Not so happy with Happy Lamb
Review: Happy Lamb
We booked Happy Lamb on Saturday 12 September 2026 because it is close to home and we believed it would be a traditional restaurant where food is ordered from the menu and served already cooked. As a result, we did not ask any questions about the dining format when making the booking.
On arrival, we were surprised to learn that it is a self-cook hot-pot restaurant, with a burner placed in the centre of the table and guests expected to cook their own food in a large bowl of broth.
We began by ordering drinks, then selected the chicken broth. A large bowl was placed on the burner and kept continuously hot throughout the meal. We were initially under the impression that the broth was intended as a starter soup, but when we asked for it to be removed so that we could begin frying the food, we were told that all the ingredients had to be cooked in the broth. This was disappointing, as we had expected a more traditional grill-style experience and are not especially keen on meat that is boiled rather than seared or fried first for colour and flavour.
The selection included vegetables, chicken, lamb, beef and fish, along with dumplings and rice, which were the only items served already cooked. The meat and chicken arrived looking red and fresh. Staff advised that all the meat and vegetables would take around four minutes to cook. However, after the meat was cooked, it looked grey and unappealing, which did little to improve our confidence in the food. To be fair, it was soft and edible, but the presentation and overall experience did not inspire enjoyment.
Service was also inconsistent. We had to ask three times for two glasses of orange juice, which eventually arrived around 45 minutes later. The restaurant offers both an all-you-can-eat buffet and an à la carte menu. As we chose the all-you-can-eat option, we expected additional items to arrive reasonably promptly, particularly as each table is limited to a one-and-a-half-hour booking. Unfortunately, when we requested more vegetables, they did not arrive quickly, which made the time limit feel unnecessarily restrictive and frustrating. The broth was also repeatedly topped up while we were cooking, reinforcing that the meal was entirely centred on boiling the ingredients rather than offering any alternative cooking method.
For two people, the bill came to nearly £80. Given the slow drink service, delays with additional food, and the unexpected self-cook dining format, the experience felt poor value for money.
Happy Lamb may suit diners who already enjoy traditional hot pot and the communal, cook-it-yourself format. However, for us, the experience was disappointing.