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| free flow of pork, chicken or beef upon order |
From the six regular soup base including curry dashi, tomato, seaweed, tonkotsu, We picked theSpicyand also theSpecial flavour for May/June-Yuzu Saltwhich claimed to contain collagen.![]()
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While waiting for the soup to boil, one can start selecting from the buffet counter of fresh vegetables, includingJapanese shoots(竹の子) and white radish (daikon). Other unique items include the orange fish balls and thevegetable balls.![]()
Themeat are served in bamboos, not purely for presentation, but because it has anti-bacterial properties to keep the meat fresh. One was the normal fish paste, while the other was the minced beef with lotus. One thing that differs from the first outlet at Causeway Point is the addition ofassorted sushi. The rice lacked the acidity of vinegar and was rather dry. I prefer themini donburiwith bits of unagi and eggbut the sauce was too little.
The largest disappointment of the day, unfortunately, was theSoup base. Both theSpicy and Yuzu salt we had chosen were extremely salty, and tasted no different from each other. The Spicy version lacked the spice while the latter had no yuzu fragrant or flavour.
The tasting samplers of other soup baseshad the same problem: too much MSG, except for theseaweed soupwhich was very bland. The seasonings were excessive to the extent that the salty juices infiltrated all the vegetables and meat which were "shabu-shabu".
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As a result of the soups, the wide variety of sauces, from the standard Japanese ponzu dressing to korean chilli bean paste became wasted or rather redundant.
Unless you bring your own water, free flow of drinks and ice cream are available when you topped up $1.99. The food kept me very thirsty until the next morning. To put it short, the soup bases still has plenty of room for adjustment. Otherwise it would be good if there are kettles of hot water on the buffet table for standby to prevent a salt attack.
Lunch:
Weekdays (Mon-Fri) Adult: $16.99++ Child*: $9.99+
Weekends/PH Adult: $16.99++ Child*: $9.99+
Dinner:
Weekdays (Mon-Fri) Adult: $24.99++ Child*: $9.99+
Weekends/EvePH/PH Adult: $29.99++ Child*: $9.99+
*Child: Between 5-9 years; those below age of 4 dine free
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SHABU SAI
#08-09/10/11 Orchard Central, 181 Orchard Rd.
Mon-Fri : Lunch 1130-1500 (Last Order 1430) Dinner 1800-2230 (Last Order 2200)
Sat/Sun/PH: 1130-2230 (Last Order 2200)
This was a media tasting session.
While waiting for the soup to boil, one can start selecting from the buffet counter of fresh vegetables, includingJapanese shoots(竹の子) and white radish (daikon). Other unique items include the orange fish balls and thevegetable balls.
Themeat are served in bamboos, not purely for presentation, but because it has anti-bacterial properties to keep the meat fresh. One was the normal fish paste, while the other was the minced beef with lotus. 
