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Habu tried Little Dipper Shabu Shabu? This Chinese individual style all you can eat (“AYCE”) hot pot institution is located in Fremont, in the far stretch of the (new) 99 Ranch plaza behind the Pink Pantherz Expresso coffee stand and serves up a decently “lit” all you can eat Shabu Shabu experience – do not let the name fool you – for a not-so-little appetite and a menu of delicious opportunities. Note 1: To avoid a long wait, you can request to be added to the virtual waitlist via Yelp. How does it work? The procedure: (1) Choose 1 of 7 soup bases: Mala (hot and spicy); beef bone; miso; tomyum; sour cabbage; chicken broth; and royal herb. Note 2: I tried the mala, the beef bone and royal herb and enjoyed them all. If you can handle spicy, mala is a great choice. The royal herb is not that strong as I had envisioned and made for a nice light broth option. You can’t go wrong with standard beef bone broth. (2) If you choose the ala carte menu option (the yellow menu), you may select items from the ala carte menu items. If you choose the AYCE option, enjoy the unlimited options on the AYCE menu (the white menu). Note 3: I highly recommend getting the AYCE option. For $29.99 per person, enjoy up to 100 minutes of intimate one on one you and Shabu Shabu time. (3) Cook the chosen food items in the broth and enjoy! Things I like about this place: (1) Clean atmosphere – I like that this restaurant is open, expansive, and clean. The decor is minimal and the air does not feel stuffy. Nothing crazy impressive on the design front, rather comfortably ordinary. (2) Attentive Service – The waiters were generally friendly, attentive and helpful to first time patrons. (3) Decent quality red meats and vegetables – The sliced beef and pork as well as vegetables were generally of a decently reasonable quality considering the price. (4) Individual Shabu Shabu – I like the fact that each person has an individual hot pot so a group can enjoy and share multiple different flavor profiles. It is also practically easier to control the contents of the hotpot and avoid gunk build up/burning. (5) Ecofriendly – I appreciate that the menus are laminated and filled in with erasable markers as to conserve paper. Things that could be improved: A) Need more menu options – I would have appreciated more menu options, particularly the addition of konjac, tofu puffs, and more varieties of vegetables. B) Soups could be improved – The soup quality was fair and tasted more on the synthetic side, overall missing the taste of natural bone broth. C) Poor quality seafood items – The seafood items such as the fish balls, squid, and fish are the frozen type akin to those available at ranch 99. They are not fresh. Must try items? The Chinese donut, tomatoes, pumpkin and king oyster mushrooms. Feeling a little dapper @ Little Dipper.

Oseyo Shabu Shabu – Menu with Prices – 2879 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena

Found this shabu shabu place and based off the yelp reviews I ended up dining here. First off, the parking lot is tiny. 1/4 of the parking lot is dedicated to the liquor store and the rest is a free for all unless you park on the street. Second, the placement of the burners are a little weird. You have your traditional tables and the bar… but there’s also these two separate islands where they face each other. It’s kinda weird. To the shabu shabu – I ordered a sukiyaki base with a large angus prime beef which is considered the leanest beef. The beef was great quality. The base however was very very light – almost bland. Also the sauces that accompany every shabu shabu is sesame and ponzu. The sesame sauce was way off point and it tasted like mayonnaise with a touch of sesame. Also, the assortment of vegetables was plenty BUT there was no refill on vegetables except for ONE refill on the cabbage. Someone else in my party also ordered a bulgogi bibimbap. It was average and the bulgogi was also very lightly marinated. Overall, between the light/bland food, $16 lunch price, lack of vegetable refill, and off tasting sesame sauce, I wouldn’t come here again. If you’re in the mood for shabu shabu, better options are out there – travel a little bit further to Tokyo Shabu Shabu on Lake or farther to AYCE shabu shabu in Rowland Heights (mo-mo paradise).

Hesperian Health Guides Menu with Prices 1919 Addison St # 304, Berkeley

I took my daughter here for her birthday. She had been here once before but was a bit apprehensive because she read some bad Yelp reviews. My experience was great. We ordered the AYCE shabu shabu with the spicy miso broth. We considered ordering the set menu but the AYCE was a better deal especially if you want anything other than regular broth. Next time I’ll order the ramen rather thanto eat with the broth at the end of the meal. We ordered lamb, beef, pork, and vegetables (good variety). Everything was very fresh and plentiful. We rolled out of the restaurant. We ordered a bit too much, at the end, but didn’t want to waste food. The service was spot on. The waitstaff made sure we had enough of everything. We went for an early dinner so it wasn’t crowded. The restaurant is serving sushi again but we didn’t order any. The table next to us did, and they seemed to enjoy it. I plan to return with my husband Feb 19 Returned tonight with my husband. Service was still excellent. Food was great. We tried the ramen at the end of our meal and it was so good – the broth made it. We got there at 6pm & there was a birthday party just starting. While we were eating the place filled up. There’s a new menu. If you get the all-you-can- eat shabu shabu (Happy Hour), you get 50% off of small plates & non-alcoholic beverages. Also the automatic 18% gratuity is gone so you may leave a tip as you see fit. The menu indicates the all-you-can-eat Happy Hour dinner is from 5-7:30 but the server says they can make exceptions.

Mo-Mo-Paradise – Menu with Prices – 21641 S Western Ave Unit A, Torrance

This place definitely blew me away. I sat on the car continuously clicking the ‘Join Waitlist’ button the minute we got off the freeway, hoping I was within a mile. Finally managed to do so and still waited about 40 minutes. My friends and I ended up walking around Daiso to pass the time. Once we sat down the waitress was very friendly and helpful. We got the tonkotsu broth and the sukiyaki broth. I really like that they give you water and broth in little bottles so you can refill your own. The selection of vegetables was smaller than other AYCE shabu places I have been to, but what they did choose to offer was good in quality and it’s all the stuff I normally choose anyways! I loved the addition of beef curry and rice. The meat quality was pretty phenomenal and they don’t do the bait and switch where you get good quality meat the first round and crappy meat after that. I prefer the chuck and the fatty beef, the pork was my least favorite but still pretty good. What really sets them apart is the drink selection (BOBA!!! and the tea isn’t super sweet either) and Ice cream (Strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate.) The boba is surprisingly good, better than some places that actually claim to specialize in it. Jasmine milk tea and earl grey were great choices! For 3 people it was $114 (they add 16% gratuity so you don’t have to tip) Can’t wait to come back

Riverside Hotpot Bar Menu with Prices 1028 N Garfield St, Arlington

They lowered the prices in the past week with an All You Can Eat (AYCE) option! My partner and I came here two weeks in a row – the first time was great but we agreed with the reviews that the price was too high, BUT NOW you can get excellent value – $24.99 per person all you can eat – this includes all meat (and most seafood), all veggies and sides, as well as unlimited access to the sauce bar. This is individual style hot pot – you have your own pot but you can choose two different broths. My partner and I both had the chongqing spicy broth and the mild mushroom broth – both were excellent, though I always prefer spicy – it has a bit of mala spice in it. This week I think they really got the spice level and oil levels right in the broth – great adjustments. The meat comes out by itself on this little robot cart on the conveyer belt when you order it – super cute and futuristic. All sides rotate around on the conveyer belt as well. You do all ordering on an iPad but the staff is also very helpful. Besides all the fun tech stuff, the food quality itself is really good. The meat quality is excellent – I’ve been to hot pot places with really bad meat before that was poor quality or not fresh, but all of it at Riverside – the beef, pork, lamb – was wonderful. There are also some fun sides like mini dumplings as well as things I’ve only seen in China like wood ear and yam noodle knots. A minor suggestion would to put the covers back on the food on the conveyer belt. While I do think everything is clean, this is an extra step that I think is still worth it. Also I think they could refill sides on the conveyer belt a bit more regularly – though we were there later in the evening, so that may have been why less regularly refilled. Oh and they made great cold green bean dessert soup – I don’t know if they have it every night. But it was also included in the price. Excited to keep coming back! Highly recommend! Also if you’ve never been to hot pot, don’t be afraid to ask questions and go for it.

Grand Chinese Hot Pot – Menu with Prices – 6967 Victoria Dr, Vancouver

I wish I discovered this restaurant sooner. I am not one to usually go to AYCE hot pot, but from now on, this is where I will go. For $18.98 per person, you can order an unlimited amount of standard hot pot dishes from their menu. I enjoyed the sliced beef, sliced lamb, yam noodles, bean curd, lettuce, watercress, napa cabbage, tripe, and dumplings. Their meats are sliced super thin, although the beef is a little fatty, the quality is very good for AYCE. For the meat, it counts as 1 plate per order (see picture). The dumplings, despite being frozen, were so fresh and tasty, I think this was one of my favourite items here. I think they had pork and chives inside. The vegetables we ordered were all fresh, crisp, and recently washed. Some other items we ordered included meatballs, chicken liver, squid rings, baby octopus, and wontons. Sadly, a few things were sold out that day, so it may be better to dine earlier. The soup base is an additional charge of $8 for a regular size or $10 for a large. For the 3 of us, the regular was enough, and likely 4 could share too. You can get half/half broth, at half the price each. So for example, we got half a side of satay broth for $4 and half of the coriander & 1000 year old egg broth for $4, totaling $8. It’s nice that they don’t charge for half/half. I also really liked the satay broth. The items cooked in there had a lot of satay flavour after cooking. From the selection of sauces, you can choose 2 per person. There isn’t too much selection here, and weirdly, soy sauce is not an option. We just went for satay and their peanut/sesame sauce. They have some popular combinations as well, which I may try next time. The only thing is, service is a little slow. While we were there, there was just 1 waitress handling the entire restaurant. So, if we wanted to put in extra orders or ask for a soup or drink refill, it can take some patience. But I don’t mind at all, seeing as there is a 2 hour limit and hot pot is a slower style of dining anyway. The restaurant is nothing fancy, very minimal, but it is clean. I wish that air circulation was better, though, because my clothes definitely smelled like hot pot afterwards. For the 3 of us, it came to about $25 per person after tax and tip. That’s after splitting the cost of soup. At this price, and considering typical AYCE quality, I will definitely be back!

House Of Shabu Shabu – Menu with Prices – 5394 Walnut Ave, Irvine

I had never been to House of Shabu Shabu in Irvine before and had heard good things. I was definitely curious but I am not really one for AYCE unless it’s KBBQ. However, I’m always up to try new places. There are no reservations at Shabu places so I fully expected a wait. You walk in and put your name on the list. A wait on a Wednesday night around 7:30 pm was about an hour for 2 people. There was a large party of 9 ahead of us and a bunch of smaller groups so that was why. My thoughts were, “Yikes, this had better be good.” We both went with the AYCE Special #1 ($21) because I’m not one to order Kobe style beef just to boil it in a pot. If you’re interested in the $30 AYCE special, they offer a lot more items in red to show you what you’re missing from the first menu. I went with the Kombu broth because I like to season my own water and yes, I knew what I was ordering. I thought it was funny that our server had to clarify with me that I was ordering water with seaweed. My date went with the Sukiyaki broth. The service was agonizingly slow. We placed 2 orders of meat per person (Angus, beef belly, Halal beef, white fish), edamame, gyoza, udon noodles (x2), salmon roll, and more veggies. It all came out at different times, which was understandable, but the length of time was a bit of a joke. I expect appetizers to arrive at the same time. They did not. The salmon sushi didn’t arrive until we ordered our second round of meat and to be honest, we had forgotten about it. I had to ask for hot drops since they weren’t offered when he poured the sauces. I like that they bring out the pots with hot broth so you’re not wasting your time waiting for the broth to get hot. During the second round, we ordered the pork tenderloin, Halal beef, and Angus beef. I also asked for soup base but didn’t get a bigger bowl. Oh well, I made due with what I had in front of me. At the end, we got a scoop of ice cream each. They brought us out the check after the ice cream and even though we were chatting after our meal, they started to clean up our station while we were there, indicating that they wanted us to leave but did not outright shoo us. There were still people waiting by the door so I understood that they needed the spots but it felt rushed when our service felt so slow just prior. The check asked us not to tip which means, it’s a great deal to eat AYCE here. However, it also can’t be helped that the service will always be slow. We were informed by the server that the staff does get paid more because they are not fighting for tips, which I think is awesome for them. The food was good. Would I come back? Maybe, but my favorite Shabu spot is just down the street and they have a better wait system than the one at HSS.

Kaizen Shabu – Menu with Prices – 303 N Spurgeon St, Santa Ana

My friends and I decided to meet up at Kaizen fusion shabu shabu bar since it was a fair midpoint that complied with their dietary retrictions. Kaizen is located in downtown Santa Ana a few doors down from the famous YOST theater. There is a parking lot with meters you can pay for with credit card nearby. Lamson and Joselyn were helping us out and they were very welcoming and informative. They were passionate and thorough about the menu and their specials knowing it was our first visit. They made our meal extremely enjoyable! They have this awesome Combo bases (additional $2) where you can 2 soup bases, and they have a 10 oz Combo plate where you can choose from angus beef, chicken, kurobuta pork, pork belly, salmon, swai fish or shrimp. All of their shabu shabu plates here come with veggies, noodles, goma and ponzu sauce and rice. My first friend started off maximizing his options with the combo bases ($2) with spicy miso and tonkotsu and with combo protein ($25) option with angus beef and kurobuta pork. He had this with the white rice. My other friend went with the fancy coconut curry soup base (additional $2) with 7oz Angus Beef ($19) and white rice. I decided on the Tonkotsu broth since I enjoy the rich pork flavor for my soup base. For my proteins I definitely wanted variety so I also went with the combo ($25) and opted for the angus beef and pork belly. I know my eating habits well, so I asked for no rice, since I knew I would not be able to finish it. In addition to their complimentary sauces, I also asked for the Garlic Cilantro sauce (additional $1). The food came out pretty quickly and everything was delicious. 10 oz of meat does not sound like a lot but when the slices came out, I knew I would have to pace myself to finish the meal. I am so relieved I did not ask for rice! I am really happy with the richness of the tonkotsu base. They gave us garlic and chives to season our broth in which I really took advance of that garlic in my soup base and my sauces. The veggies were fresh. I wish they were cut a big more consistently in size, but overall still very good quality. With every shabu shabu meal I always start off eating about half of the meat with the vegetables I don’t love but eat for health reasons. Then I saved the things I enjoy like bokchoy and mushrooms for the udon soup portion. I asked them for their house soup base, then mixed it with my broth and some goma and pozu and made myself a nice bowl of udon soup with the remaining meat. It was such a DELICIOUSSSS bowl of udon. I was so full but still finished it. We loved the ambiance at Kaizen so much, we hung out while we recovered from our food coma and even decided to get desserts. My first friend had ube ice cream ($2.99), my other friend had mixed mochi ($3) with strawberry and green tea. I had the green tea ice cream ($2.99). It was a sweet way to end an incredible meal! I can definitely see this as a go-to spot to enjoy a fun and healthy-enough meal with friends.

dipdipdip Tatsu-Ya Menu with Prices 7301 Burnet Rd Ste 101, Austin

I’ve been eating Shabu at home, in restaurants in California, and in Japan for over a decade and I would have to say Shabu Shabu is one of my favorite Japanese meals. I see criticism from other people in these reviews that the broth was not “flavorful” enough. I challenge these people to first research the traditional meal and understand that the focus is on the quality of the meat not the soup. The hot broth is merely a tool to cook the delicate thinly sliced high quality meats. The broth is made to not over power it. So let’s just get that straight. If you’re looking for hotpot soup please take soup loving self to a Chinese hotpot and enjoy. Back to my review, a friend and I had tried to get reservations for this place for over a month, it’s quite popular but when we arrived we were shown to our seats quite promptly (your entire party has to arrive). The meal was amazing and on top of it the attention to detail with the plating, utensils, ambiance was top notch. We each got the Tatsu-ya Omakase set for $65. There’s a more basic one for $45. And a larger set for $95. The veggies were so fresh and cut with care and attention. The ponzu (citrus soy-sauce) was so flavorful and fresh. Made in house. Rice was cook perfectly. Tender. Sesame Goma sauce had fresh sesame shavings on top ready to serve and was up there with some of the best I’ve tasted over the years. The truffle sukiyaki egg sauce was a fun twist but I honestly could not really taste much truffle. The beef was amazing! I could probably eat 2 of these plates. The pork was high quality and melted in our mouths. The dumplings and pockets were a fun twist. I did not care for the beef wrapped around foie gra, tasted too gamey like Lamb meat. All in all I would say I recommend getting the Tatsu-ya set for your first visit and branch out from there. Next time I come in I will probably stick with the beef selection and veggie box. (Good staples)

Taste of Sichuan – Menu with Prices – 515 State St, Madison

This is the same restaurant as the old Soga Shabu Shabu if people are unable to locate it! 3.5-4 stars. I’ve only tried their hotpot and nothing else, but am a big fan of it. In Madison, there aren’t too many options for hotpot. Here, the portion sizes are great, and half and half (spicy and non-spicy broth) is always the best option for sharing. Their prices are better than Double-Ten if you’re not big eaters and share one combo with another person and it is located right on state street. Their vegetables are plentiful and fresh and all of their fish balls are always delicious. I also like that the veggie plate doesn’t come out obviously frozen. The one downside is the sauces. The sauce options are much better at Double-Ten and they have unlimited noodles. Here, I feel that the sauces are left out all day under the fluorescent lights and I wish that they were put on ice (I personally love spicy and don’t really need sauce anyways, so it’s not really too much of a problem for me). They also include a free small dessert bar, which is a thoughtful gesture. I haven’t tried any of their other dishes, but it seems like family style eating. Prices can get a little high for the other dishes, I’ve noticed, but I really can’t comment on how good they are. All in all, this is my go-to for dinner in Madison if I’m craving some hotpot.

Sushi Sushi – Menu with Prices – 246, 40 Country Hills Landing NW, Calgary

If you’re looking for some authentic sushi joint, you’re probably better off elsewhere. Like most Japanese restaurants in Calgary, this is also owned and ran by Chinese people. I came here with a large group of 10 and we went for the AYCE option ($25.95 per person). I would say this is one of the better AYCE sushi places in Calgary due to the variety that is offered in relation to the price point, since most other AYCE is usually priced closer to $30pp. They have a menu of raw food as well as cooked food. For sashimi, they only offer limited options (salmon, white tuna, ebi. and I believe red snapper). For sushi, their list is a bit more extensive (salmon, smoked salmon, white tuna, hotategai, special scallop, jellyfish, baby octopus, octopus, squid, hamachi, tamago, masago, tobiko, saba, shitake…etc). They seem to have a smaller/less appealing list of rolls compared to their sushi. My brother who is a fan of California rolls did not enjoy their rendition as much. However, I was pretty ecstatic that my favourite negi toro was offered. For their cooked food, there is a wide variety as well, and for the most part, it is quite tasty. We ordered a mix of everything – gyozas, edamame, yakitoris, donburis, ramen, agedashi tofu, tempuras, ahi tataki, beef tataki, grilled salmon, cucumber sunomono, octopus sunomono. The only complaint I have about their food menu is that dessert is not included in AYCE. C’mon, just a scoop of green tea ice cream would’ve rounded the meal to a complete satisfaction. Within our group, we had individuals who don’t eat raw food and/or seafood, and they enjoyed it as well. I would definitely recommend this place if you’re not looking for high quality legit Japanese food – but I mean, you’re eating AYCE so that’s probably not what you’re going for anyways. I like this place and would return. One of the highlights for me is that this restaurant seems to be under the radar for many, so I enjoy the fact that it’s usually quiet. It also helps that not many are aware of their AYCE option. But I guess the news is out now…

Mama Crow’s Burger & Salad Shop – Menu with Prices – 500 E Davie St Suite 116, Raleigh

I had lunch here yesterday and my salad was sooooo good! They have salads that are already created and named. But I chose the build your own salad option and they have a myriad of unique items to choose from including peaches, watermelon, roasted broccoli, and sweet potatoes! There are also lots of salad dressing options like goat cheese dressing, a lemon herb vinaigrette, and about seven more to choose from. Everything is prepared right in front of you so you can see that they are handling things in a clean manner. The place is spotless and everything tastes incredibly fresh. This beats the other two salad places I frequent, hands down. They also have burgers and they have a veggie burger too but I didn’t try it this time. It’s only a short walk from Moore Square, probably about three blocks so it’s super convenient to walk to if you work downtown. It’s inside the transfer co. food hall so there are lots of other options to choose from if you’re not sure what you are in the mood to eat or if you’re dining with picky eaters. Other choices in the food hall include Indian food, Mexican food, Korean food, a bagel shop, an oyster bar, and an empanada shop so there’s something for everyone and ample seating to enjoy. I definitely recommend this place!

Shabushabu Mayumon – Menu with Prices – 115 Division St, New York

I absolutely love the concept of Shabu shabu omakase and appreciate the different take Chef Mayu has on foods that we are familiar with. The food is creative and very tasty and she uses different cooking techniques that really showcases different cultures. Every ingredient used is incredibly fresh and there is a lot of thought put into the menu. I’ve tried their omakase during their pop up and came recently during their soft opening and was really happy with how their menu has transformed into something even more refined and special. The appetizers are delicious and I especially loved the shrimp caviar with the usage of yuzu. It was so well balanced and the yuzu really brightened up my palate. The shabu shabu is of course the star of the meal and it certainly does not disappoint. The Miyazaki beef is absolutely amazing and melt in your mouth. Each of the sauces the meats are dipped in really brings out the flavor of the ingredients which are all made in house. Aside from the shabu shabu the clay pot rice is another of my favorites and is a delicious pairing of mustard leaf and baby sardines with fluffy rice and a creamy poached egg. The combination is just out of this world. I highly recommend this place and it really is a great experience. Service is wonderful and food is even better!