Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot
Burrowed away from the main streets of downtown San Mateo, Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot is the perfect spot for a dinner out. Customers walking in are immediately greeted by a variety of luxuries, including a full bar, plush couches and an elegant design.
Little Sheep has a vast menu with reasonable pricing at around $30 per person. The original milky bone broth, a staple in both Korea and Mongolia, was very flavorful, filled with a variety of spices and herbs.
One category Little Sheep does not disappoint in is their seafood; the shrimp balls are so tender they seem to melt in your mouth. In addition, the fish was luscious and the faux lobster added a nice touch to the platter. The thinly sliced, perfectly seasoned beef particularly stood out as the most delicious out of all the other menu options. Little Sheep is excellent in bringing classic hot pot to downtown San Mateo with flair.
Liu Yi Shou
Located in the heart of downtown San Mateo, Liu Yi Shou Hotpot invites diners in with Chinese characters posted on the door. Its interior exemplifies the essence of China, reflected by the solidified water painting of villagers enjoying a hot pot meal covering the back wall. Liu Yi Shou features a Chongqing style hot pot with a bar providing a variety of sauces, side dishes and fruit desserts.
Contrasting to the atmosphere, its sauces and broths lack the fiery zest of authentic Chongqing hotpots, which are known for being very spicy and flavorful. Liu Yi Shou’s spices are more numbing than flavored, making it difficult to properly enjoy the taste. The pricing is on the steeper end at around $40 per person, but is redeemed by the freshness of its food, especially the shrimp platter, arranged in a mesmerizing formation beneath purple orchids. The lamb and beef meat is chewy but minimally fatty, making for a balanced taste.
If you like fresh food and don’t mind paying for inauthentic Chongqing flavor, head to Liu Yi Shou.
Grace Xia / Aragon Outlook
Seapot
Seapot’s spacious and attractive setup creates a relaxing atmosphere to socialize with friends while enjoying unlimited hot pot. Located in the strip mall by Nijiya Supermarket, Seapot encourages a self-serving initiative with an all-you-can-eat conveyor belt. Starting at $18.99 per person for lunch on weekdays, or $28.99 after 5 p.m. on weekends, diners are given personal hot pots to cook with and access to a wide variety of tiny portions, including seafood, meatballs, animal organs, vegetables, noodles, fruit, cake and more. Lamb and beef can be ordered at no additional cost, while diners may also pay for premium items including lobster and geoduck.
Although there is a large variety of food, the food quality is less impressive. Much of it is not fresh, especially the seafood which has a dull texture and taste. The soup bases are also unflavorful, making the addition of sauces essential to enhancing the taste.
Upon entering, diners must sign in at a tablet for seating with wait times on weekends ranging from 15 to 30 minutes, while larger groups are prioritized.
Shabuway
Shabuway is the place to go for Japanese style shabu shabu hot pot. The wait time is brisk, and there are two different possible options for hot pot: a large, communal style where everyone sits around one pot, or a bar-like style, with each person having their own personal hot pot.
Shabu shabu is a type of Japanese hot pot that involves thin slices of meat, seaweed broth, various vegetables, as well as two distinct dipping sauces: goma sauce and ponzu sauce. Living up to their promise, Shabuway offers many types of meats, including beef, lamb and pork.
The flavor of the seaweed broth was simple and pleasant, but the Kobe beef itself was bland. The beef was rather chewy and fatty, which made it difficult to eat. However the goma and ponzu sauce completely transformed the beef into a succulent meal. The goma sauce was flavorful and creamy, adding an essential umami taste to the beef. The vegetables were fresh and light, made very tasty with the sauces. A small bowl of rice is included in with every order, enhancing the overall experience. The prices were appropriate for the generous portions at $15 to $20 per meal.
