Chinese hot pots are not usually a cuisine you’d find on a list of vegan-friendly restaurants. But Chubby Cattle is looking to change that! Tucked away in the busy strip mall on Spring Mountain and Jones (home to another Vegans, Baby favorite EDO Gastro Tapas & Wine), Chubby Cattle is the first restaurant to provide refrigerated conveyor-belt-based hot pot meals. This interactive meal includes ingredients that provide “essential health benefits and savory tastes.” The best part? This Las Vegas restaurant offers vegan Chinese hot pots.
If you’re unfamiliar with hot pot, consider it to be a kin to “Chinese fondue.” At Chubby Cattle, you select your broth, add the ingredients you love, build your own sauces, cook, and enjoy!
There are two vegan-friendly broth options to choose for your base. The Beautiful Tomato Pot is a tangy, tomato based broth that cooks down for three hours before being served to customers. The second option, the Assorted Mushroom Pot, goes through an even longer cooking process, simmering overnight to reach its rich, earthy taste. While both broths are completely vegan, our server said they do top the mushroom broth with chicken oil if the diner is not a vegetarian or vegan, so make sure to specify when ordering.
Now, order all the veggies to toss into the pot. A plethora of mushrooms, greens, and starchy vegetables are listed at the bottom right corner of the menu: king oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, bok choy, napa cabbage, pumpkin, lotus root, diakon, and more. Load up on the veggies by ordering the Veggie Combo Platter or the Mixed Mushroom Basket (note: it’s huge!).
Add an order or two of tofu into the mix that comes soft, fried, skin, and sponge. Our favorite tofus for the hot pot are the fried and the sponge since they hold the flavor of the soup the best. Make sure to steer clear of the fried round gluten as well as the fried twist crullers. These two items are prepared with dairy.
If you would like an order of noodles to slurp up with your broth, choose from udon, glass noodles, or vegetable noodles that come in a variety of flavors like tomato, purple yam, spinach and potato.
Before throwing everything in the pot, ask your server about cooking times. For instance, the mushrooms need to cook the longest so dump them into the pot first. Noodles only take two to three minutes so leave them for the end. Your server can also explain the different hot pot temperatures used throughout your dining experience.
While your mushrooms simmer, head over to the sauce station to create a dipping sauce or two for your veggies. The station includes some great flavors like sesame sauce, peanut sauce, soy, and ponzu to be mixed with garlic, green onion, cilantro, and more. Skip the barbecue sauce because it’s not vegan and (of course) the seafood, and oyster sauces.
Note: While you’ll be able to find a few vegan-friendly items on the conveyor belt, it may be safer to order straight from the kitchen. Our server warned that what may seem like fried tofu on the moving belt, could possibly be fried fish squares. Better to be sure!
3400 S. Jones Blvd, 89146, 702-868-8808, Monday – Thursday: 5:00 p.m. – 11:45 p.m.; Friday – Sunday: 12:00 p.m. – 11:45 p.m.
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