Hot Pot Hot Pot - Monterey Park, California

Address: 120 S Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park, CA 91754

Items Ordered:

• Half medium spicy, half mild broth
• Veggies: Spinach, soft tofu, enoki mushrooms
• Meats: Beef meatballs, egg dumplings, tripe, meat-stuffed fishballs, beef & lamb slices
  
• Homemade noodles (green) and regular noodles
• Green onion pancake (not pictured)

I love this place! Even though it's never really cold enough in SoCal to justify eating hot pot, the herby, flavorful broth and expansive selection of veggies, fungi, meats, and seafood always draws me back. The must haves for me include: spinach, tofu, meat-stuffed fishballs, and homemade noodles. Also, the green onion pancake here is so flaky and delicious that I always contemplate taking the last piece for myself. I've probably tried 80-90% of the menu and the only disappointments were the fried rice (weird herbs inside) and the scallops (small, tasted frozen). They also have dipping sauces that remind me of eating hot pot on Thanksgiving Day when I was younger. Lastly, the owner/manager seems to be a Bruins fan even though the restaurant is located in USC's hood. Sigh, what's not to love about Hot Pot, Hot Pot?!

--y