tomo-tan
During the last lunch of summer vacation, we went to a nearby Shabu-Shabu restaurant called "Shabu Leaf" to enjoy a feast with the kids. I had received a half-price coupon for children on my phone, so I decided to treat myself to the cheapest option, which was the 60-minute course of pork belly (around 1000 yen for adults). When we arrived before noon, there was actually a salaryman enjoying Shabu-Shabu alone.
We chose the spicy broth, as Y loves spicy food, and opted for the Black Eight Spice Mala broth, which contains eight different spices (sesame, turmeric, black pepper, tangerine peel, shiso, ginger, Sichuan pepper, and chili). It had a nice kick to it. The dipping sauces were customizable, so I usually make two types with lots of condiments - one with ponzu base and the other with sesame sauce base, both loaded with various condiments like okra, green onions, and yuzu pepper.
With the savings from the children's half-price deal, we also added a drink-all-you-can option with tapioca eat-all-you-can. The tapioca was surprisingly abundant, and my daughter enjoyed it as is. Y experimented with adding tapioca to lychee juice and carbonated drinks to see what combination worked best. I opted for the recommended way by the restaurant, having soft serve ice cream with iced tea in a classic manner.
Although I intended not to overeat today, I ended up getting more meat, making waffles, eating soft serve ice cream, and the kids fully enjoying cotton candy. As a result, we went beyond full and ended up feeling uncomfortably stuffed.
Restaurant Information:
Shabu Leaf Hakata Station South Store
Reservation & Inquiry: 092-477-3852
Address: 6-7-36 Hakataekiminami, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Business Hours: 11:00-16:00, 16:00-24:00 (Last Order 23:00)

