SHABU SHABU Leiden — Restaurant in Leiden

so...after not going here for a few years i decided that tonight i wanted to... i've eaten here QUITE a few times...no less than 100, to be perfectly honest...since they opened across the street/canal from where they are now...they used to be where the VIP place is... for many of those years it maintained an EXcellent standard... but this time was DEFinitely different... missed orders are normal no matter WHAT ayce place i've ever eaten at...and there was only one tonight. no big deal...the service was EXcellent...one of the high points, in fact...friendly, patient with my questions...and prompt to clear away finished dishes... but some of the dishes were 'flat/personalityless'. the tuna, for one...lacking much flavor... the lamb cutlet was raw in parts. there was no offered sauce with the gyoza and the tempura shrimp might as well not have HAD any sauce on the side for its lack of flavor... i have to say, in all honesty, though...both dishes were good withOUT the sauce...it's just that they would have been that much better if the sauce was accompanying or...there was just a bit more effort put into making it flavorful. thoughtless/uncaring, it might seem. the ebi tempura roll was, again, flavorless, as far as the shrimp, itself goes...and what was that SAUCE? indiscernible flavor mix. another drawback was no place on the menu/app where i could put specific requests, such as 'no ice'...one CAN call a waitperson over and make the request, though...kind of defeats the purpose of the app, but...so it goes... it seems that they're trying their best, in subtle ways, to cut corners...the chuka wakama is no longer a salad, but a cup...and they 'pad' the small amount with, i THINK, rice...it was hard to tell WHAT it was underneath...but it sure wasn't seaweed... and then...i had a small scoop of both the black sesame and green tea ice creams...probably the biggest disappointments of all because i LOVE them both. when they have some flavor... which, again, indicates they are buying the cheapest versions they can find... on the plus side were the sesame balls...but i can't live on sesame balls, alone...i doubt i'll be back to eat here again. just not worth it for me. if you want a decent ayce sushi/grill place try tatsu. two in Haarlem and one in Leidschendam, at the Mall of the NL. i've never been disappointed eating at...

We went here with our local Dutch friends from Leiden and were not disappointed. It is all you can eat and here's how it works: you first place your order of drinks with your server who then gives you a tablet and it is from here that you order each dish. Each person orders 5 choices. We had six in our party, so we ordered 30 dishes. We started with sushi only and some edanami beans which were tender, lighly salted, and delicious. For drinks, we ordered saki, jasmine tea, beer and iced tea. The sushi was tender, at room temperature and delicious! The seaweed cone wrapped salmon and tuna was particularly tasty with spicy sauce. Some dishes come with 3 pieces of sushi, others with 6 pieces. It clearly states this on the menu. All dishes are numbered, so you key in the number on the tablet. Also, there are some dishes which cost a few euros extra, but we didn't order any of those.

Servers circulate bringing dishes one at a time, or in quick succession. Our second round of 30 dishes included miso soup and more sushi. Our third round of 30 dishes were the beef, soba noodle, dumplings, chicken, lamb, and deep fried dishes. The beef was very tender.

Empty plates are regularly removed, as are empty glasses by your server, who then asks if you want another or different drink.

We stopped at 3 rounds, not wanting to be overly full, but had small bowls of ice-cream for dessert. Flavours included, green tea, lemon, vanilla, mango, raspberry, chocolate and a few more. There was also apple strudel, yogurt, chocolate brownies etc. but we stuck to the ice-cream and sorbets that were light and cleansed the palate.

Needed reservations and it was very crowded. We sat at a table with chairs with a whole wall wallpapered in pink cherry blossoms. There were many booths as well which were popular too.

We had a great time and will definitely...

I went with a friend following great reviews about the restaurant, but I'm now pretty sure that all those reviewers have no idea about good restaurants. The staff are extremly unfriendly and sometimes rude, far far away from the industry of service. I literary felt I was placed in Guantanamo. I clearly mentioned that it was my first time in the restaurant but still they explained the concept very briefly and quickly. The tables are very close to each other that I had about 12 eyes looking at me while eating, very nosy people yes, but thats because they had the chance. After ordering and eating, i had some leftovers in my plate which I couldn't finish due to the fact that pictures dont show reality and simply.. I felt full; the waiter tells me: "Next time try to finish the food you ordered", I was shocked and couldnt answer that rudeness, not to mention that the price for this stupid concept is 35 € per person excluding drinks, so excuse me if I paid 40 € and didnt finish, this is my body my freedome and my life, Im not born to be told finish your food that you paid for. Its my right to even through the food brand new if I dont wanna eat it, Its not anyones business. I'm totally disappointed and didnt enjoy the food or my time, and as per the Japanese way, yes Thank you and I smiled at you but I'm never coming here again. Go to other places in the world and learn customer service better. You were crying to the government to open during the Pandemic but I think eating home is better than being insulted in an unfriendly...