YGF MalaTang Edmonds — Restaurant in Edmonds

Summary: “Boiling Point’s over-priced self-serve cousin with bare minimum customer service with a cheap Asian cafeteria feel.”

• Intro * Heard about this place from a family member and he touted that this place was better than ‘Boiling Point’ which is just down the road. “Time to put it to the test” I thought. Upon arriving to the location in Edmonds, parking was ample enough and the plaza was newly renovated. I believe this was the prior ‘Wonton Noodle House’ location before the entire plaza burned down and had to be rebuilt. It was actually quite busy around 7:30 PM. Noted about 3 chefs in the back and 2 front side cashiers and helpers.

• Environment * When arriving, there really isn’t a lobby which I don’t mind. Immediately opening the door you are surrounded by a sauce cart to the left and three large buffet style carts with a variety of raw uncooked foods on the right and the front. Not going to lie, it was hectic as we had multiple people zoom in and out of the door and walking to and from the buffet carts. Place was about 75% to capacity. Noted that the tables were decent sized but placed way too close to each other. It was a hassle to get in and out since there were no waiters and everything was self-service.

If you’ve never been here before, you’ll have to grab one of the large plastic bowls and tongs and just grab whatever you want and place it into the bowl. “Different I thought, but unique.” Note that this place charges $15.99 per pound so you can eat as much as you want, however you have to be wary as the cost goes up by a lot. They weigh your bowl at the counter and take it to the back to cook everything together. Be wary of the default tip on the POS as it is set at 18%. Drinks are not included. Water is free, but you have to get up and get it yourself with a small paper cup.

• Food * The food is prepared using 6 choices of varying flavors, most of them being spicy. If you have small children that can’t take spice, please keep this in mind.

The food is on par with Boiling Point (Edmonds), better than Swish Swish (Alderwood Mall) but not as good as Haidilao (Bellevue). The flavor being more spicy than usual, despite choosing lower spice levels. Soup was surprisingly good. I definitely ate my fill.

• Cost * The cost is what got me on this review. Grand total was $77. Taking into consideration this was for two adults, self service everything where you had to get your food, take your boiling bowl to your cramped table, get your own drink, sauce and water. With service only related to you paying the bill at the front. Customer service was bare minimum. For this price range this would be a good deal if you wanted a light quick customized hot-pot bowl, but for price, bare customer service, wait time, hassle and crowded space..... there are better options and “bang-for-buck” out there. Its supposed to be a “buffet” style, but it felt more like a cheap Asian cafeteria with frozen goods from Ranch 99...

We went here on a Sunday for late lunch. Place is new so it was packed. However, the wait should not take too long since their food menu was straight forward, so people were just in and out.

When you enter, you grab a large plastic bowl and tongs and go pick up the ingredients for your Malatang. They don't have rice to eat with, so I suggest at least getting some of their noodles (they have plenty of noodle type from ramen, udon, glass, instant noodles and more) for carbs. They have lots of vegetable selection and a good amount of meat selection and fish/meatballs and seafood.

Don't forget to grab the drink that you want from the drink refrigerator in the middle.

They have a few broth to choose from. They have one non spicy broth, which is the tomato soup base, and kids like them. They were flavorful. Everything else have option from less spicy to very spicy. They have soup spicy, which is beef broth, Tom yum, and curry. They also have 2 dry type, the spicy mixed, and the chili oil mixed.

After you weigh in and pay for your meal, then the staff help with finding a spot to sit down. You need to order first before they get you a seat. It generally goes pretty quick .

They have a sauce bar with just enough sauce types to make a good dipping sauce. They also bring you some cut naval oranges at the end. Water station is provided next to sauce bar.

We tried the spicy mixed one level 2, it was flavorful, but not as spicy as I wanted. So next time, we'll be back to try other broth and different spice levels and update the review.

Overall, it's a good addition to have in the Edmonds area. It was good but didn't blow us away, so thus I think it deserve a 4...

My first time at this location, and I must say I was a little disappointed. I first tried the UDistrict location and the Edmonds location fell short for me. The layout was a little weird, they have AC units just kicking around, people who ordered takeout sat at the tables or just stood by the door blocking the entrance and some of the sauce station. Compared to UDistrict there was not enough broth for our bowls, and with that the medium spice felt a little too overpowering despite the beef bone broth actually tasting really good. In general I think the way MalaTang’s operate is a little weird. I not only have to wait for my number to get called and get my bowl, but you literally have to hold it by it’s tips while it’s piping hot to bring it back to your table. Not even a platter you can hold.. which is hazardous and concerning. Also not really sure what I’m tipping for if the only contact and service I get is at the till when I’m paying or when they give you watermelons for palate cleansers. Overall, I enjoyed the broth, the noodles were cooked perfectly but everything else...