I think my love and obsession for hotpot is incomparable to other dishes. Even in the heatwave during the summers, I am always down for a hotpot date. Don’t get me wrong, I love making it at home too but it’s a lot of ingredients to buy for just two people and a lot of prep work. That’s why whenever we go eat hotpot, it’s always a nice treat and break away from cooking.
Now growing up where I cam from the only hotpot place was wither my own home or Vietnamese hotpot a.k.a. Lẩu. But in Minnesota, our Lẩu was more of a Canh Chua base (sweet, sour & tamarind). Otherwise the only other one I’ve ever had was Thai style which is basically Tom Yum broth (spicy and sour).
It wasn’t until I got to CA that I really got to experience hotpot in all of its variations! Enter in, Japanese hotpot aka Shabu-Shabu. Shabu-shabu is a Japanese nabemono hotpot dish of thinly sliced meat and vegetables boiled in water and served with dipping sauces. The term is derived from “swish-swish”, basically how you cook the ingredients in the broth!
Boy was I ever excited when @momoparadise reached out to me to try their AYCE Shabu-Shabu and Sukiyaki, it was a HARD YES. Since its first restaurant opening in 1993, Mo-Mo-Paradise has expanded its presence to over 20 cities throughout Asia and the world. Currently, Mo-Mo-Paradise can be found in Japan, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, USA, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and the US!
The factor that makes makes Mo-Mo Paradise stand out is that they have a Farmer’s Market where you get your veggies and appetizers yourself! Kinda like an AYCE Shabu Buffet! The even have select appetizers such as Curry Rice (SO DANG GOOD!), Cabbage Salad and Buta Shabu Udon Salad!
They also have a Tea Garden (for a slight upcharge) that offers make your own boba drinks or crafted sodas! To be honest, they tasted like the little Japanese sodas! Well, worth the upgrade.
For broth we chose the Tonkotsu (John’s favorite) and I chose the KimChi one based on our server’s reccomendation. Both were delish! The only downside is the choices for proteins were limited but still good nonetheless! We got to choose between Beef Chuck Eye, Beef Short Plate and Kurobuta Pork Shoulder!
All in all, we had a blast and the food was delish. But don’t take my word for it, here’s the vlog below!
Until next time!
