345 S Lake Ave #101
Pasadena, CA 91101
Rating: 
Located in Pasadena in a fairly popular shopping center, Tokyo Shabu Sahbu serves up high quality Japanese hot pot at reasonable prices. We were quickly seated and provided menus. After reviewing the menu, we made an initial order, but later realized that the Shabu feast for two was a much better deal because you get a lot more food for a few dollars more. The server had no problem changing our order over since we had just ordered two large meats anyways.
Today, as part of the Shabu meal for two, we ordered the Tokyo chicken wings, large Wagyu chuck roll, and large Kobe bacon. We opted to pay extra for two flavored broths: pork miso and tonkotsu. Off the bat, we could not taste too much of a difference between the broths, but that was more evident after staff refilled both broths with the same liquid later on in the meal. The Tokyo chicken wings were a bit small and not very meaty, but tasted OK. The highlight of the meal would be the meats. Because of how thin the meats were sliced, you can literally cook each piece fairly quickly by swishing it around for a few seconds in the broth. The Wagyu chuck was extremely tender and tasted amazing in the ponzu sauce. The Kobe bacon was even more surprising because the extra fat basically melts in your mouth. Both meats tasted extremely fresh and high quality. The provided veggies also looked fresh and went well with the broths. The provided noodles took some more time to cook, but did go well with the meat. As the broth cooked the noodles, I did notice the noodles becoming over-infused with the broth flavor and ended up overly salty. The meal also included a choice of dessert, so we opted for a mochi platter. The mochi was delicious and refreshing, which created a nice end for the meal on its pretty plate.
Overall, Tokyo Shabu Shabu serves up delicious tasting hot pot at reasonable prices, especially if you opt for the Shabu for two feast. Service was great, the food tasted great, and we left happy. If you enjoy hot pot at all, especially shabu shabu, then you should definitely give Tokyo Shabu Shabu a try. Next time, I may opt for one clear pot and one flavored pot to balance out the flavor more though.
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