Premium Japanese shabu-shabu | Must-order: Matsusaka pork slices and seafood congee made from the broth

Text & Photos /Xiao Hu’s Dream Food Blog

[Nanjing Sanmin Station Food – Tong? Japanese Shabu-Shabu] Recommendation Rating: ★★★★ (Delicious but pricey, though the service is excellent)

To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of hot pot—I wouldn’t normally suggest going out for it. But luckily, I’ve been quite spoiled lately, often dragged around by my dear elder sister to try all sorts of delicious food. That’s how I finally got the chance to visit this Japanese shabu-shabu place I’d heard about for ages but had avoided due to the price.

The shop’s exterior, styled like a traditional Japanese garden, highlights its distinctive flair compared to your average hot pot spot. Even the logo uses the Japanese word for shabu-shabu, announcing its authentic Japanese-style concept.

Unusually, the restaurant doesn’t have any open dining tables—all the seating is in private rooms, accommodating anywhere from four to around ten people. It definitely gives off a high-end, exclusive vibe.

Even in an eight-person room like this, there are roughly two servers, so the service is pretty top-notch.

Most of the ingredients are cooked for you by the staff, but of course, you can do it yourself if you prefer.

There are three types of dipping sauces. The one on the far right is light soy sauce for sashimi, though I found it a bit too salty. The middle one is a sesame sauce, perfect for meat—rich, fragrant, and full of flavor. On the left is the restaurant’s special house dipping sauce, which is quite versatile. It’s made with soy sauce, minced garlic, mashed radish, green onions, and a citrusy-tasting sauce that strikes a nice sweet-and-sour balance and is quite refreshing.

The MENU is divided into set meals and à la carte options. Overall, it’s on the pricier side for me, but many of the ingredients definitely feel high-end—like premium wagyu and seafood such as lobster.

Snow crab, king crab, and wagyu all look tempting, but the prices aren’t exactly cheap, haha XD.

If it were up to me, I’d really love to try sukiyaki, but it looks like you need to make a reservation for that XD.

Many of the seafood items are priced per market rate, so be sure to check before ordering.

Overall, it’s quite a bit more expensive than other hot pot places, but after eating, it’s clear the ingredients are very fresh—or at least uniquely good.

The broth looks a bit cloudy, but it tastes surprisingly refreshing—about 80% kelp flavor with a touch of sweet fruitiness.

A fairly generous mixed platter, though most of the ingredients are pretty common “familiar favorites,” though there are a few different ones.

Cute Hello Kitty, but honestly, it gave off a pretty cheap vibe XXD.

Each person can order one appetizer before the meal—it seems to be complimentary since no price was listed, and you get three choices.

Xiao Hu went with the sesame tofu salad. This tofu is a bit different—the sesame isn’t mixed into the tofu itself, but rather layered on top and bottom, roughly in a 3:7 ratio.

The layered approach makes the flavors more dynamic—the sweetness of the tofu and the aroma of the sesame hit your palate at different times, yet blend together after a bite. With a hint of lightly sweetened soy sauce, it’s insanely delicious.

The sashimi platter includes super bouncy wild sea bream, incredibly sweet scallops, and—surprise—tamagoyaki. But wow, that wasabi really hit me hard.

These fish dumplings are very hearty and sweet, though they seem to be thawed from frozen. Still, it doesn’t affect the texture—the wrappers are smooth and delicious.

This fried tofu doesn’t look like much, but it’s surprisingly firm and also great at soaking up the broth. The texture is rich, and the filling inside is quite flavorful—delicious.

I thought it was sweet corn from Hokkaido, Japan, but it doesn’t taste quite like it—less sweet and less juicy. Still, it’s pretty good.

Both types of handmade fish paste are sweet, crispy, and full of umami. The meatballs have a slightly seasoned aroma, but overall, the ingredients are solid—even with the higher prices.

Not sure why, but this dish just feels kind of generic and unimpressive—like something you’d cook at home. No sense of luxury here XD.

This must be beef short rib. By the time I went to grab some, half the plate was already gone… but the marbling looks really good.

The meat is cut to the perfect thickness—just a few seconds of simmering leaves it slightly pink and tender, with great smoothness. The sweetness and melt-in-your-mouth quality are both excellent. The high price is totally justified, at least in my book.

Next was the Matsusaka pork, which completely wowed me that day — it was perfect both visually and in flavor. I rarely see people serve Matsusaka pork sliced this thinly. When you lift a slice, it’s about 50% transparent, and the marbling is just beautifully balanced, making it look insanely appetizing!

The actual texture is crisp yet incredibly tender, with the distinct sweet fattiness of Matsusaka pork. It melts in your mouth in just two or three chews — absolutely delicious beyond words. Though the price isn’t cheap, I personally highly recommend this dish.

Finally, there was the seafood congee made from the remaining broth. The ingredients were simply fresh eggs, chopped scallions, and nori — just three things. The staff would first skim off some impurities from the broth, then leave just the right amount of the soup base. Pouring it into the bowl, it took them about ten minutes just to reduce and thicken the broth. It was quite a labor-intensive dish.

I must say, this bowl of congee, infused with meat, seafood, and various other ingredients, burst with the natural sweetness of all its components — it was ridiculously good. Hands down, it’s one of the top three best things I’ve ever eaten. Coming here without having a bowl would be a total waste.

Tongx? Japanese Shabu-Shabu Hotpot
Address: 208 Guangfu North Road, Songshan District, Taipei City
Phone: 02 2717 2038
Business Hours: 11:30–24:00

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