Otakuthon, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 08/05/2022: Kagayaki and Nanami

Apparently the Quebecois for shabu shabu is “fondue japonaise,” literally “Japanese fondue,” probably because you are dipping the meat in the boiling water.

We sat at a counter with our backs to the front door. Each place setting had a recessed burner nearby where the shabu pot fit.

Lyra told me that the rectangular things were tofu and the oval things were rice cakes.

I had the kombu and dashi essence broth, ponzu sauce [a citrus-flavored sauce], and lamb for my shabu shabu. Lamb shown.

Throwing the broccoli and carrots in my pot first, I swirled transparent cuts of lamb in the boiling water, developing a savory flavor in layers. Ponzu sauce made everything better, but I especially liked the mushrooms [both the small stalk-like ones and the larger cap], carrots, and greens.

I had currant soda too. We figured that the restaurant adds its own syrup to soda water because the flavor of the soda was so intense at the bottom of the glass. By diluting the soda with water, we each stretched our single glass into two. The second had much less fizz, though.

We had a small scoop of matcha ice cream for dessert. Sometimes matcha flavor is too sweet or too much like soggy leaves, especially if it’s produced in the US. This, however, was good matcha, with a balance of sweetness at the front and leafy taste at the back. I forgot to take a picture of it before I ate it.

After dinner, Lyra and I checked out a Japanese cosmetic shop in Chinatown called Nanami. I saw a lot of cute packaging, unlike the nondescript, rather boring packages I’m used to, so I took pics.

Kitty headbands!

Crayon pour les yeux KISS ME Heroine Long Stay Sharp Gel Line 01 Deep Black [$21.99] makes the wearer look like a tragic blond 1980s manga heroine!

Les boutons = zits. I learned a new word!

Those are the cutest sanitary pad packages ever.

I just thought that the bear, sheep, and llama packages were cute. Bear seems to be selling a bath bomb or something similar, but I’m not sure what the ungulates are selling.