Tong Yang Shabu-Shabu Express - Hotpot Experience!
Tong Yang Shabu-Shabu Express reimagines the hotpot experience by giving you full control of your personal pot, and since this is "express", dishes are in ala carte mode. Hence, if you don't feel like binging over unli-hotpot, express is the way to go!
Note: I haven't personally tried the unlimited hotpot of a non-express Tong Yang branch, so I don't have a benchmark in this regard. Hopefully this pandemic goes over with, so I can experience that.
Tong Yang Express in Assembly Grounds, The Rise
This particular branch is conveniently located in the mall area of The Rise condominium in Makati. Lucky for those who live in this condo. They have a quick access to a good lineup of restaurants. You'll also find here Premier the Samgyupsal (read more), Buffalo Wings N Things, and more. Unfortunately, given the pandemic era, this mall is open only until 8:00 PM (or earlier depending on the quarantine category in place).
You have the option to create your own shabu-shabu meal here in Tong Yang. You first begin with selecting the soup base and then just point which meat, seafood, etc. you want to go with your hotpot. However, you may also go for pre-selected sets for convenience.
For the night, I just ordered the Beef Karubi Set which is reasonably priced at P320 (as of March 2021). This comes with a free soup base of your choice, and a hefty serving of veggies, meat and other hotpot balls. Also, I went for the spicy soup base, the name of which I forgot.
Look at how generous the serving is for the meat! By the way, before I forget, as a personal tip, the best time to visit this branch is pre-closing. This is the time when they are disposing most their inventory = more serving. The only downside is you'll somehow be pressured to finish fast.
The soup base I selected had this sour-kick, which I had a love-hate relationship with, given that I'm not a fan of sour-savory soup. I've tried developing liking for these kinds of soup (such as Tom Yum), but I'm really still struggling with it. The only sour soup that I'd enjoy is our very own Sinigang. Had this been spicy (without the sour element), I'd definitely love it more!
Ingredients here in Tong Yang are of great quality, evidenced by the texture of the meat and veggies. I'd definitely want to try the other soup base, since my gut feel tells me that I'd enjoy them more.
Anyway, great hotpot! Tong Yang definitely refreshed my initially negative impression of the restaurant. As a matter of fact, I'd recommend for you to try dining here!
Tong Yang Shabu-Shabu Express
Location: Assembly Grounds at The Rise Makati, 1203 Malugay, Makati, 1203 Metro Manila
