Hokkaishabushabu

Rating: Very good
Meal:  Dinner
Price:  2600 yen
Payment: Credit cards accepted
Dishes: Lamb shabu shabu
English Menu: No
Smoking:Yes

Still looking for every last restaurant near me to review, so I swung by this shabu-shabu place I've seen for a long time, but since I'm not terribly fond of shabu-shabu I had avoided it thus far.  Hokkai Shabu Shabu specializes apparently in Hokkaido versions of shabu-shabu, which in this case seems to mean lamb.  I ordered the cheapest thing I could find on the menu and got a free drink with it (maybe it was all you can drink but I think you had to go up one level for that).  I got a Sapporo beer of course!

The big nabe pot had a ton of broth and veggies in it, and while that started to boil they brought me a platter full of lamb.  I think if you had a bowl of rice each, you could easily share this between two people.  But I didn't ask for any rice and just ate my meat and veggies.  The tough part was towards the end when I wanted to drink up ever last bit of broth.  I ended up turning the gas off and using the napkins to pour the broth into the small bowl and slurp it down.  It really hit the spot on a cold night.

So oddly enough I really enjoyed it despite its shabu-shabu-ness.  A pity some people arrived and lit up, but otherwise it was a pleasant experience.

Onyasai

Rating: Not great
Meal:  Dinner
Price:  3250 yen
Payment:  Credit cards accepted
Dishes:Spicy shabu-shabu and sukiyaki
English Menu:No

Smoking:No

********* Update 2/4/2018 ************
Actually it's been a while now that this place has been closed.  It's been replaced by an equally unpleasant restaurant called Hanamaru that servers tempura/udon.
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Ugh..I guess I simply don't like shabu shabu.  I thought I'd try a new place (to me) even though I generally am not fond of shabu shabu.  It lived up to my expectations.  Shabu shabu is just weirdly hard for some reason.  Ordering is not easy, eating is not easy...and I'm all hot and sweaty after I'm done.  It's just no fun.

But props to the waitress who did her best to take care of me...maybe a little too much.  I was starting to put my meat and veg into the pot and she came over and practically wrested it out of my hands and proceed to show me "how to do it"...which was identical to what I had been doing.  I sat back and endured.  She kept asking me if I wanted more meat or veg, and I didn't...I was fine.  I was actually hoping to leave as soon as I could.

This place has a funky pot that it is divided into two halves (ala yin yang) so you can get two different sauces to cook your meat in.  I went for the spicy shabu shabu and the sukiyaki sauce.  Their sign says they do sukiyaki (which I prefer to shabu shabu) but there wasn't much choice on the menu in that vein.



That's about it I guess...it wasn't fun, it was expensive, and I probably won't be reviewing many more shabu shabu restaurants on this blog.

Shabu Shabu Gyuta

***Update 3/29/2019***
Daie/Aeon mall is now closed!!
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Rating: OK
Meal:  Lunch
Price:  1200 yen
Payment:  Credit cards accepted
Dishes: Mixed Pork/Beef Sukiyaki
English Menu: Yes

Smoking: No

ShabuShabu and Sukiyaki are two slightly different versions of a cook it yourself type of meal that is quite popular here.  I hardly ever eat it for lunch though as it's kind of a sad thing to do by yourself.  There are no "small" tables really, so I end up taking up a four person table all to myself.  Both styles involve a pot in the middle of the table, raw meat, and a buffet of vegetables, noodles and other sundries.  ShabuShabu consists of a larger pot with lots of broth (sometimes different types of broth are available) boiling.  You add your meat or veg to the pot, cook it a bit, then grab it out and eat it with rice.

Sukiyaki uses a shallower cast iron pan and a smaller amount of dashi and a sweet dark sauce.  Same idea though, put your stuff in, cook it, then eat it.  You also get a raw egg or two, which you mix up and then dip your meat or veg into as you eat it.  It's really very good.  As you keep cooking down the stuff in the pot, you can add more liquid to prevent it from burning.  This has the added benefit of concentrating the flavor and the very last bit in the pan is the best.






For what you are getting, the prices are quite reasonable.  You can totally pig out if you want to...but not forever!  There is a time limit.  And more meat is extra.  Speaking of pigging out, I kind of went overboard on the noodles, and was in a coma most of the afternoon.  Another reason I don't eat there often.  I give it an OK overall since I don't really enjoy the experience too much.  Sukiyaki is my favorite of the two, but it's still more work than it is worth.