Eat till you drop...Dada Shabu Shabu

Are you hungry? If you are, you should definitely try out this spot my friends and I went to, Dada Shabu Shabu. This joint is an all you can eat shabu shabu spot. If you do not know what shabu shabu is, in a brief description, it is a Japanese style hotpot that typically consists of meat and vegetables and typically has different sauces to flavor the broth. I typically enjoy this type of meal on a cold day. This restaurant was a new experience to me because I have not dined at an all you can eat shabu shabu place before.

The set up of this restaurant and atmosphere reminds me of a Korean BBQ place. Each table has a pot or two set up in the center of the table and an air ventilator above. My friends and I went to dine during dinner time so there were lots of people hustling and bustling throughout the restaurant. The restaurant is mostly buffet style, but the beef, pork, and chicken had to be ordered through a server. The buffet table had an array of vegetables, noodles, and seafood, and already prepared foods to choose from. The ready made food was mostly Chinese and Korean style dishes, such as soft shelled crab in spicy sauce, chow mein, sesame balls (with red beans in the center), battered fried shrimp, tteok-bokki (spicy rice cake), etc. They also had a patbingsu bar. For those who do not know what patbingsu is, it is a Korean dessert that typically consists of shaved ice, sweet toppings, cut up fruits, condense milk, and red beans.

The overall food was good.  But if you are working with a very limited tummy space, I would go ahead and skip the tteok-bokki.  It was probably the only thing I would not go back for (because I am pretty picky with my tteok-bokki). I liked that it had a variety of things you can choose from. The buffet style dining allows you to grab a bit of everything to try before fully committing to getting a whole dish of something. However, I am a bit paranoid of buffet style serving since EVERYONE can possibly touch the food or do something unsanitary to it as they dish out the food that they want. Dada Shabu Shabu might be a little intimidating for someone who is experiencing this for the first time. Just remember, take it one step at a time, it's all you can eat so you don't have to get everything in the first round! This meal is good for a small get together for the hungry people. There is something for everyone! The variety makes it easy to please everyone in the party (even your vegetarian friends)! If you have not tried this, I believe it is something that one should at least experience once in their life. Have fun. Enjoy. Eat a little (or a lot)!

My selections for my 1st round

A meal for 5 people (1st round)