くわぞお★
Overall:
When you want to get plenty of vegetables, this place is really convenient. You can enjoy a buffet course with all-you-can-drink alcohol at a reasonable price. Be sure to check out the special seasonal menus.
Likelihood of revisiting:
I will definitely go back!
Reason for choosing this restaurant:
For Friday night dinner.
Location:
About a 3-minute walk from Kinshicho Station North Exit.
What I ate:
Stamina Lamb Shabu-Shabu Buffet (3,280 yen)
All-you-can-drink alcohol (980 yen) *Used a coupon. Normal price is 1,500 yen.
Date and time of visit:
Around 7:30 pm on Friday. The restaurant was about 70% full. *It is recommended to make a reservation as it gets crowded on weekends.
Service:
[Cleanliness of the restaurant]
It is always clean whenever I visit. Although the equipment such as tables show signs of wear and tear due to the age of the restaurant, they are properly maintained.
[Seating]
Except for some tatami seating, the rest is like a semi-private room.
[Chopsticks]
They provide disposable chopsticks, and the staff will bring them to you.
[Staff]
Most of the staff are part-timers, but they are generally cheerful and energetic. They usually respond quickly to orders. However, on the day I visited, after 8 pm when it started to get crowded, the time it took for drinks and food to arrive suddenly became slow, indicating that there was clearly a shortage of staff.
[Condiments on the table]
Previously, there were condiments like black shichimi pepper, ground sesame, grated garlic, chili oil, salt, and pepper on the table, but now it has changed to a request-based system.
Taste:
[Drinks]
This time, I chose the all-you-can-drink alcohol option.
It is normally 1,500 yen, but with a coupon from the official app, it becomes 980 yen (until September 9, 2020).
If you drink 3 or more drinks, the all-you-can-drink option is more cost-effective. I had 2 beers and 6 black oolong highballs, so... you get the idea (laughs).
[Soup]
I chose the stamina dashi for lamb shabu-shabu and the deliciously spicy hot pot dashi.
[Meat]
The lamb meat is thickly sliced and has a satisfying texture. On that day, I enjoyed it rolled with garlic chives and bean sprouts. It goes well with cilantro. I was expecting the thin frozen lamb meat you find in supermarkets or meat specialty stores, but I was pleasantly surprised.
The pork loin meat has a good amount of fat and tastes delicious when eaten with vegetables. It is recommended to eat it with lettuce and mizuna with ponzu sauce.
The classic chicken meatballs go well with the hot pot dashi. The fluffy texture is always enjoyable.
[Vegetables]
There are over 20 types of vegetable dishes available in the buffet. While the standard hot pot vegetables are good, the lettuce is a must-try. It's refreshing and goes perfectly with cooked meat.
[Side dishes]
You can also enjoy over 10 types of side dishes as much as you like. It serves as a good snack while waiting for the shabu-shabu to be ready, making it great for drinkers. I recommend the spicy negitoro with romaine lettuce and the freshly picked lettuce chorogi salad. They are perfect for beer snacks.