Happy Sheep

The food is not fresh and kind of dirty
I don’t want to go there again

My boyfriend loves Happy Sheep, so he brought me here. We got the yin-​yang pot with half spicy. I’ve never had traditional chinese hot pot with all the little herbs and interesting things as such. It’s kind of annoying when you scoop them up with their meat/​veggies though but meh whatever it’s edible!
WARNING: the spicy gets pretty spicy!
Before I get into the hotpot details, their lamb fried rice is pretty bomb. It’s buttery and delicious! But, at the end, I couldn’t get over the lamb taste haha
*Tong Hao: had it here for the first time! Traditional veggie to eat with hot pot. It kind of looks a bit like a dandelion weed. I don’t think there are any comparable tastes but definitely a little more «pungent» like cilantro. It’s apparently really good for you. It kind of grew on me I guess.
*Liver: DO NOT get it here! It wasn’t very good at all.
*They have rice cake and literally translated «egg feet». Must eats!
*Environment: kind of warm and sticky haha
their sauces looked really nasty (holders were dirty/​almost empty) but they tasted good (sesame, satay, chili oil and something else.)
*Service: Typical chinese place. Only attentive if flagged down.
They’re doing promotion that it’s BOGO right now so go take advantage!
I’d have to say that happy sheep is definitely a different experience than other shabu/​hot pot places. Definitely must try at least once!

This place is good enough, but there’s a lot of competition in the area. It is pretty cheap and the menu is large enough. It doesn’t seem like the cleanest place to go to, but the menu items are good enough.
Ordering about 8 sides for two people came out to be $ 40, including some of the more pricey items such as beef tendon and fatty lamb/​beef. The quantity of food is large and 6 – 7 sides would be more than enough for two people. The pig blood is a little weird since it comes in these large 2″ x 2″ x ½″ squares instead of cubes, but I’d still recommend them. Best items I had were the Fatty lamb, Pig blood and Black fungus.
The sauces were a little odd, the red one looks a little like sorbet. There are four choices thankfully.
Location is not the best, being on the third floor. Parking is easy in the underground lot shared with the hotel.
Pros:
–Pretty good food and large quantities.
–Cheap.
Cons:
–Staff are a little standoffish.
–Third floor location is not ideal.

PLEASE READ BEFORE HEADING OUT TO THIS PLACE!!!
This was my 3^rd time at this place. The first 2 times were not so bad but my last visit was terrible. Went to this location on 9÷3÷11 and found bugs in the soup. Not just one bug but at least four. I didn’t bother to look for more bugs. By this time, I was disgusted. I reported the problem to the server and manager and all they gave us was 30% discount. It was ridiculous. I will never go back to this place again. For those who still wish to go, just be on a look out for bugs. Inspect the soup carefully before you put it in your mouth. I posted the picture with the bugs. NO JOKE!

This place is ok. I’m not a huge fan but I’d probably come back here again.
PROS
Pretty good tasting meats and veggies. Good tasting broth too. If you order enough food, it’ll get you full at a decent price. Not sure if I just ordered way too much when I went but the bill was way too much! Went a second time with family and it was well priced. Not sure if we got ripped the first time?! Service is fast though.
CONS
Location kinda hurts this place being all the way up in the 3^rd floor. The restaurant itself can also use a slight makeover… it’s kinda dirty in my mind.
Overall impression… OK!

I don’t know why people expect 5-​star service at any Chinese restaurant, let alone a hot pot place where you cook your own food. C’mon people, don’t set the bar so high and you won’t be disappointed.
The hubby requested hot pot for his Father’s Day dinner and so we came here. We’ve been here a few times in the past and the food/​service was the same. Food is good and service is okay. No one’s gonna go the extra mile and that’s fine by me.
Make sure to get the lamb, it’s excellent!

This place is terrible. I saw the $ 12.99 all you can eat commercial on TV and went there with my coworkers for lunch. The Food was just okay, not as good as other Chinese Hot Pot I have tried. The service was terrible. I had to ask for Ice Water for so many times, but I still didnt get it at the end.
The most rediculouse thing is, before we went we called them and made sure lunch all you can eat is $ 12.99. However by the time we got our check, they charged us $ 15.99 per person. Also, they charged $ 8 dollar service fee for just 4 people. We went to argue with them and they said they never got any phone call from us to ask about the price. About the service fee I think it is so not reasonable.
This resturant is the worst. DO NOT GO THERE !!!

I saw an advertisement on tv and print and I called to verify it is $ 12.99 for lunch buffet… but when we got the bill, they denied a
It and said it is $ 15.99. BEWARE! They are not honest and just want to cheat your money. They even charged a service charge for just 4 people! The food was nothing special just ok. I will never return nor will I recommend this place to anyone.

Don’t mind the service, or the furnishings, or much else other than the food — more specifically, the spicy soup base.
It’s reminiscent of what I had in southern China and Hong Kong; that tongue-​numbing novocaine effect that is very much banned here in the States.
Happy Sheep serves the exact kind of chili that is suppose to deliver that effect, except I assume they’re using the much neutralized and thus legal version of that pepper.
The freshness of their pork and fish balls and vegetables are commendable. The wait staff’s professionalism is want of much improvement though coverage is suffcient.

First of all, can I just say there are SO many hot pot places with «sheep» in the name! Little sheep, happy sheep, sad sheep, wooly sheep, can someone explain to me the significance of «sheep» in hot pot? Okay on to the review.
Had the all-​you-​can-​eat buffet and because of that, we ordered too much food. Beef, lamb, beef ball, crabmeat ball, a ton of veggies, tofu, noodles… And then just quickly paid for the bill and bounced cause we didn’t want to get charged with leaving a lil excess food (not sure if they actually go through with that).
Got the half and half, spicy + non-​spicy broth. I’m used to Taiwanese hot pot, and as people have said, this is MONGOLIAN hot pot so it was SUPER herby. I felt like I was in the woods eating a concoction I made with leaves, herbs and nuts. Lol. But I felt very cleansed and refreshed after especially because my friend and I were both nursing colds. IT REALLY CLEARED UP MY SINUSES. The food was okay, more so the meat than the veggies. Also, I didn’t really care for their selection of sauces. They had the usual sesame and shoyu, but then they had this strange pink sauce and one that smelled like green chile. Meh.
Also, as people have said, the service here SUCKS. They don’t speak like ANY english, so yes you have to come with someone who speaks Chinese (thank you lil bro). Also, they totally ignored us and my friend had to go up to the counter to ask for water and more watercress –_​_​_​-​. It wasn’t even busy! In fact we came and were confused because we thought it was closed. There were only like 5 other ppl in the restaurant. When they did answer our needs it was fine, but I just didn’t want to have to chase them down just to get service.
TO TOP IT OFF, however, they charge you a 12% service fee! Wtf??? I wasn’t sure if we were still supposed to tip after but I was like WHY AM I PAYING YOU AN AUTOMATIC 12% FOR BAD SERVICE???
Also right now I’m super thirsty and feel my tongue swelling. MSG much?
BOTTOM LINE: if you’re really hungry, go for the all you can eat buffet. pretty good for your money. if you’re not that hungry though, it might be a waste so you should just order individual items. Also, do not expect good service. Average 3 stars.

i enjoy the great quality of sheep meat here. And the soup is good too. Not too salty.
They offered «all-​you-​can-​eat» buffet for week day lunch now! Good for big appetite friends~

** MONGOLIAN HOT POT **
Some might call it Chinese Hot Pot, but that’s really generalizing it. There are so many types of «Chinese Hot Pot» out there. Taiwanese Style, Super Spicy Sichun Hot Pot, Stinky Hot Pot, blah blah blah…
Happy Sheep specialize in Mongolian Hot Pot, wherein they are known for their HERBAL flavor soup base. If you like spicy food, please remember to tell them you want your soup base to be half & half… The soup base tend to get spicier the longer you cook, and I personally like to cook my veggies on the non-​spicy side.
— — — — — — — — —
HOW TO ORDER: They basically give you a sheet of paper with a long list of food available. You are charged based on what you order. The basics: Beef, Lamb, Veggies… then add on whatever you like. Don’t worry if you order a bunch of stuff, they would usually bring it out on a cart and leave it next to you.
HOW TO COOK: I find that most guys don’t have patience when it comes to hot pot. They never like to wait for the soup to boil, and end up just dumping plates and plates of food in the pot. There’s nothing wrong with that… except you will end up getting overcooked food and soup base mixing with one another because it overflowed. So… my 2 cents… BE PATIENT!!!
— — — — — — — — —
SERVICE: Not the greatest, but I get what I want at this place. Maybe because I speak Chinese and would wave my hands in the air and get their attention. If you actually expect them to come service you. I hope you don’t starve to death…
PARKING: There is an underground parking lot at this location. Please make sure you enter the parking lot from the restaurant side (where the traffic light is at). Otherwise, the hotel side will charge you a parking fee even when you end up parking in the same lot! Yes. there are tons of Asians that don’t know how to drive in this lot, so BE CAREFUL! Happy Sheep is located on the 3^rd floor.
— — — — — — — — —
HOT TIPS:
1) Get
gift certificates to come eat here. You can use the $ 25 Certificate once you bill hit $ 50.
2) They have Buy 1 Get 1 Draft Beer!
3) Expect to leave this place reeking like HERBAL HOT POT… Yes… You are going to smell like food.

Came here with some friends have watching UCLA beat some beavers at football. woo!
when we got there we were not greeted by a hostess and instead had to look around for the person before we were seated. there was some miscommunication about our broth and we ended up with spicy when we asked for no spicy. luckily the other half was tasty. we ordered a good amount of meats and veggies. all tasted pretty good.
however, i must say that the service was sooo bad i had to take a star away. the waitress never really came to check on is. we had to waive her down and ask multiple times for items. we even came with people who speak the language, as one Unilocaler suggested. sad sad. also they didn’t even bring us all the food we asked for.
anyway, i thought the food was good for hot pot, but the service sucked.

ive never had chinese hot pot before but was looking forward to trying it out. my cousin and her husband took the bf and i here. we were quickly greeted and got to choose which table we wanted to sit at. it definately helps when you go with someone who speaks the language.
we got two different broths, one regular and the other spicy. they brought out the pot and put it into the hole in the middle of the table, and soon after it started boiling! we ordered a bunch of different meats, like lamb, pork and beef. also some tofu, daikon, napa cabbage, fish cake balls, intestine, and blood cake. yes i said intestine and blood cake. ive never had either before but was willing to give it a try, especially since my cousins husband and the bf said it was good. haha
so its kind of like shabu shabu where you cook everything in the boiling water, but instead of just boiling water, its flavored broth. both broths had a lot of chinese herbs floating in it and my cousins husband said that its suppose to be good for you. this one red one was suppose to be good for your eyes, which i dont know why he ate it since hes had lasik. haha
anyway, all of the things that we put into the broth and cooked, came out so flavorful! the veggies definately came out spicy after they were cooked in the spicy broth haha (i recommend putting them in the regular broth only because they soak up all the spice! it was good though!)
the blood cake was actually pretty good. it was the one with sticky rice inside and it actually was like mochi. the intestines werent that bad either, as long as i didnt look at it. hahah
dont forget to dip everything in the peanut satay sauce + vinegar and soy sauce. mmmmm. and after you’re all done, drink some of the broth! but watch out! its HOTTT hahaha i burned my mouth hahah

It’s not the cheapest place to go to for hot pot for sure and it’s not the regular soup base or the regular spicy soup base you would normally get. This is the herbal flavored soup base and the spicy herbal flavored soup isn’t all that spicy either.
Meats tasted good and fresh and the rest were pretty much frozen dumplings, fish balls, beef balls, squid, tempura, vegetables, tofu and so on. It can get quite expensive if your eating in a big group.
I gotta say service isn’t the best here. However, they have an outdoor section for smokers. I rather sit inside but friends that smoke wanted outdoor. New experience as this is the first time having the herbal soup base. At least they had the satay sauce that masks the soup flavor.

This is the Certificate they post in
and when you show that to them, they will said you need spend 15 $more than the limit was. We are so hungry and we do not care. So we just go sit and waitting for the menu. We order few dishs and it cost around 50 $, and dishs are really different between ust Certificate and not use that. The sever is really slow and do not care what we doing so far. Cause in the rule, NO matter how much spand, we need give18% tips. But anyway, I wont go there again.
believe me, THE BOSS DOESNT CARE COUSTOMS. HE SAID,”“I can accept Certificates if im happy, the coupon things its just an ad, you want eat or 5 people go to another restaurant, thats your choice. I already get my coustomer here. I can cancel the coupon anytime I want. You want eat or not?
WTF! I WILL TELL ALL UnilocalER, DO NOT GO TO YOUR STUPID MAKE CHOICE RESTAURANT. WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU? JIGSAW?

At one time in my life I hated Hot Pot. Too much work, not enough patience, and too little food. Overtime, I’ve come to appreciate the Hot Pot for it’s conductive socializing aspects and for its subtle yet intoxicating myriad of choices.
Let me start by stating not all Hot Pots are created equal. On one end you have your Vietnamese Hot Pot with their fish cakes, fish balls, squids, lemon grasses, and neuc mom. Then you have your Japanese Hot Pot with their udon, bok choy, delicate kobe beef, sesame and ponzu sauces. And you have your Chinese Hot Pot with their lesser quality fatty lamb, beef, pork, «A» vegetables, and satay sauces. Lastly your «happy sheep» Hot Pot…
Happy Sheep is a hybrid of Chinese Hot Pot with a myriad of exotic herbs and spices in the broth. The locals call it Mongolian Hot Pot. Our group had half spicy and the other half mild. Both broths were very flavorful by themselves which is not common to all other hot pot places. Generally the broths tend to be bland, yet eventually become more flavorful as the more goodies that are cooked in them. Flavors of ginseng, cardamom, dried goji berries, angelica root, Codonopsis root (dang shen), Cordyceps or warm fungus (dong chong xia cao), and red dates all reminiscent of mountainous Asian flavors.
Where the quality of Happy Sheep went south was in their meats. The lamb, beef, and pork all were very fatty. To me, this is lack of quality. While most will disagree in that the fat is what gives the meat flavor, I think it’s what makes you fat. Don’t get me wrong, I love a marbled piece of Kobe Beef at Shin Sen Gumi for its wonderful tenderness and flavor, but this was neither. Just flabby fat along the outer edges. It’s as if the meat they selected came from angry sheep in New Jersey and not the happy ones in California. Just saying…
All in all, I loved the unusual flavor of the broth, but the meat (the filling stuff) wasn’t very good. I think I’m going to stick with my Japanese Hot Pot going forward.

Who likes hop pot more than i do? Ok thats probably everybody.
When i started dating a taiwanese boy, all he could talk about was how awsome chinese hot pot was and so we went, i tried, and i HATED it… i was such a good sport that i tried it a few times… and hated it… i started to break down what was so different about chinese hot pot from shabu shabu… (since i was planning on dating this one for a while, i couldnt get away from the stuff)
They use stuff in the broth, its not just plain water… they have a variety of funky ingredients… and they use this satay sauce to dip it in… yes it was the damn satay (thanks susy!!) sauce that i haaaaateeed… without the sauce, it was pretty dang good.
Tried this place with a few friends and i liked their broth/​soup thing alot. The flavor was strong enough that i didnt need any kinds of sauce. Dinner for 4 was about $ 80 tho, ouch! Not all you can eat. but we were all full.

My first try at Mongolian hot pot, a spicier shabu shabu. I came here late at night after getting my butt kicked from biking and was looking to eat and eat and eat. My friends ordered everything, after asking if I liked spicy, which I did so it worked out. The spicy broth was their favorite so we went with that, some of the choices they picked was a bit off putting:
Tripe
Fatty lamb
Um, maybe not guys but the mushrooms, the ‘green stuff’ they didn’t know what it was called but they pointed it out to the waiter and knew, maybe you guys can help me out with it. The leafy, branch things that wilt down extremely quickly. As well as the fatty beef and regular beef.
I did NOT eat the tripe but the fatty lamb was a surprise to me, it soaked up the flavors much better than my beloved beef. I’m saddened to find that beef has disappointed me.
The enoki mushrooms are pretty good, I love enoki mushrooms but the button mushrooms were also better for soaking up all the juices. The mushroom’s big caps obviously were more conducive than the tiny little enokis but still good.
The hot pot wasn’t the only star, they had a beef noodle soup that is amazing as well.

*** yum, yum, yummy … my first shot at hot pot. ***
my pan-​chinese congregation of friends took me
out for dinner last nite and i’m grateful today. why?
because i never would’ve driven out to san grabriel
if they’d not literally dragged me outta the city to eat.
i like ranted and raved during the entire drive about
the distance, but they all said «barry, you’ll thank us».
so now i say thanks to my chinese mainland, hk,
and taiwanese buddies … HOT POT ROCKS!!! ;-P
i’ve eaten shabu shabu many times and enjoyed it.
but for ½ the price and twice the flavor, hot pot is the
true real deal, especially if you like spicy seasonings.
i do not think there is a japanese equivalent to this …
we ate these plates (boiled ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ in reg/​spicy broth):
lamb dumplings … all lamb dishes are very tasty
fat sliced lamb
lamb meatballs … all lamb items help flavor the broth
lamb kabob … skewered and grilled, but not boiled
tofu … best when done in the spicy broth
noodles … thick yet amazingly glassy too
greens … dunno its name but kinda «minty» taste
*** 5 people eating over 2hrs, bill was only $ 75! ***