Final Thoughts: 3.50/5
Very very soft 4 stars for this place. The overall experience is kind of interesting and the only thing that saves this place from losing a star is the fact that the food and sauce tasted quite good. I feel like this malatang place has been here for a while now and it is ranked high. Finally had the opportunity to try it for dinner.
Food:
Bases:
1. Signature Beef Bone Broth
2. Savory Dry Mix
3. Yom Yum Soup
4. Chicken Broth
5. Sichuan Style MaoCai
6. Sweet and Sour Tomato
7. Classic Beef Bone Broth
Savory Dry Mix: 4.2/5
My preference is always going to be the dry mixes because I'm not too much of a broth person. Their savory dry mix is a peanut based sauce. It reminds me of the dipping sauce for the spring rolls. Very umami. Nice balance of sweet, nutty, and savory, which I liked. There are these crispy bits added to the sauce and I really like it because it adds a texture component. Looking at the presentation, it wasn't bad. They seemed to have put the sauce on top and then garnish it with peanuts. I like that it's not just all mixed into the bowl and tossed in. You are able to choose your spice level too. I only chose mild today. Very light kick from the spice.
Ingredients/Mix-Ins/Toppings: Nice variety
They do have a fair amount of ingredients here. Loved seeing the marinated egg, but it occurred to be after the fact that when everything is mixed together like that, the flavor of the marinate for the egg gets lost. Lots of proteins, sides, and veggies to choose from. Of note, a lot of the items are cut into larger pieces. Makes it just slightly harder to just get just exactly what you want. I prefer the smaller portions and to get something of everything.
Layout: Veggies first, then proteins
Layout makes sense. Upon entering, the ingredients are on the left side. The vegetables come first and then meats. There is a space where you can keep your bowl. It also keeps a fair distance from the person to the ingredients, which is a good note for food safety reasons. This does, however, make it difficult for me to reach any ingredients in the back given my height and arm length.
Note:
When my bowl came out, it had ingredients that I did not choose. I'm aware that the ingredients may be cooked in the same water. It was just something I noted because I ended up with additional mushroom pieces, noodles, vegetables, bean sprouts, and a piece of meat.
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Quality: Fully cooked and appropriate temperatures
Their sauces are quite good and the items appear to be cooked to appropriate temperatures. All of the items in there, I was the most concerned for the kabocha pumpkin because it takes a little longer for it to completely cook and soften. All items did come out fully cooked though.
Price: Topic of Conversation Today
Main topic of conversation for me today. For malatang places, there's usually a scale where you weigh your bowl and ingredients. I've usually seen the scale tared to show a -0.XXX number. This means that the weight of the bowl is taken into consideration and removed from the final weight and pricing calculations. Here, the scale just showed 0. My ending weight was 1.33 lbs. This is really not normal for me because I'm always struggling to even reach 0.8 lbs, let alone trying to meet their 1 lb minimum after going back about 3 times to add something else. May attribute that to them providing larger cuts and portions of the ingredients though. My friends and I were just a little curious as to why it was 0 and one of my friends went to the cashier just to clarify how the calculation was done if the scale is not tared. Per the employee, she stated that the bowl weight is already considered and the price for the weight of the bowl is removed from the final price that is seen on the final check. This seems like such a convoluted way to do it, versus just taring the scale and removing the weight of the bowl to begin with. Of note, my friend observed a wire that went onto the scale that added some weight onto the scale. There are items around the scale that can fall onto it, so just make sure that it's at 0 when you're weighing your items.
Service: Simple Interactions
Besides trying to clarify things with the scale, really nothing significant at all. They helped us get bowls when we first came in because there was only one left when we entered. Upon completion of cooking, they brought us our bowl.
Ambiance: Spacious Interior
Interior is very large and there is optimal seating inside, as well. I like that the seats are not super close to each other. There's enough space to walk around and just be separated enough from other groups, so we can have a conversation comfortably.
Location/Parking: Has its own little island
They're located in Milpitas Square. It's kind of in its own island and closer to the side of the road. Very spacious parking space, as well. There is a 99 Ranch within the plaza, so it makes sense to have a large parking space here. Usually not a concern. read more