Mon Land Hot Pot City has long been one of my go to restaurants. It is a short stroll to my favorite foot massage place, has a great cooking broth, and ethereal lamb dumplings, which are even better when dipped in the broth. No reason to review a known commodity, so my trusty 7D stayed at home.
But the restaurant is under new ownership. The decor is slightly classier--gone are the Jetson era atomic lights on the roof. But to quote George Clinton, "We want the funk," or at least I do. The changes are not all bad. Barbecue items have been added to the menu. In honor of the 10 year anniversary BBQ lamb shank was free. Even for a lover of cumin, the cumin and salt based rub was heavy handed. The meat was a bit tough and gristly, but was still good. The same seasoning was more incongruous on the corn, but it was still tasty.
But we do not come to a hot pot joint for joints of lamb. We come for the broth. You have a choice of hot or mild, but most people choose both with a metal divider separating the two. The broth has changed for the worse. It is much too salty. Since salt is the least expensive seasoning I expect that its heavy use is in part to distract from the reduction of other, more expensive, herbs and condiments. The one improvement is that 3 grades of beef are now offered. You can pay more and get superior or angus beef instead of the standard fare.
The biggest disappointment was the lamb dumplings. The dough is heavier, and the filling has much less flavor. I will not be back. It is not bad, but there are many better hot pot places.
No comments:
Post a Comment