Reader, rest assured, all the animals you may consume at Happy Lamb did enjoy good lives. The menu delightfully informs diners that not only the lambs, but the cows and the deer too, not forgetting the ducks, led initially happy lives. Many were ‘grass-fed’ too. It’s hard to fault the relentless optimism pervading the venue. The nosh is pretty good too.
The Happy Lamb concept began life in Boston over a decade ago. The empire now extends to 100-plus restaurants globally. The Holborn branch is the UK’s first outlet. Others can now be found in London’s Bayswater district as well as in Birmingham and Edinburgh. The concept across all restaurants is the same: homage to the hot pot. Common across northern China and Mongolia, this humble dish has been elevated for a modern audience.
Choose your broth – up to three can be combined – add your starch, protein and vegetables, and an all-in-one meal is soon ready. First, of course, you have to encounter not only a menu of bewildering complexity but staff who may only have a rudimentary grasp of English. Persevere though, and it will be worth it. Eventually, my dining comrade and I settled on a chicken marrow and rich tomato broth combo, paired this with a mixed lamb and beef platter, and then added noodles and veg. A superb set of barbecued lamb skewers – ideal as a starter – arrived midway through, and a special sesame sauce sat there throughout, proving ultimately superfluous.
These observations, however, do the Happy Lamb experience a disservice. The idea of preparing your own meal - dropping raw meat and fresh veg with tongs into bubbling broth – has both novelty and conviviality. Guests can chat away and eat at their leisure. The broth is regularly topped up, and servers monitor assiduously the temperature of each table’s stove.
Your reviewer has been privileged to have had similar culinary experiences in Beijing. While not quite in the same league, the satisfaction derived from dining at Happy Lamb ranks highly. Its broths were flavoursome and hearty without proving overpowering. Chilli and garlic playing starring roles, but the flavours linger rather than jar. The quality and slicing of the meat was first rate and the venue delivered up an impressive collection of mushrooms as part of its vegetable medley. Even better, dining at Happy Lamb won’t break the bank. The venue was sadly not even half full on the recent lunchtime when we visited – warm weather probably didn’t help – but the place is said to come alive in the evenings. Guests at all times will likely leave contented.