Shuba Shuba

We had asked the Hotel to suggest a couple of recommendations for our last night in Kyoto, and they had come up with some fantastic suggestions. However, in the end we still wanted to go out and explore. And tongiht, we're so glad we did...

Deep in the heart of Ponto-cho, we discovered a buzzing little restaurant by the name of Shuba Shuba. One word, two syllables: Awe-Some!

We walked into this place and it was full of young Japanese people. All having a laugh with large portions, big bowls of food - it all looked so good. We headed in, but still didn't appreciate just how cool this place was...

We sat down and read the menu, look around, and started to get the vibe. For two hours, we could pick as much beef, pork, chicken, dumplings, vegtables and alcohol as we liked! Yes, as much alcohol as we liked! Awe-Some!

Our table had a hot stove in the centre, with dials to control the heat. We first had to pick two stocks in which to cook our food, and within five minutes we had a hot pot boiling away in front of us.

Then the waitress brought us two raw eggs, and literally cracked up when we didn't know what to do with them. She told us to whisk them in a bowl and to dip our hot meat in them.

She then showed up with the meat and kindly showed us what to do with it! Literally dip it into the boiling stock until cooked, out into the egg yolk, and then ready to eat. It was all cut so thinly, that it was cooked within seconds. This meat literally melted in the mouth. We had the chicken, pork, beef and vegetables, many times over. Such good fun!

But what really made this place tonight were the waitresses and groups of people at the other tables. They enjoyed the fact that we were out of our comfort zone and didn't have a clue what we were doing! Not knowing how to cook the meats, or where to whisk the egg, it was all such a novelty to them. They were so easy going, and their smiles made us laugh at our own mistakes. The groups on the other tables also laughed at our lack of chop stick skills, but it was all so light hearted and fun.

Shuba Shuba is a great restaurant in Kyoto, another new way of dining for us.

The most fun night we've had so far in Japan, and what a way to finish such an awesome day...