MO-MO-PARADISE Shinjuku-Sanchome — Restaurant in Tokyo

After a very long and cold day at the Disneysea, hot pot was the only option we agreed for dinner.

After doing a bit of research on Google map, I found Nabezo, an AYCE hotspot. I think it is a sister restaurant to Mo-mo-paradise? but Nabezo’s price is more reasonable.

We came at 6pm without booking and staff told us they only have availability at 7:30. Being too tired and cold, we decided to sit there and wait lol (sooo, your lesson is to maybe try to plan ahead and book the table lol).

Lucky enough, at 6:50, the staff came and told us that there is table available. That’s the best decision we ever made (of not leaving the restaurant to go and have a walk).

Came in, staff was super friendly and they spoke English well. We chose the option that gave us 2 types of Pork n 2 types of Beef. There are 4 types of soup. And as we are tourists, we wanted to try out the Japanese food. So we chose Shabu Shabu and sukiyaki soups (the rest are tonkotsu and kimchi soups)

They also have a free veggies and other topping section, as well as an amazing ice cream section. You can pay extra to get unlimited soft drinks refilled. We just went with the free hot tea.

Staff were very attentive. They explained to us how to eat which soup, and everytime they saw that we finished a dish of meat, they would ask if we want to refill all of the meat.

At first we felt like we preferred the Sukiyaki soup as it was more flavourful and the Shabu Shabu was a bit tasteless. However, after a while, the Sukiyaki could be a bit too Salty, while the Shabu Shabu tasted amazingly sweet and delicious from the meat and veggies we put in.

Love the experience,...

The vegetables, sides, condiments, drinks and ice cream is self service, free flow. As for the meat, they have options of 100 mins buffet or a set. Since the price difference is just about $9, I opted for the buffet. Then there are 4 soup bases to choose from - Shabu Shabu, Sukiyaki, Shio Tonkotsu and Kimchi.

I opted for the Beef and Pork combo in Sukiyaki. The meat was served in trays, at the start they serve you all 4 types (beef chuck, beef slice, pork shoulder and pork belly), then you can order more of each within the 100 mins. Considering the first serving was already 4 trays, I think the buffet is well worth the price even if I didn't go for seconds.

I love how beautifully laid out everything is, especially the vegetables, such a pleasing sight. And Jap rice, omg, just plain irresistible. I know I should eat less rice to make the most of my money but it was impossible to not eat any at all. The Yuzu Sherbet in the ice cream section was the perfect palate cleanser to wrap up a satisfying meal.

Service is excellent, full of smiles, and attentive, they come by so often to clear your plates and even help sieve out the impurities in the soup. They also have an instructions sheet on the table to teach you how to cook, including...

I have been visiting this place since 2016, once in 3-4 months, sometimes with friends, sometimes with colleagues and both service and food was great. I would rate it somewhere between 4 and 5 stars.

However, after COVID, it seems the quality of service dropped quite significantly. I visited recently with friends, we came to this place by opening time (17.00), we ordered our course around 17.20 and started to enjoy conversations, drinks and nabe pot! However, starting around 18.40 (80 minutes passed), staff reminded about last order and then soon after that (18.45-18.55) we were reminded several times that we need to finish soon because other customers wait. That was something unexpected: in the past (before COVID) 100 minutes course meant that we could order food and drinks during said period, and after 100 minutes we couldn’t make orders, but could finish the pot and drinks.

This time we were so annoyed by constant notification, so I paid the bill around 19.02 with a feeling that were not welcomed and almost forced to leave. My rule is simple in such situations — any place that makes me feel unwelcome and forced to leave — receives 1 star. So, here’s my 1 star. I don’t plan to come...