y shabu shabu — Restaurant in Providence

It’s alright the difference will be on the house……….. Just left SHABU after a strange experience. I walked into SHABU as a foreigner after 21 hours flight from Africa. The restaurant was about to close and I was so hungry and I begged to be served. And the waiter accepted, in my mind I was just thinking of how Kind people here are. I was offered a seat. I waited for some time before I asked for the menu and he pointed at a barcode on the edge of the table as I hadn’t seen it. He then walked me through a menu that had no prices and I was so grateful that he decided to do so. He helped me pick the delicacies. After ordering I realised that I had not seen any prices, so I immediately called him back and asked how much my order was, turns out it was $48, I asked him what can we remove from the order as I needed a maximum spend of $25, he went to the back and came back -after 5 minutes with the chef to tell me .. its alright the difference will be on the house. The meal was served and it took me a minute to realise the frozen rolls of meat were supposed to be dipped in the boiling pot together with the leaves and mushrooms…I’m clueless like that..lol

He asked me if I had been here and I told him yes, because I thought he was asking if I had visited providence before.

Then l another waiter came to ask me if I needed more food from the kitchen and I said no.. his response was - ‘ofcourse not’ and walked away. He came again and asked me if I needed something and I said no.. and he walked away saying.. ‘ofcourse not’. As a foreigner I’m thinking probably this is just how people communicate here. Correct me if I’m wrong because in hindsight I think he already had an attitude. He later brought me the bill and it was $49 and I asked him why as the initial waiter had communicated that the difference will be on the house. For a minute I thought I was back home where there are no stereotypes or prejudice and I tried to be explain what I had communicated. The waiter (manager) could not allow me time to speak. He asked me who should pay the difference, I said the house as the initial waiter communicated… he then said- if I don’t pay then the waiter should pay. I told him alright let him pay. He then said he is the manager and the reason he came instead of the other waiter was because he saw me trying to take advantage of the other waiter. He threatened that he would call the police. At this point it hit me that I am in a foreign country and people my color are known for many things, I realised this wasn’t home where we can have a conversation and understand each other. He continued to insist that I was taking advantage of his waiter.

This realisation is gripping but very important.. It’s sad that I was seen as threat.

I wish him well, I don’t blame him I blame myself. I just need to be careful while in this kind of establishments and to go home...

My sister and I were visiting the area. We have visited a lot of hotpot places but this was a unique place yet has its flaws as well. The ambiance was cozy inside and it was nice to look at but it was not practical. It is an all you can eat hotpot but they are served to you and not a buffet. We had to order through the menu and there was no picture of the food listed. I did appreciate that in the menu, it tells you how many items are included when you order an item and how long it takes to cook. I did not like falling in line for the sauce. There's only one sauce bar and the containers weren't so convenient to use. There weren't a lot of options either. I appreciated that when the meats were served, the meats were labeled. I did not like that the wiring for the hotpot at the bottom of the table were just hanging. It wasn't well thought enough. I thought that was pretty unsafe. On the other end, I did appreciate the employees. They were all so kind and welcoming. They were easy to approach as well. I enjoyed their ice cream very much. It was very creamy!! one of the best ice creams I've had. They also had a little demo of homemade noodles which was pretty cool to see! The meats were great cuts but a little bit frozen. Overall, I'd give this restaurant a 7.5/10. I think the customer service...

Meh… we will stick to Hot pot from Lamei in Providence or go to Boston All you can eat hot pot…this place is ok at best- meat is very grainy and far far too overpriced for the quality of what you are getting .. I understand most Buffets or all you can eat places have to skip on quality in some areas to compensate for the cost….. tried multiple meats and they are all about the same lower quality-Broths are very salty yet somehow not flavorful and on the bland side-The sauce station is very nice- - I’ve been here about four times with friends/family and it’s not bad, the inside of the restaurant is very nice and staff is nice-but I just cannot justify the price at around $60 plus a person ( this is with just ordering one soda) without tip and also getting charged a service fee to use a credit card with only two people??? .. (I understand it’s customary for large parties and I’m fine with that) it’s just too much for the lack of quality in the meat and selection that’s offered -especially- appetizers, taste, frozen and bland as well. When they first opened the price wasn’t too bad but within the last six months, it’s just skyrocketed-I understand things are going up in the economy but I’d rather just go somewhere else or have a nice seafood dinner if I’m gonna spend that...