I went to a restaurant I like, which is part of the Skylark Group. The robot cat brought the meat to our table, which was very impressive and systematic. The sauce that tasted like Korean gochujang was the most delicious. It's healthy and tasty, so I highly recommend it.

I wanted to eat a healthy meal and fill my stomach. As I was daydreaming about this, Shabuya-san came to mind. "I don't really know, but..." Last time, I went to the Sunshine Street store and felt a bit embarrassed because there was a group of four high school girls and one gamer next to me, so this time I visited the Ikebukuro Nishiguchi store. Fortunately, there were mostly guys around me this time, so I could relax and enjoy myself. I chose the cheapest pork and chicken course, with various types of sauces available and only one type of broth. After having a salad, I added leeks and mushrooms to the pot. Then it was a loop of meat, vegetables, meat, vegetables. Finally, I enjoyed a delicious mysterious pudding. In the end, I ended up consuming a significant amount of calories and went home satisfied.

Shabu-ya is great for lunch with excellent value and comfort. When I'm feeling down or frustrated, I have a rule to eat a huge amount of food, and it really satisfies me. I also had some curry, more vegetables, soft serve ice cream, and mochi, but I had to give up because I was running out of time for my next appointment. I wish I could have eaten a little more, but the unlimited time limit is amazing.

I arrived at the restaurant later than usual and there were many people waiting in line. I decided to wait as well, knowing that I might have less time to eat. It was really crowded, and some items were already sold out before the last call. I managed to eat my fill, and I found it relaxing to have cat-shaped robots serving the food. Nobody complained about my late arrival, which was nice. The shabu-shabu was cheap but the meat was delicious, so I was very satisfied. The only downside was that the restroom was located further downstairs and I had to use the stairs.

I had planned to take the afternoon off and go to the government office. Before that, I had lunch in Ikebukuro. I chose my favorite all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu. It was a good opportunity to eat slowly, as it's not often that I get to do so. After ordering, I went to the buffet table. There were many types of vegetables, noodles, and desserts, so I was very satisfied. I chose the traditional ponzu sauce and chopped onion sauce for dipping. The Three Pork Belly All-You-Can-Eat Course with white dashi and chicken bone soy sauce came to 1,319 yen (tax included). It's a simple and affordable lunch option with pork belly. Now they also serve chicken, which was great for me as I like chicken. Keep adding more meat and eat a lot. It's very hot, so be sure to let it cool on your plate before eating to avoid burning yourself. I found that the white dashi sauce was the best for dipping. By the way, the meat is brought to your table by a robot, which was kind of fun. I had about 8 slices of meat and ended up feeling very full, so I couldn't eat dinner that night.

This kind of restaurant review is difficult because it depends on my cooking skills and methods. It's a chain shabu-shabu restaurant that offers all-you-can-eat. I have visited similar relatively inexpensive chain restaurants before, such as "Onyasai," "Shabu-sai," "Sai no An," and even "Bamiyan." Each table has a hot pot, and you can bring ingredients and seasonings from a dedicated corner to cook the hot pot yourself. When it comes to these types of restaurants, setting aside service and atmosphere, giving extremely low ratings to "food taste" is like admitting that you're not good at cooking. While there may be variations in the number and quality of ingredients and seasonings, overall, with so many options available, one should be able to cook deliciously. I ordered the "Three Types of Pork and All-You-Can-Eat Vegetables Set" (1,099 yen) with an additional "dashi" broth (110 yen) as shown in the photo. The set includes three plates of meat for weekday lunch only, and the rest is all-you-can-eat. The dashi broths I added were "chicken bone soy sauce dashi," "red miso dashi," and "Chinese medicinal herb hot pot dashi." The "chicken bone dashi" was described as having a clear broth with pork and chicken, but it had a unique richness and depth that I didn't expect. The "red miso dashi" and "Chinese medicinal herb hot pot dashi" were more like Chinese cuisine, especially with the strong Sichuan-style spices. I started by enjoying the shabu-shabu with meat and vegetables. I'm not too picky about the quality of the meat, but surprisingly, the pork shoulder was quite good. Then, I brought various seasonings from the dedicated corner to customize the flavor to my liking. With the chicken broth, I made "udon noodles in chicken broth" and finished with "chicken broth zosui." With the spicy miso and Chinese medicinal herb hot pot, I made "pork belly vanilla ramen" and then "pork belly Sichuan-style kupa." Including the salad and warm vegetables, I ate a lot of vegetables freely. Overall, I was satisfied. If the flavor is too strong, you can dilute it with water or completely change it yourself. You can even simmer it down and make sukiyaki. I once got a warning from the staff at Bamiyan for creating too much smoke while making sukiyaki with my mischievous friends... (laughs). If you're interested, please visit "Bamiyan Shinkoiwa." (laughs) (Note: This review was written before the time when photos were posted.) (By Kyonatsu Shuusora, 2021.10.21) (2 reviews/3.01)

I visited the Ikebukuro Nishiguchi store, which opened on February 24th. It is located on the basement floor on the opposite side of the Marui near the station, across the intersection. The entrance is right next to the C8 exit. Previously, it was a family restaurant, Jonathan's. Before that, it was a mobile phone shop, I think? I went down the stairs and had my temperature checked with a thermometer. After disinfecting my hands with alcohol, I entered the store. A female staff member in her 50s guided me to my seat. She was a bit hesitant in her explanations and terms, but it was charming and increased my likability towards her. Since it is a Skylark Group restaurant, I placed my order using a touch panel. The staff member explained the menu in detail. I had the shabu-shabu lunch set with two types of beef and three types of pork, priced at 1,869 yen including 10% consumption tax. During dinner time (after 4:00 PM), it costs 2,309 yen. You can choose between beef loin, beef kalbi, and three types of pork loin and belly. The beef kalbi was fatty and not very good, but the beef loin and pork were delicious. The meat was thinly sliced for shabu-shabu, making it tender. The set also includes a drink bar for 219 yen (including 10% consumption tax). You can enjoy unlimited vegetables, tofu, udon noodles, and rice. The highlight for me was the soft-serve ice cream included in the drink set. They served a large portion in a rice bowl, but next time, I would like it on a plate! (laughs)

It is located at the Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Gokasen intersection. It used to be a restaurant that was part of the same Skylark group, if I remember correctly. It is a budget-friendly restaurant mainly targeting students. I visited around 3 pm on a weekday in August 2021. Although it was past lunchtime, the restaurant was quite busy with customers. You order your food through a tablet, and this time I chose a course where you can pick 3 types of meat and a drink bar (using a coupon). The price was around 1750 yen. The taste was decent for the price. I wanted to have a leisurely meal at a time like 3 pm when lunchtime was over, so I ended up coming here even though I had just been here recently. The seats are spacious and the drink bar is well-stocked. The cost performance is very good.

I wish they would take away the plates without having to be asked, as the table gets crowded and it's hard to eat. Alternatively, they could make the seating wider so that the plates don't get in the way. (I know it might be difficult, but I hope they can consider it)

I went back because it was close by. I like that they don't push you to order a set of vegetables and meat all at once.

Shabu-shabu all-you-can-eat is cost-effective. The ramen was delicious.

Lately, I have been using UberEats a lot, and whenever I feel like eating vegetables, I often use this service. Surprisingly, many other restaurants have limited vegetable options, and even if they do, the salads are not very tasty. That's why I find this service very useful. They offer a good amount of vegetables, meat, noodles, and the taste is great for the price. I really like it.