I'm a fan of YGF Malatang! We found this place two weeks ago, and we've eaten here twice already. Malatang is similar to hot pot; however, malatang is cooked by the kitchen staff and it's a one-bowl-per-person meal.
Parking spaces can be found easily in the very large shared parking lot for all retail businesses at Peachtree Pavilion shopping center. The sign outside YGF Malatang displays YANGGUOFU Create Your Own Hot Pot, so if you see this sign walk in and you'll be acknowledged by one of the employees who will ask how many then point you toward the food bar.
Start with picking up a big bowl and a pair of tongs at the far end of the food bar. The concept is for you to place as many items as you care to eat into the bowl. You will be charged according to the weight of all food items, which are uncooked when weighed. As of the date of me writing this review, the charge is $13.99 per pound. So far, some of my favorite items to pick from the food bar are the shaved beef slices, shrimp balls, crab meat, black fungus, two packs of vermicelli noodles, Napa cabbage, spinach, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, baby bok choy, bean sprouts. There are certainly a lot more items to pick from - shaved lamb and pork, various seafood items, various noodles and a big selection of vegetables. The employees at the counter will weigh all of the food in your bowl and let you know how much you'll have to pay after you're done eating (they'll give you a receipt), will take your tongs and bowl, will ask you which broth you want (I have chosen the mild spicy beef broth), and direct you to your assigned table. Your bowl gets sent to the kitchen. Let the employees at the counter know if you'd like to drink anything else other than water.
Glasses of water and eating utensils are placed at your table before you sit down. While you're waiting for your bowl of soup, you can go to the small sauce station, pick up a dipping sauce bowl and create your own sauce concoction with a small variety of wet and dry ingredients, including cut green onions, garlic, cilantro (I think), red chili sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, black pepper and other items I can't remember. The sauce I make tends to be heavy on the red chili sauce, with some sesame oil, salt, pepper, onion garlic, soy sauce, vinegar and cilantro mixed in.
Employees will bring your bowl of soup (in a different bowl) containing everything that you personally selected from the food bar, now cooked and steaming hot with the broth that you picked. The mild spicy beef bone broth is spicy enough to open up my sinuses, so increasing the spiciness is just asking for trouble for me. The broth also has a great flavor, although I dip most of everything that's in the both into my dipping sauce before eating it.
The employees come by and refill your water glasses during your meal, and will provide you your check when you're ready to pay.
I can't think of anything negative about my experiences eating at YGF Malatang, and that's why I'm a big fan and rated this restaurant 5-starts. read more