Jennifer B.
Yelp
Party of 6 (1yr old included.)
Ordered the GOLD option.
What an amazing experience! There really is nothing like Japanese A5 Wagyu!
Service was amazing! Will write a more detailed review soon as I wake from my food coma...
UPDATE:
So... it's been about 4 days post food coma, and here we are. (Waheheh...)
The whole evening was planned: let's go to Imaginarium 360 at Lakewood Center, then grub somewhere. I sent a few links to my niece and left it up to her to decide where to grub. This (obviously) won out. (She did say the deciding factor was that she's craving shabu-shabu since it's been a long minute since she's had it last. Plus it was a cold SoCal night... perfect!)
And that's exactly how I would describe the experience: PERFECT!
We made reservations for 815pm, but got done at that Lakewood Center exhibit a whole hour early. I called to ask if there was a chance we could come in earlier. I was told they "might" be able to accommodate me at around 745pm, so yeah... they were busy!
We came through anyway and were willing to wait. Already a crowd of 15-20+ people outside. The Yelp waitlist went all the way to #8. At around 745p, we were told the guests for our table were getting ready to pay and soon as they clean up, we good to go. Long story short, we were seated around 8pm.
And was it worth the wait: absolutely.
We all got the chance to look at the menu, and we all collectively agreed to get the Silver option. We felt the gold and diamond would have been way too much food...
... but my generous GodMother/Auntie called an audible and decided to go for gold! (It was her treat, so who are we to argue!)
The thin meats were plenty (and Japanese A5 wagyu really is out of this world) and although they were cooked in our choice of broth (you can have up to 2, choosing from: sukiyaki, spicy miso, Japanese tomato or their house broth) the main essence of the meats still come out. And don't get me wrong: on the contrary to what some may say, they all do not taste the same. But they are all delicious.
What made it even more special are the side dishes and the seafood that went with it. It was almost overwhelming, but we all welcomed it just the same.
It does get crowded at their sauce station (I felt it was kinda oddly placed with such little room) where you can also get rice, ice cream and meat sauce.
FOOD: 5.
SERVICE: 5. Sophia, from beginning to end, was fantastic. So with the rest of the crew who helped give us an amazing experience.
VALUE: Pricey, but worth it. If you want to splurge on shabu-shabu, this is the place to do it.
PARKING: Shared with lots and lots of other businesses. It is packed on a Saturday night, so allocate some time.
OVERALL: 5.
VERY IMPORTANT TIP: Make reservations. The wait is incredibly long (those poor souls who came through as walk-ins) but it's a true testament to how fantastic this place is. Sophia even mentioned the crowd is smaller than usual. (Whoa, I'd hate to see it when it's really crowded!)
Now that I'm out of the food coma, I dream of coming back again. Hopefully that's sooner than later.