Arashi Shabu-Shabu, City Square JB — Restaurant in Johor

Came here during June and honestly this place was quite good, let me explain.

First of all the service was good, staffs were very friendly as well and we felt welcomed and comfortable.

For ordering they'll give you a tablet to place order, you can order broth first and then decide on the food toppings you want later. Let the broth heat up first.

As for seating wise, for 2 pax seater side was slightly on a smaller space, was quite worried might bump into others table when trying to get out.

Note that toilets are all outside of the restaurant so remember to do your business before taking a seat especially if youre 1 pax.

The plating were nice and nothing was spoiled. Can't exactly remember what broth we ordered but both of the broth was scrumptious. It could be more salty towards the end tho however.

The server will also help you top up the broth if they notice the broth are on the low side which was nice.

I ordered fish skin and it was crispy for quite a long time and it taste good, nicely seasoned as well.

As for the Hojicha i believe was sooo goooddd!! it was not overly sweet and i love the texture of the grains/rice that was with it. Would definitely order this again!

They also have a condiments section if you need extra flavours for your meat dippings.

Personally recommend everyone to try this place out at least once, its pricey but its...

GFGSGA.

GF. As many have reviewed, the food is great! First time here, and ordered the mixed meats set for two, with milk pumpkin and tonkatsu soup base. Meats were top notch, and I am especially impressed with the quality of the premium pork. Both soup base is delish, full of umami and flavour rich. Sides were fresh, tasty and filling!

Ordered the salted mountain green tea and matcha with brown rice. Both were refreshing and delish. I particularly liked the brief rice crisp in the matcha. The slight charred rice adds a new dimension and wholesome feel to the thick creamy drink, when you need it.

The tiramisu is delish too. Not overly sweet and each spoonful gives off a creamy comforting mouth feel that stays with you, like the loving embrace of your mother.

GS! Top service from all the crew... Attention to detail and knowing when to appear. Although there was a queue of about 10 deep, the process was efficient and we were seated after just about 15 mins. And this is during lunch peka hour, on a weekend, at noon! Kudos to the management for.getting this right.

GA! A wonderful ambience, well lit and makes for a nice chill out spot to enjoy your shabu shabu at a relax pace. Though the table we were at right at the back near the service entrance, is somewhat stuffy.

All in all a great dining experience! Will definitely...

TLDR; Overhyped steamboat that isn’t even that cheap… just milking the SG crowd

My friends and I got 4 soup sets: the milk soup, spicy milk, tonkotsu and herbal chicken. First of all, most of the soups lacked the “thickness” and flavor of soup bases from standard hotpot restaurants like HDL or Beauty in the Pot. But maybe the standards at these places are higher? My friend who got the milk soup found it thin and tasteless, almost literally flavored like milk. The rest of the soups got better after evaporating slightly but the start of the meal was pretty drab and uninteresting.

Secondly, the sets come with barely any meat. While the mixed vege/beancurd/fish and meatball side was pretty hefty and well-portioned, there were only SIX slices of meat per set… imagine our disappointment after the standard meat portion we are used to from other hotpot restaurants. Even a child wouldn’t find that filling.

Thirdly, they charge for a nasty guava starter dish/appetizer that we didn’t even ask for. 4 of us at a table were given two small bowls of it and charged RM10. Low key a scam and everyone feels this way, please.

The meal was about RM300 for 4 people. I leave it to you to decide if paying half the price of HDL for 1/10 of the quality (not to mention service) is worth it. Not a horrible meal but probably...