Gastronome

LITTLE SHEEP MONGOLIAN HOT POT

Ward Warehouse
1200 Ala Moana Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96814
Phone number (808) 593-0055
website littlesheephotpot.com

As I sit here thinking about my lunch the other day at Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot, searching for something interesting to tell you, nothing in particular comes to mind.

It was good, yes. The broth in particular — I went for the House Original Pot — was rich and aromatic, but light to the taste and didn’t make me feel weighted down afterward (though the sheer amount I ate certainly did). The rib eye steak I selected, along with an assortment of cabbage, tofu, mushrooms and noodles that also came with my meal was just the right amount of everything.

Then there was a sauce bar — a fun experience that, unlike its broth selection, was entirely customizable. It was a setup of six or so sauces waiting to be mixed in any number of combinations to be used for dipping cooked meat and veggies. Mine turned out to basically be a shoyu-miso sauce with a lot of garlic and green onion (aka awesome).

The décor, too, was bright and welcoming. It was almost a little too contemporary and chic for the concept of the restaurant, but a nice change.

So why, then, can I not think of something remarkable to say?

Well, I think it’s because as much as I enjoyed it — and I do plan on returning again — there was nothing about it that felt, well, out of the ordinary.

It was my first time there, having been convinced by coworker Lynsey Beth Futa that it was worth a shot. Its biggest draw was that my meal was only $12.95, part of Little Sheep’s lunch special. I enjoyed everything I ate, I felt it was worth it and yet, I didn’t exactly feel I had discovered something new.

And you know what? That’s OK. Sometimes it’s nice to go to a place and leave feeling perfectly content.

Which is exactly how Little Sheep had me feeling.

FOOD TO WATCH

I love Netflix, so much. Because more than the ability to watch and re-watch 30 Rock six times, it puts up shows like Chef’s Table (see past Gastronome plug at metrohnl.com) and my new favorite, The Mind of a Chef.

It’s a PBS series narrated and executive produced by (another favorite) Anthony Bourdain. Each season — there are three so far, and all of them are on Netflix — follows one chef as they explore food.

I’m only on the fifth episode of the first season, which highlights David Chang of Momofuku fame.

Bourdain as a narrator always is great, and the series is a mix of a travel journal combined with science, history and a cooking show.

In the first episode, Chang goes to Japan to eat tsukumen at the original shop that first began offering the cold noodle dish. He also does things like fancily cook up some instant ramen.

It’s a fun show to watch, one that made me instantly hungry. The best part? Its page on PBS features recipes for a number of dishes like Bacon Pate BLT, Popcorn Grits, and Collards and Kimchi.

For more, visit pbs.org/food/shows/the-mind-of-a-chef.