Little Sheep - Chinese, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Best: Grilled Lamb

1/F, 26 Kimberley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Ph: 2722 7633
Nearest MTR: Tsim Sha Tsui, Cameron Road exit

Last Visited: November 2010

Food: 3 stars, 4 stars grilled lamb

Atmosphere: 3 stars

Service: 2 to 3 stars

Price: $$

While I normally don’t critique restaurant franchises, Little Sheep is an especially unique one. Although there are some back home in the San Francisco Bay Area, the only one I’ve visited is in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. It’s a five minute walk from where I stay while in HK, while it’s at least 1.5 hours of driving from home to restaurant back home.
I’ve gone to Little Sheep three times, at least once every time I have been in Hong Kong in the last couple of years. Little Sheep specializes in hot pot, but for lunch, they have a variety of dishes including dim sum, noodles, fried dishes, and of course, various styles of lamb. Unlike what many business models might dictate about sticking to what you’re good at, Little Sheep in Hong Kong has been expanding their menu to fit local tastes.

After perusing the Little Sheep Hot Pot Restaurants (US) and the Little Sheep (Asia) websites, I learned that Little Sheep sells soup bases in addition to being a meat processor. Their franchise has expanded in Asia – China, Japan, and Macao, as well as to North America – Canada (Vancouver and Toronto) and the United States (mostly along the West Coast and Houston).

The photos show some of the items that are available. Like many other Hong Kong restaurants, they offer lunch specials where you create your own set from a predetermined selection. The featured item for me is always the same.

- Grilled Lamb – It’s a small plate that one person can probably enjoy on his or her own. I know I could just eat a few plates of this and be happy. I always order this dish because the meat is incredibly tender. The seasoning is flavorful, but not overwhelming, and the grill allows the juicy meat to be cooked just perfectly.  A couple pieces did have some tendon that made it harder to eat, but still an amazing dish.

- Osmanthus Flower Jelly Dessert – This is one of the most recent food trends items that I noticed while dining in Hong Kong a few years ago. The dish itself has been around for a while, but is seemingly only surfacing in restaurants in recent years (kind of like the cupcake phenomenon in the United States, but not the point of having flower dessert shops). The dessert has a gelatinous consistency, but is so light and refreshing. It’s the perfect ending to a heavy meal. The flowers are edible too and create a pretty presentation as they are suspended in the jelly. I had this at least a year or two ago at Little Sheep and during my 2010 visit, they didn’t have it on the menu.

- Fried Meat Rolls - These are like taquitos.  I liked the presentation of them standing tall in the glass.  Though it's not the right place for them if you plan to leave them in a glass a long time (the steam will keep them from staying crunchy), they're still flavorful and good.

The variety of another meal is shown in this picture of seven dishes.  The dim sum mentioned earlier, a vegetable dish, and of course, that grilled lamb.  They do a nice job with cooking vegetables until they're tender and not overcooked.  There is a variety in their options for lunch sets and most people ought to be able to find something that they're happy with no matter whom has joined the party.

Some of the other photos included here show baked and fried items that are fairly enjoyable. My least favorite are the soup noodle dishes - they taste fine, but are fairly lackluster.  The pan fried noodle dishes are a better option.

The desserts are interesting and always seem rather healthy - gelatins and steamed cakes rule their menu.

Try Little Sheep if you are nearby one and be sure to get one of their many lamb dishes - available in various spices, this featured item is definitely worth trying.