Little Sheep Hot Pot
San Mateo Location
215 S. Ellsworth Ave
1-650-343-2566
Tel: (650) 992-9000
www.littlesheephotpot.com

Union City Location
34396 Alvarado Niles Road
1-510-675-9919

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You wouldn’t think sunny San Mateo would be the go-to spot for hot pot. But on a leafy street just a block away from restaurant row Third street , Little Sheep has a cult following of diners who are addicted to their famous herbal broth concotion. One step past the u-shaped bar, an army of black tables and vibrant bamboos along the side walls create an elegant ambiance.

Dressed in Chinese-styled black uniform, the waiters are attentive despite the presence of a busy crowd during lunch. On weekdays, Little Sheep offers a great $9.95 menu special that includes a well balance of meat and vegetables.

Other charming touches separate Little Sheep from most hot pot restaurants. Glass ceramic stove tops embedded onto each table could bring a boil in two minutes flat.

At table side, the minimalist décor allows the stainless steel hot pot to play center stage. Unlike most hot pot venues, the dipping sauce is not the “hit” of the dining experience. Little Sheep is known around the Chinese culinary circle as producing an incredible soup broth. Like mannah from heaven, the soup base radiates multiple notes of flavors that pairs in harmony with each other.

In the realm of Chinese food, soup is more than just a dish. Soup is known to heal and rejuvenate the body. The house soup features ingredients known in Chinese medicine to have great health effects. Red dates, nutmeg, and ginger known to soothe not just the body, but excites the palate. Nutmeg stirs ups sweet tones while garlic and ginger provides spice.

With the hot pot divided into two sections, the “half and “half” soup option allowed me to contrast the full bodied house broth with the house spicy soup.

Neatly assembled, a plate of beef and lamb arrived. Each meat slice displays fat marbling which gives the meat a rich “buttery” flavor. With a quick eight second “swish” in the both, the meat pieces were tender and full of flavor. Alongside, a beautiful basket of vibrant Napa cabbage, translucent vermicelli, and spears of bak choy intensify my hunger.

Hot pot dining is all about controlling texture. Napa cabbage can be cooked al dente or more on the mushy side, depending the duration of cooking time. An additional plate that features an assortment of vegetables (enoki mushroom, shitake mushroom, fish ball, tofu, fish balls) rounds out the meal.

In 1999, Zhang Gang started the his first Little Sheep in Mongolia . Nine years later, over 700 restaurants opened up in China . In order to keep food cost low, he started his own lamb ranches and packaged the soup base. For the lamb in the United States market, Little Sheep uses lamb form New Zealand .

Trying to capture the American market, managers such as Daniel Huang who oversees the Union City and San Mateo location, trains the staff to maintain service and food quality.

I asked Huang why Americans would be attracted to eating hot pot. He said, “Hot pot is fresh and healthy. For hot pot, you just put everything in the boiling soup.” He also mentioned that there are not trans fat and no MSG in the food.

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