Lonely Sukiyaki One Avenue 孤獨的壽喜燒 卓悦中心店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

These days, Shenzhen boasts a rapidly growing Japanese culinary scene, featuring everything from affordable all-you-can-eat hotspots to upscale sushi bars and high-end teppanyaki joints. Considering how obsessed we are with hotpots, there is always an escalating demand for shabu shabu restaurants and sukiyaki counters, both self and chef-serviced. Not surprisingly, one-person-one-pot shabu shabu and sukiyaki are getting more popular by the minutes. And over here in Shenzhen, shabu shabu sets are reasonably priced too, ranging from $70 to $90 a set.

This afternoon, we stumbled upon another new addition to Shenzhen’s hotpot scene — Lonely Sukiyaki (孤獨的壽喜燒) who originated from Shanghai.

Located in One Avenue (卓悦中心), Lonely Sukiyaki offers only three set menus: a pork shabu shabu set for $58, and beef sets priced at $78 or $98, depending on the portion. The one-person-one-pot setup is the obvious highlight reel here, designed to cater to both solo diners and groups.

There are three broth options to choose from: an original sukiyaki broth, a tomato-based broth, and a spicy option that we didn’t bother checking out. Once we placed our order via the QR code, it didn’t take long before our server brought over our broth with the vegetables (cabbage, mushrooms, and carrots) already all in.

The star of the meal, the Australian wagyu beef fillets came in a separate plate.

Tender and well-marbled, they were pretty mouthwatering though I only wish there were a few more slices.

As with the bowl of steamed rice, you can refill the vegetables freely as long as you’re still in the mood for more.

Overall, this was a pretty decent meal, especially considering the value-for-money price. The sukiyaki broth was lighter than what you’d typically find in Japan, and I wasn’t surprised at all, given how minimal the seasoning tends to be north of the border.

All in all, I enjoyed the experience and wouldn’t mind coming back for more.

Food Rating: 5.8/10

Price: ¥¥

Address:  Shop B1111, Level B1F One Avenue, Fuhua Road, Futian, Guangzhou, China

深圳市福田区福华路卓悦中心商场B1层 B1111号铺

Closest Metro Station: Gangxia (岗厦)

Tel: +86 19866154116

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 9:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/5b/5ivM