Little Q is my favorite hot pot (shabu shabu) restaurant in the Boston area.
Why? The reason is simple. The broth.
The quality of the broth is key because you're essentially cooking your own dinner with raw ingredients they give you. Here, the broth is really good - kind of addictive actually (I've known more than one person, myself included, who could not stop drinking the broth straight out of a teacup long after the meal was over). My favorite is the mala broth, which is really hot and spicy, but also wonderfully fragrant with a mix of many Chinese herbs.
Because the Mala is so spicy, it's a good idea to have a "ying yang" hot pot where you get half spicy broth and half herbal broth (see picture below).
I personally think getting high quality meat is really important. Although the meat here was nothing like the kobe beef that I had in Japan, I still enjoyed the meat here. I think the lamb was especially tasty here. We also ordered the "choice beef", which I found to be rather ordinary. It might just be worth the $20 to order the highest grade meat.
Little Q is being forced out of its current location by the city, which has other plans for the shopping center. Currently, all the other tenants in that building have vacated. Little Q is fighting to stay in that location until the end of the year. Rumor has it that they have secured a space in Boston. I'm excited about that, because I would definitely go more often!
Update! Little Q has since opened TWO locations, one in Boston and one in Arlington!
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Why? The reason is simple. The broth.
The quality of the broth is key because you're essentially cooking your own dinner with raw ingredients they give you. Here, the broth is really good - kind of addictive actually (I've known more than one person, myself included, who could not stop drinking the broth straight out of a teacup long after the meal was over). My favorite is the mala broth, which is really hot and spicy, but also wonderfully fragrant with a mix of many Chinese herbs.
Because the Mala is so spicy, it's a good idea to have a "ying yang" hot pot where you get half spicy broth and half herbal broth (see picture below).
I personally think getting high quality meat is really important. Although the meat here was nothing like the kobe beef that I had in Japan, I still enjoyed the meat here. I think the lamb was especially tasty here. We also ordered the "choice beef", which I found to be rather ordinary. It might just be worth the $20 to order the highest grade meat.Little Q is being forced out of its current location by the city, which has other plans for the shopping center. Currently, all the other tenants in that building have vacated. Little Q is fighting to stay in that location until the end of the year. Rumor has it that they have secured a space in Boston. I'm excited about that, because I would definitely go more often!Update! Little Q has since opened TWO locations, one in Boston and one in Arlington!
Related Articles
Shabu Square (shabu restaurant in Harvard Square)
Seryna (Real Kobe beef Shabu in Japan)
Wagyu Beef - the Kobe of America
I love Little Q!! The mala broth is good, but I think the star (for me at least) is the black chicken bone. :) I certainly hope they move closer to the city!
ReplyDeleteYes! We actually drove by the Arlington location the other day - (it's on Mass Ave!), and I think there is one in Boston too! Can't wait!
ReplyDeleteGuess what?! Little Q is open in Arlington!! How awesome is that? We just went this past Tuesday... unofficially last week and officially, it's open this week. :)
ReplyDeleteOMG! Did it taste just as good? Did they have my favorite Mala broth? You are soooooo lucky to live so close! I gotta go try it out! Thanks for letting me know. I think they are opening one in Chinatown too!
ReplyDelete