After striking off most of the food items on our list, one of the best meals to have during Winter in Japan will be the Shabu Shabu. A popular restaurant for both families and tourists is the Mo Mo Paradise, which has many outlets throughout Japan as well as overseas
The first Mo Mo Paradise opened in Shinjuku in 1993 as an all-you-can-eat restaurant offering quality ingredients at very affordable prices. The restaurant quickly expanded overseas with outlets in many Southeast Asia countries. As I was meeting my sister and her family for dinner, we chose the Shibuya outlet, which was most convenient for us
Located in Shibuya Centre Gai, it is an extremely popular location with long queues if you turn up without a reservation. While the buffet is a 100-minute all-you-can-eat buffet, there is still sufficient time for a good meal. The restaurant is huge with many tables separated by partitions, but it can get generally noisy during peak periods when the restaurant fills up with customers
We took the Mo Mo course at JPY 4,200 before tax, which included Japanese beef chuck roll and flank, as well as Japanese pork loin and belly. There are 4 kinds of soup for selection: Shabu Shabu, Sukiyaki, Shio Tonkotsu and Kimchi. We had a choice of a pot with split soup, so we chose the Sukiyaki and Tonkotsu
Most of the items are self-service, placed neatly at the counters. There are many varieties of vegetables, including pumpkin, radish, mushrooms, lettuce, cabbage, sprouts, corn, tomatoes, and more. Unlike other hotpots, Japanese Shabu Shabu only has vegetables and sliced meat, and you cannot really find items like fishballs or meatballs
The meat is served by order, so you can order multiple servings at one time to make sure you get your fill during the time limit. The quality of meat is considerably good, and I was told by my sister, the beef options were good as well
Personally, I liked the Sukiyaki soup better as it gives the flavour to the meat and vegetables, but it can get overly sweet, so it is great to balance it with the clear Tonkotsu soup. For Japanese Shabu Shabu, it is more important to pair the meal with dippings, which are usually soy and garlic-based.
Overall, the meal was satisfactory but nothing too special or out of the ordinary. The quality of the ingredients was great, with a good variety of vegetables. For the price, I would have hoped there were some chicken or seafood options included as well. Tables were tight, so there was hardly any space for winter jackets or any big shopping bags
Address: 6F 31-2 Shibuya BEAM 6F Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0042
Opening hours: 11.30 am to 3 pm and 5 pm to 10.30 pm
Bear Travels . Bear Eats . Bear Cooks 