鍋ぞう 池袋サンシャイン６０通り店

🔅Actual dining date: 2024/10/15
*Please do not reproduce & use for commercial purposes without permission

One of the goals of this trip to Japan was to try a really great sukiyaki (the kind where someone cooks it for you), but I couldn’t make a reservation at my chosen place... After a whole day out, a friend suggested trying a restaurant that had pretty good reviews for dinner.

It’s a 100-point all-you-can-eat option with four price levels: ¥3520, ¥4180, ¥5720, and ¥8800, mainly differing in whether you can eat beef and the quality of the meat. Other items like rice, eggs, vegetables, drinks, and ice cream are all unlimited.

I wanted something a bit fancier, so I ordered the highest price option of ¥8800. This price level includes all-you-can-eat Wagyu, domestic beef, and domestic pork. The domestic beef comes in two cuts (I forgot which two, but one is from the shoulder area).

Starting with the most basic, the pork was average and not particularly memorable. The small slices of domestic beef (forgot the cut) were lean but had a little marbling, so it was just right—not too tender but not tough either. Then there were the large cuts, which had beautifully visible marbling, and they were quite large. They were tender while still retaining a meaty texture, which was quite stunning!

Finally, the black-haired Wagyu had really beautiful marbling, and we managed to order 4.5 plates without any drop in quality; it all looked amazing. The meat was rich in fat and tender—couldn't eat too much, but it was truly delicious!

As for the vegetables, they had all the essentials, and the soup base they cooked was quite good, plus there was raw egg for dipping. The ice cream was delicious, with flavors like matcha, yuzu, black sesame, and Hokkaido milk. I didn't pay much attention to the drinks as the selection was a bit limited.

Overall, I found it to be very tasty! The staff that day were very patient and noticed we were foreigners, taking the time to carefully introduce the menu and meat cuts using their English and body language (though I still forgot 😂). Even though we couldn’t eat much Wagyu, it was really good. I would recommend this place to anyone interested or nearby.

P.S. I peeked at the meat from another table and it seemed like they didn’t order the expensive cuts; the quality and marbling of their meat were just average. If you want something better, I suggest going straight for the Wagyu or domestic beef; it seems more worthwhile~