Mogudog
I went to a restaurant where you can enjoy mushroom shabu-shabu while on a diet. The restaurant is located 2 minutes from Roppongi Station on the Hibiya Line. The interior of the restaurant has a chic feel, with marble-like tables that give off a sense of luxury. The place was filled with Roppongi-like customers, which was quite amusing.
First, I ordered a drink. The soft drinks available were mango soda and pomegranate soda (the names were a bit fancier). I ordered the mango soda, which was sweet, refreshing, and very delicious. It was a bit pricey at 850 yen for a soft drink.
For the dinner course, I ordered the following:
[Dinner]
- Biral Black Soup: 5500 yen
- Appetizer: Three dishes using mushrooms such as wood ear mushrooms. They were light and delicious. Along with the appetizer, various sauces and condiments were served. The dipping sauces included sesame sauce, soy-based sauce, and condiments like green onions, cilantro, lychee, and three types of sauces that seemed like they belonged in hot pot. They were delicious with any dish.
- Secret Black Soup: A versatile soup that can be drunk as is or used for shabu-shabu. The staff regularly refilled it, so it was all-you-can-drink. It came in a ceramic pot, adding to the excitement. It contained ingredients like jujubes, wolfberries, green onions, mushrooms, giving it a Chinese herbal soup-like taste, but it was not too strong and had a universal appeal.
- Assorted 8 Types of Mushrooms: A luxurious assortment of mushrooms that didn't look like mushrooms at all. The plump mushrooms made my heart dance. The mushrooms were cooked in the black soup for about 3 minutes. There was an hourglass on the table, but we didn't pay much attention to it and just enjoyed the meal. I was surprised by the plumpness of the giant nameko mushrooms.
- Seasonal Vegetables and Tofu Assortment: The vegetables and tofu were refreshing and complemented the hot pot well. The names of the vegetables were explained, but some were unfamiliar to me... I couldn't remember them all. The fava beans and cauliflower were delicious. The vegetables cut into mushroom shapes were also cute.
- Domestic Chicken Breast: Thin slices of chicken breast, 4 pieces per person. It didn't have much chew, but it was a valuable source of protein and guilt-free meat.
- Original Mushroom Noodles: Mushroom noodles kneaded with black soup were further cooked in the black soup. It came with an oil sauce (truffle-infused, I think) to pour over it. However, I didn't feel much of a difference after pouring the sauce.
- Dessert: Vanilla ice cream with spices. It was quite sweet.
It was my first time trying mushroom shabu-shabu, and I enjoyed the guilt-free meal! I wish there was a similar restaurant closer and more affordable, as I would love to visit it often.