Adventurous foodie friends - Ho Ho Choy, Shabu Shabu Tampa

Advice of the day - Never be intimidated by 10 menus on your table.......

Two years ago, I found myself thinking that dining at an Indian restaurant was adventurous. Boy has a lot changed since then. I have adventurous lunch dates with my friend Lauren. Some have been amazing, some were not worth mentioning. She has introduced me to multiple unique eats while I introduced her to Bone Marrow.

One day for lunch, we decided to venture into Ho Ho Choy - Shabu Shabu, two restaurants who share one roof, located on Fowler Rd Tampa. During Gabe's first year living in Tampa (sans me), I had seen this establishment multiple times. Ho Ho Choy / Shabu Shabu is located in a strip mall which would be sketchy to the arriving eye. They serve everything from sushi to dim sum to a hot pot. While one of my favorite tea spots is located in that establishment, I never thought in a million years that I would eat there. When Lauren mentioned the following words "the best steam buns one could ever eat", how could I turn it down.

We decided to dine at Shabu Shabu, who offers a hot pot - which I have described to many as The Melting Pot meets Pho. I was all about making my own soup and out came dishes of fresh veggies a raw egg and frozen protein. We were asked how spicy we wanted our broth (medium for me with a side of heat for Lauren).

It was a true dining experience. We had a blast making our own bowls of soup (we split one serving)

There was a push cart full of every seasoning you could ever wish for. We stocked up on hoisin, siracha and some peanut sauce (just because it was there).

I can honestly say that I cannot wait to go back. Everything we had was DELICIOUS. And when two fortune cookies give you this message? I can say from experience, with one follows the other. I loved this dining experience!!