Happy Sheep Hot Pot — Restaurant in Torrance

What an exotic gastronomic adventure! For twenty to thirty-something bucks you get all-you-can-eat Mongolian cuisine that you cook yourself. That being said, you will need to be self-reliant; read some of the other reviews; you’ll be better able to decide the soup-base with which to start (I got the standard milky-like broth - it’s not milk)- they give you an 18” diameter pot of broth whether you’re one or four people. No one will stand there to teach you how to cook and what manners “de rigor” to eat your share. Remarkably even by yourself, you need to fend for yourself. For example, some foods will overcook, others will not. Cabbage will over cook; bok choy takes more time to cook than cabbage. Bamboo shoots are really slippery before cooking; so early in the process, put the entire serving in the pot. I prefer the glass noodles; they don’t seem to over cook, either; ... they go into the pot early, as well. You get two ladles; one with holes, one without. I use the holey one for cooking meatballs and shrimp balls, one or two at a time; but you can just toss all the -balls into the pot particularly if you’re with a crowd. If you get the shaved meats, just dip them into the boiling broth for a 2-5 seconds unless you enjoy well-done. It’s an adventure but DON’T RUSH; savor the flavors, tastes and textures. The staff can be very very busy but they are all courteous when you ask questions; so as mentioned earlier, be self-reliant. If no one is available, go to the counter and (politely) tell them what you need. BOTTOMLINE: Don’t go expecting formal Japanese Restaurant deferential courtesy. Go in anticipation of an excellent Google 5-Star...

This place is a standout but had some points where they could do a bit better. Went at 6 PM on a Saturday and went to write our name down on a waitlist. Be prepared to wait about 40 minutes to an hour. They only have room for about 30 people at a time with ten working induction plates and are short staffed. There was one person playing the role of host, waiter, and runner all at once. To get on the waitlist, you’ll have to manually go in person as they don’t have a yelp setup.

As far as actual food goes, we ordered the half and half (original bone marrow broth and spicy bone marrow broth) for $29.95 a person. The broth itself is extremely rich and well made - and they definitely don’t cut corners, using fresh chilies for the spicy base. We tried their Mongolian kimchi and fried shrimp as appetizers and found the Mongolian kimchi was spicy and refreshing and the shrimp was well cooked. We went ahead and ordered all their main meats, and honestly came to understand how this place specializes in lamb. Extremely richening, especially with the add-ins. You most likely won’t be able to eat more than one round of all the main meats with two people. Sauce selection was not the best I’ve seen, with your basic Sesame, Ponzu, Shacha, Coriander, and Green Onion.

Overall it was an okay experience for a hot pot place but the atmosphere was a little stark given there were many people waiting inside for a seat to open up - and given how small the space is, it feels like you’re being watched...

What a great deal for a delicious meal! We came in on a rainy Tuesday after months of driving by, I'm thinking due to the hot summer not being too ideal for a hot pot dinner but boy were we missing out!

First thing you notice is the modem updated decor with wood tones and ambient lighting. The booths are quite comfy featuring a sleek black tabletop equipped with an induction grill. Perfect for digging in to a 2 hour plus meal. My eyes then centered in on the sauce station which had fried shrimp chips, sesame balls, cilantro, scallions, chili flakes, chili oil, sesame oil and even that Chinese bbq satay sauce just to name a few.

Then to my surprise they offered an all you can eat option for only $18.95!!! I mean come on people, there's no way you could do this at home at even triple that price with what all they had to offer. We ended up trying the original broth which was surprisingly milky and deap in flavor. We opted to go with mostly seafood and it just made that marrow broth all the tastier as it continued to meld and reduce, Wow! Almost too rich compared to what I'm used to doing at home myself.

Taiwanese owned as of what it seemed like, overhearing the banter between regular guest and staff. Our waiter greated us with a warm smile and service was attentive for a weekday night despite all the negative reviews on Yelp.

All in all a great experience. Will definitely be back again. Oh and they have shaved ice for dessert too but who has the room for that...