Happy Lamb @ CWB

Firstly there was Tansian 天香回味, then Little Sheep 小肥羊, and now Happy Lamb 快乐小羊 which debuted in Hong Kong in 2018.

Zhang Gang, the founder of Little Sheep Group 小肥羊, “re-founded” the hotpot brand Happy Lamb 快乐小羊 in 2017 due to the dissatisfaction of the new business philosophies of “Little Sheep” under Yum! Brands’s ownership. Most of the Little Sheep’s overseas restaurants were rebranded as “Happy Lamb”.

However, the evening we were there, the place was almost empty. But it wasn’t because the food wasn’t great, but because Hong Kong F&B was going through a difficult period where everyone was going “north” into Shenzhen for more value for money choices there.

This hotpot restaurant mainly used the lamb from Inner Mongolia raised on their own pasture. Many people avoid lamb hotpot because the meat may be funky in taste because of its diet. But these lamb meat has very mild gaminess which disappears in the heavily spiced soup.

Instant-boiled mutton 涮羊肉, a style of hot pot popular in Beijing, has been eaten in China for a long time, but traditionally it’s prepared in boiling water and the pieces of meat are dipped in sauce by each diner after cooking. Because lamb can be musky and is not accepted by Southerners, consumption of lamb and mutton is concentrated in the north.

“Little Sheep” invented the method of simmering mutton in a soup made from a potpourri of herbs and spices that would overpower the gaminess of the meat, and allow the consumer to eat the meat without dipping in condiments. This method removes the musky smell of lamb while retaining its flavour.

Using precise quantities of adult hens with strictly chosen beef bones, a dedicated process of stewing and simmering for over 6 hours is used to create a concentrated milky white pot of base broth. Then additional herbs and spices are added to create the Szechuan spicy mala soup 麻辣汤, or tangy salted mustard green soup 酸菜汤 or simply the original stock.

The deep fried fish skin 炸鱼皮 is something uniquely Hong Kong to go with hotpot, something that you can order with your Teochew fish ball noodles. They are delicious on their own as a snack, and work well dipping into the stock as well.

The joy of hotpot is the variety of ingredients that you can cook in the stock. I especially love those frozen tofu; as they cook in the stock, they absorb all the flavours from the stock in the cavities as the ice melts away.

And they also have other lamb themed dishes, like Xinjiang-style lamb skewers and cumin lamb chops. I had to say their lamb chops were delicious. I really recommend that you order these when you dine there.

The delicious and relatively priced food, especially the flavourful spicy hotpot, makes for a delightful dining experience. Hopefully it will survive the downturn in retail dining in Hong Kong.

Happy Lamb Hot Pot Restaurant 快樂小羊 火鍋料理
4/F Causeway Plaza 1, 489 Hennessy Rd, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Tel : +852 2345 6281 (Reservations)

Visited Apr 2025