Diane Le

So we're all familiar with typical hotpot: where you choose your ingredients and broth, get the cooking done right at the table, and then dip it in your own creation of sauce to enjoy. Of course, as a hotpot lover, I've had my fair share of hotpot and can go for it whenever..when it's cold, hot, or cloudy with a chance of meatballs without a doubt, and getting introduced to malatang is like a nice alternative concept to hotpot.
So upon entering, you are greeted with a wall of different ingredients. There are bowls and tongs for you to start choosing your proteins, veggies, and carbs. But when you've been spoiled with all-you-can-eat hotpot options for a while, you'll need to start clearing that mentality a little and try refraining yourself from that mindset, cause we know hunger will cause ones eyes to grow bigger than the stomach (especially when you gotta pay for your choices by weight). I think taking a step back and giving the vast selection of ingredients offer a look first, before picking and choosing, is the way to go.
After finalizing your selection, bring it up to the counter to get it weighted (it's currently $12.99/lb and spicy dry pot option at $14.99/lb). I went for the soup option, which you get your choice of soup base, and I selected the original medium spicy. After payment, your bowl is brought back into the kitchen where they cook it up for you. There's also a small sauce station to make your own dipping sauce while waiting.
Food came out fairly quick and was brought out in a big bowl (not pot), but with half the work already done, what's left is to dig in.
So flavor of the original bone broth was okay, the spice level was right on, and well, you can't complain about your own choices of ingredients here, so it definitely had to be good.
Besides the malatang, I got some fried buns on the side (shaobing) and they were a nice touch to the meal. Also complimentary white rice is available, so just ask.
Eventhough, this concept is different from the hotpot we're used to, I definitely enjoyed it, especially when you wanna take a break from hotpot steam clinging onto you and splashes from boiling soup once in a while, this is a great alternative to try.
The restaurant is nice and clean, with good amount of seating, and nice service.
Only small downside is I wish they can translate some menu items they have into English for non-Chinese speakers like myself, but besides that, I hope for more malatang places to be open so the interesting concept can be recognized.

This is definitely a regular go-to spot for me when it comes down to craving hunan style food in the Chinatown area. It's a small restaurant and can get packed easily on the weekends. But during the weekdays, there's not much of a crowd, so you can occasionally enjoy a nice quiet dinner here.
When it comes down to the food, I honestly never had a dish I didn't like here. Every dish has amazing flavor, with a no-kidding spicy level (so adjust accordingly), and nice portions. For 2 people we got:
Cumin Lamb (a dish that's hard to avoid whenever we come here, absolute favorite, with great flavor)
Steamed Pork Belly with Buns (first time trying this, and I liked how the pork belly is not dripping in fat/oil and the buns that came with this dish is a different take to it. Some steam rice is the best way to devour this)
Egg w/ Eggplant and Pepper Salad (also a first with this one, and loved it! Pretty unique in my opinion)
Meatball w/ Mushroom Soup (they don't offer much soup options here, but this one is a must if you're trying soups, especially for mushroom lovers)
And as always, the eyes are bigger than the stomach, and we ended up with leftovers. With great food and friendly service, I highly recommend trying out this place if you're in the area.