Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot & Grill Part 1 - Not the Hot Pot

We were pretty excited when we first spotted the sign for Little Sheep. Though for some reason, once the restaurant opened we just never made it. Perhaps it was the weather being a bit too hot, or maybe we were just in a rut following our return from Peru. Than came a really hectic period, I got sick, the wildfires struck, I got food poisoning, etc, etc, etc........

Whatever the reason, we finally got our act together, and made it over to Little Sheep. And though the selection for hot pot items looked very tempting......

A FOY (friend of yoso) had sent me an email regarding the lunch specials listed on the placards at each table. We found the restaurant empty except for one other table. And after giving the regular menu sheet a quick once over, and ordering a few things, we checked out the lunch time offerings.

Cold Pork Jelly ($4.95), this was from the menu sheet. If you're a regular reader, you already know that I enjoy "jellied meats", tender connective tissue, head cheese, et al.....

This was pretty solid and chewy, served in a little pool of a soy mixture which added just about the only discernible flavor, other than the cilantro, to the dish. The Missus said, that in most versions She's had, the jellied meat is topped with minced garlic, which would have been a welcome addition here.

Lamb Skewers($4.95), also from the menu sheet.

The lamb meat had some chew, but wasn't overly tough. What was lacking was flavor, not enough cumin, not enough salt killed this street food favorite. We had ordered these "spicy", but the skewers were still very, very mild.

Beef Noodle Soup with Hand Sliced Noodle (Dao Xiao Mien - $6.95).)

I had been for warned by our FOY, that the Beef Noodle Soup was very bland. But since I love Dao Xiao Mien(Knife Cut Noodles) I had to give this a try. And yes, that broth was lousy, totally devoid of flavor, it was not even salty. I added chili oil, salt, soy sauce....uh-uh, not very good. The 3 thin slices of beef were flavorless, dry, and tough. Too bad, because the noodles were not half bad, much better than the Late Jamillah Garden's doughy version. This version had a decent chew, along with some pull, and wasn't shaved too thick. One more thing, we couldn't believe how much noodle was in this soup......it seemed like an endless amount. Talk about a carb fest.......noodles upon noodles.

The Cumin Lamb Stir Fry($8.95):

This should have just been called Salted Lamb Stir Fry. Again, not enough cumin, and too much salt. Not even close to the version served at Dede's.

House Casserole($12.95)

A light, but flavorful broth, with "Thousand Layer Tofu"(aka frozen tofu) soaking up the flavor, this was by far the Missus's favorite of the day. It tasted even better as left overs. The bean thread in the dish along with the Napa Cabbage added substance, though the meat was on the tough side. Still, I'm not quite sure this is worth almost $13.......

I'm sure we weren't the only ones wondering how Little Sheep will survive the warm, and sometimes downright hot summers. If this is any indication, it may be tough. But for now, as it gets cooler we will enjoy the Hot Pot at Little Sheep.

Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot & Grill
4718 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Mon-Sun 11:30am -3:00 5:30pm - 9:00pm
Fri-Sat 11:30am -3:00 5:30pm - 10:00pm
Sun 11:30am -3:00 5:30pm - 9:30pm   

In Part 2 we'll do the Hot Pot......

Comments

[Sandy]

I had wondered about the lunch specials, so I'm glad that you tried them so that I don't have to :-) I also wonder why so many items were crossed off the menu.

I'm curious about the frozen tofu, which was also an item on the hot pot menu. I'm not familiar with frozen tofu; does anyone know the Cantonese name for it?

The heat wave in September was pretty unusual in San Diego. I think if the food is good and reasonably priced, people will come to Little Sheep even if it's hot. Pho places don't seem to slow down when it's warm!

[Trent]

Thousand layer tofu = 千葉豆腐, 凍豆腐 or 冰豆腐.

[Derek Ray]

Hey Kirk,

I've been reading and enjoying your blog for quite a few months now and have had probably close to a dozen great meals thanks to you = ) So finally I'm going to post!

I was at the Thai Cafe the other night for dinner and saw that Little Sheep was JAM PACKED full of people, the whole restaurant was completely full and there were at least 30 people waiting outside to get it. Truly a crazy night. If they can keep up strong evenings like that and bring a decent lunch crowd ( or if that doesn't work stay open for late lunch/dinner and then all day on the weekends) and they should survive.

I lived in Northern China for 6 months and Hotpot was one of my favorite things to eat. When do you plan to try out and review the hotpot?

Thanks again for providing and sharing such a great food blog!

-Derek

[Joseph]

Well, that's disappointing. But as your co-blogger might say, if the sign says "Hot Pot", then get the hot pot. I hope your experience with their signature dish was much better.

I'm writing this from the hospital (free wifi!). His name is Elijah Michael, born 9:56 AM this morning, 7 lbs 2.4 ounces, 19.75 inches, and all of him adorable. Now it's time for bed, if he will sleep a little.

[Rachel]

Hi Kirk,
wow I'm amazed that after most of the dishes not being up to scratch that you gave it another go ... you are indeed a good food critic!
Well hopefully part 2 with probably hot pot will be better!
Anyway, I know you are a goat lover so this link might interest you www.grabyourfork.blogspot.com is one of my fave sydney food blogs and her latest post is on a goat meat restaurant! If that isn't enough to make you buy a ticket right away and come to aus, well at least you can live the experience thru her. (but send me an email if you do buy a plane ticket ;)

[Carol]

Hey Kirk! Wow, guess you were just a tad bit under the weather! Glad you're feeling better now.

Too bad about the Dao Xiao Mien cuz I would have been all over that. Makes me miss my grandmother's pulled noodle soup and xiao guzi mien (dough dumpling noodles).

The House Casserole looks really good but $13 seems a bit high.

Maybe as the weather gets cooler, I'll give it a go. Thanks for the review!

[Sandy]

Unfortunately, I can't read the Chinese characters for Thousand Layer Tofu. Oh, who am I kidding - I can't read Chinese, period! Trent, can you give an English spelling for the Cantonese name?

[Trent]

Hey Sandy, I'm a white guy from the suburbs. Somebody else will know better, but I think it's pronounced something like Dong Dou Fu - with a downward tone on the first syllable and an upward on the second. "Winter" tofu, since the frozen texture was a byproduct of seasonal production. Incidentally, it's a great way to store tofu that you can't use up at home.

[Liz]

I don't know what the nights are like in San Diego, but here in Los Angeles it is a lot cooler even though day time is in 80s or 90s. Anyway, we went to the Little Sheep here in Monterey Park a few weeks ago, we got the hot pot, it was quite an experience. I am not sure I will go back. For one I am not a big fan of lamb, second we can do a nice hot pot at home. I do like their side dishes such as scallion pancakes. Well, at least I got a facial from the hotpot. :)

[noromdiam]

I believe Dumpling Inn has dao xiao mien as an off-menu item. Should give it a shot.

mmmmm getting to be hot pot weather.

[Kirk]

Hi Sandy - I found this wikipedia entry, so it might help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofu.

Pho and HuoGuo are two very different things....also price is a factor as well. Several hot pot places in LA closed down over the summer....

Hi Trent - Thanks for helping Sandy out.

Hi Carol - The problem was with the soup...the noodles weren't too bad at all.

Hi Liz - The evening are getting cooler....so it'll be more like hot pot weather soon.

Hi noromdiam - I had the hand made noodles at Dumpling Inn...they weren't very good. Add to it that the Niu Rou Mien(which is terrible) is alread pushing 8 bucks and add a dollar for the noodles......

Hi Derek - Welcome, and thanks for commenting. The problem is, the way I see it, hot pot is not cheap, it is a communal way of eating, so everybody's got to want it. It was also a big time "fad" in LA, but most of those, and several Little Sheep outlets, like the very popular one on the corner of Colima and Azusa in our old neighborhood closed down. The one's that survive seem to do more than just hot pot - like Kingswood, which does teppanyaki, or are very inexpensive and make an excellent hot pot. Because it is new to San Diego, Little Sheep will do well, but it will be interesting to see if they can keep the momentum going. I do hope they do well.

Hi Joseph - We'll be posting on the hot pot soon. I found the other offerings to be interesting. Major congrats, I hope Elijah and Mommy are doing well!

Hi Rachel - I may just have to buy that ticket! ;o) You know, I'm not a food critic...I'm just a humble ol' food eater!

[foodhoe]

hmmm, this is very interesting. We have one of these nearby that we are going to check out tomorrow. Since it's been chilly we'll be doing hot pot. Glad to read this before going, so I know what not to order!

[Kirk]

Hi FH - Stick with the hot pot....and all should be well.