Big Bowl Spicy Cuisine 大碗麻辣烫

The malatang was a little on the salty side, but overall it was quite tasty. The guo bao rou was really good and tasted very authentic — crispy, flavorful, and well-balanced. Overall, a solid spot for malatang and northeastern Chinese dishes.

This small spot is located inside the 99 Ranch Market at Great Wall Plaza in Kent. It's so compact that they even have three two-person tables outside the entrance. The process is straightforward: when you walk in, grab a bowl and a pair of tongs by the door, then select at least a pound of raw ingredients for your dish. Options include meats, seafood, noodles, mushrooms, vegetables, and more. Once you've made your selections, the ingredients are weighed at the counter. You then choose your cooking style and spice level, pay, and receive a token associated with your bowl. They do have a very small selection of non build your own dishes too. You aren't assigned a table until this point. When your food is ready, your number is called and you pick it up yourself. The numbers were always announced in Chinese first, followed by English, so non-Chinese speakers will want to listen for the English call. Cooking styles: * Spicy hot pot with milk and peanut butter * Stir-fry with oil, sesame, and peanut butter * Mala dry spice with sesame Spice levels: * No spice * Mild * Medium * Spicy We tried the mala dry spice and the stir-fry versions, both medium, and were also offered rice on the side. Self serve for the most part,. There was a small condiment station with silverware, bowls, sauces, cilantro, and green onions. Hand sanitizer, paper cups and a water dispenser by the door. Seating is very tight. There are seven four-top tables and four two-top tables inside, plus the three two-tops outside. Our table was only a couple of inches away from the next one. I suspect they simply push tables together when they need seating for larger groups. The stir-fry was surprisingly saucy, and the medium spice level had a noticeable kick, though it was closer to what most Americans would consider moderately spicy. Of the two dishes, the mala dry spice was our favorite. Since you choose every ingredient yourself, it's easy to build a meal with exactly the items and portions you want. There are plenty of vegetarian ingredients available, but vegetarians should be aware that cross-contamination is possible since customers use the same tongs throughout the ingredient selection area. Overall, we really enjoyed the food and will definitely be back.

If you can't do spicy but still want to enjoy Malatang, this place is perfect for you! It's 14.99/lb and this place is perfect for picky people like myself. You get to choose your own ingredients in your bowl and then the broth. I chose no spice and I expected not much flavor since I got no spice, but the broth itself was incredible! When they weighed my bowl, it was 20 bucks and I got a good amount of meat and vegetables for one person. Highly recommend checking this place out, I'm still craving the broth.

$15/lb. Broth is really good and Szechuan chili oil is absolutely fire. I had the wet option and enjoyed it. Comes out quick

Yesterday was our first time here. The mala mixture was delicious and tasty. The super spicy wasn’t too spicy but still delicious, just add more numbing sauce which is provided add to taste. My non Asian husband love it too. He had the mild spicy soup and I had dry super spicy. Only thing missing was the dry chilli peppers and peanuts that I normally see in Mala in Asia. I don’t remember seeing them as option either. Suggestion: spam cut up when serving & free hot tea?? Overall great food, great experience, good selection and good cook & staff!