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Thursday, December 10, 2009

Little Fat Sheep - Monterey Park (Closed)

After I told lil' sis's best friend and her other friend about how much I liked the new Jazz Cat Restaurant - San Gabriel, they immediately went that evening. As typical, it was at least a 45 minute wait. So I suggested Little Fat Sheep in Monterey Park.

Little Fat Sheep - Monterey Park 1

This time, I remembered to bring along my camera, I just forgot to put the memory card back inside.

Doh!

So lil' sis's other friend and their friend, Nick (who reads my blog and has been in suspense waiting to see himself mentioned (Hi, Nick!)), offered to take photos for me with their cell phones. Lil' sis's other friend won out since I see him more often and it was less of an imposition. I must say, his iPhone photos came out pretty nice!

The waiter brought out complimentary pickled daikon and peanuts.

Little Fat Sheep - Monterey Park 2

The decor was eerily similar to Happy Sheep Shabu & Grill - San Gabriel, which of course, used to also be a Little Fat Sheep too.

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Again, it was $3.50 per person for the hot pots, which included Chinese herbal and spicy broths.

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We ordered pork, chicken, and two plates of beef.

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Pea shoots, napa cabbage, and tendon.

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Oyster mushrooms, tripe, and fish balls.

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Lil' sis's other friend adding ingredients into the hot pot.

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The thick glass noodles in the back were Mongolian noodles. I had no idea what to expect when I ordered them but wanted to have my first Mongolian entry on the blog. The green (spinach?) handmade noodles were wonderful, but you'll see in a bit.

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Our food bubbling away.

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In case some of you don't know how to eat hot pot. Just add a few ingredients at a time so that everything doesn't overcook. Usually, I put vegetables in bigger batches for everyone to share and scoop up if they wish. Meats are usually added by the individual, a few slices at a time, and you fish out your own meats so they don't overcook.

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There's a slotted spoon if you just want meat or vegetables without the soup. And a ladle if you do want soup.

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Chili, red and white fermented bean curd, and satay barbecue sauces. I liked the sauces here a lot more than Happy Sheep or Monland Hot Pot City - San Gabriel. The restaurant itself is cleaner too.

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The other Mongolian item on the menu were Mongolian meat pies. I think these were $4.99 for an order of two pies, roughly the size of my fist. Crispy and very juicy, as you can tell.

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Look at that handmade noodle. Just the perfect chew while still tender. Yummy!

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The bill was about $60 for everything. I was just full enough, but Nick said he could still eat. So I gave him some of my leftover Turkey Tetrazzini. I've never seen anyone so excited to eat my leftovers. He even offered to wash my entire sink full of dishes. Haha.

January 31, 2010 update: The owner sold the restaurant to one of his employees and now operate the Happy Sheep restaurants in Rowland Heights and San Gabriel. The restaurant is now called "Hot Pot, Hot Pot!" Yes, with the exclamation point.

Other hot pot and shabu shabu restaurants:
Cocary Shabu Shabu BBQ - Monterey Park
Happy Sheep Cafe - Rowland Heights
Happy Sheep Cafe Shabu & Grill - San Gabriel
Jazz Cat Restaurant - San Gabriel
Monland Hot Pot City - San Gabriel
Shin-Sen-Gumi Yakitori-Shabu Shabu - Monterey Park

Little Fat Sheep
120 S. Atlantic Blvd.
Monterey Park, CA 91754
626-282-1089
11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

*****
1 year ago today, Nuoc Mam Cham (Vietnamese Fish Dipping Sauce).
2 years ago today, Kimchee Pajeon (Korean Pickled Napa Cabbage Pancake).

7 comments:

  1. I haven't had hot pot forever and now I'm totally craving! $3.50 per person is a really good price for so much food!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm curious about the name change too. Little Fat Sheep now only has Fremont and San Diego California locations as far as I know. I went to one in Montreal for a surreal Chinese-French speaking waitstaff experience. Supposedly it started in Mongolia. Wonder why it lost a foothold in LA

    ReplyDelete
  3. Looks good! I used to come here quite often, but never tried out the Mongolian noodles though. Usually just order the sliced lamb with assorted veggies though. Now I just make it at home :).

    ReplyDelete
  4. Cookie,
    That $3.50 is just for the broths. The other stuff costs money too. :)

    Aaron,
    I wondered if they opened with the name to bank on its recognition from China, and then once it picked up enough customers, split so they didn't have to pay franchise fees? Did they have to pay franchise fees?

    Diana,
    They're fun with a group or when the weather's cold.

    ETE,
    I go out for Chinese hot pot, but Vietnamese hot pot, I eat at home. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Trying to leave a comment again after several tries.

    You're too awesome Wandering Chopsticks!

    ReplyDelete

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