Dinner @ Mr Shabu Shabu, Canberra

Came here for a catch up dinner with my friend S. I had actually never had Japanese hotpot (shabu shabu) before and this place had decent reviews so I was keen to give it a try. Being located adjacent to the campus, this place is quite popular with ANU students. The prices here are also pretty student friendly, with a meal costing between $12-$16 per person. Something worth noting is that the owners/runners aren't Japanese, but that's not a big deal for me as long as the food is good.


While S opted for the teriyaki chicken, I went for a the beef shabu shabu. I also really felt like some noodles (let's be honest, when don't I feel like noodles?) so I also went for an extra bowl of udon noodles for $2.
The bowl of noodles was very big for the price but I must say the noodles did taste very sour--which is usually indicative of them being not very fresh (to put it nicely). However, the shabu shabu itself was much nicer. The beef was very fresh and nice quality--very nicely marbled and the type of meat you expect to get at a good Korean BBQ or hotpot. The broth was tasty and flavoursome and I enjoyed the little sides (some wakame seaweed and a spring roll) too. I would've loved some more veggies (chinese cabbage, pumpkin and shiitake mushrooms) but I think for $14 (including rice) it's pretty good value, especially for Canberra.