ZOMG expensive dinner

More than ready to go to bed, but here I am. Waiting.

The massage place in the terminal has closed down, so away goes my original plan to get a massage, doze off a little before boarding the plane.

I went shopping at Zara and found a piece I really liked but alas the piece I tried was slightly defective and they didn't have a new piece for me.

Be still, my heart.
I walked away.

And into the lounge.

While trying out the top in the fitting room, I heard a man's voice asking about something.

Then the shop assistant called out, quite loudly, to a lady in one of the fitting rooms.

Miss, your husband is looking for you

Male voice: Hey are you done yet?
Female voice: Wait ah, I'm trying something.
👨: The plane taking off already.
👧: Okok.. Wait lah I'm almost done.
👨: You want to hurry up?
👧: Okok, I'm coming out SOON.
👨: Or I go without you? I go ahead first?
👧: Wait LAH I'm coming out.

I didn't see their faces but I'm quite sure the man would get into a bit of trouble later. 😂

To be frank, he sounded like the 好好先生sort, quite gentlemanly, with just a bit of nervousness and urgency in his tone.

But his wife sounded quite quick tempered and impatient.

I might be wrong, but I wish them a pleasant flight anyway. 😁

It's just clothes yah? 😂

Entertaining everyone since 2014. 😍

My family came over to celebrate sis #5's birthday this evening.

I miss my little boss already. 😢

"Don't miss me too much, Mommy. I'm embarrassed."

Totally exhausted after a day of work.

I survived purely by will power.

Excused myself from the team dinner and got back to the hotel around 9pm.

Decided to have dinner at the hotel's restaurant before going up to my room.

I wanted something soupy and comforting, so when I saw on the menu a "shabu shabu" set that came with starters, sashimi, shabu shabu and wheat noodles, I decided to have shabu shabu.

Anyway the price looked quite ok, $18 for a set.

I ordered the set and ☝ the starter came. I thought to myself, wah this looks like what the hubs and I had at hakone, the Japanese fine dining experience at the hotel. For $18!

I thought nothing of it and asked for the drinks menu. The drinks cost around 1,000¥ and I did a mental calculation.

Ok, that's around $10. Then it hit home. Wait, did I see 2 zeros or 3 zeros for the shabu shabu set?

As calmly as I could manage, I asked for the menu again to confirm my suspicion.

Holy cow (pun intended).

I ordered a 18,000¥ dinner thinking it was $18. Did I think I was in Korea or what the fuck?

Is this what barely sleeping on a red eye flight does to you? Your mind conjures away an extra zero or makes you think you are in a different country?!

Continuing to be as calm as I could, I said to the waitress, "I think I ordered the wrong item. Can I please cancel it? I cannot finish the set."

She ran off to get me the ala carte menu but returned to inform me that they can cancel the set but not the shabu shabu because they have already cut the meat.
So she said it's ok to just have the shabu shabu.
I gladly said ok, shabu shabu only.

And then I had this totally out of the world beef.

It was very elaborate shabu shabu that involved a waitress cooking and serving at my table.

She served the shabu shabu in this sauce.

And then vegetables and glass noodles in sweet soy sauce / soup.

Followed by shabu shabu.
Followed by vegetables in sweet soy sauce.

The beef was so good!
That was when I knew I would probably still be paying over a hundred bucks for this dinner, seto or no seto. 😂

Anyway after some 3 rounds of shabu shabu and vegetables, this was the perfect finale:

A very small bowl of wheat noodles that blew my mind away.

The broth looked deceptively simple but it was a real eye opener. Plain but flavorful, clear but with depth. It was like some 12 layers of.. something.

I finished the noodles AND the soup.

Don't ask me about the final bill.

(And I dozed off before I could finish this entry.)