for you to squeeze.) We chose our broths, the condiments cart was wheeled to right outside our little stall, and our food came fairly quickly, too. I appreciated the several cold appetizer options that help offset the heaviness/richness that can come with eating hotpot, like kimchi, cucumber salad, blueberry with daikon (I rarely see this in the US), and seaweed salad.
I really liked the variety of options we had with the hotpot. Fatty lamb and beef AND a "snowflake" beef (even more fat marbled in), plus nearly all of my favorite things, like fish roe balls, shrimp paste, different mushrooms, and several items I don't see as often here in the US (especially at AYCE places), like egg tofu, duck blood, pork kidney, and shirataki knots. The veggie menu looks small but is the leafy greens, as the other veg are with the other items. I also really appreciated that our server took our order and then came back to remind us we hadn't ordered any seafood for the hotpot yet. The seafood offerings here are often additional charges at other places, so make sure you take advantage of them to get the bang for the premium price here, like we did with some lovely crabs. They do have a premium seafood menu that has an extra charge and requires reservation.
When we came back with a larger group, we ordered watermelon juice from their pretty extensive juice menu for the table as another refreshing treat to offset the good food. Our server also let us know that beverages were included (careful not to fill up on fizzy drink!) so my dad was even able to satisfy his soymilk craving. At the end, we also were able to grab some ice cream, which we ok-ed with the server don't you worry haha
Each of the rooms/stalls also has a spot for you to put emptied plates as they are cleared so that you can make more room for new food, and the servers will clear them on their way out, which I think is a really nice and streamlined experience for the private dining format. With regards to service, we were checked on and could call a server with a button without having to wait more than a few moments, so no worries about being left neglected for a long time here.
BONUS: Party rooms (8+) have karaoke?? I scoured the Yelp reviews to see how people liked it but didn't see any details. We were actually too busy eating and catching up after not seeing many friends for so long to even touch the karaoke setup. They have a beer/wine/soju/sake menu here so I can see this getting pretty lit
Small nitpicks were that we had a small stove issue at one of the seats, but since there were extra stoves at the table this was resolved fairly quickly. Also, don't be heartbroken when the condiments cart gets rolled to another stall that arrives after you but be aware of it in case you wonder where it went while trying to get topped up!
All in all, I'm already looking forward to going back, as the higher price is worth it to me for the private dining experience and the added variety of options like sashimi and oysters.