Two Firsts in One Day: Shabu-shabu, and a Facial.

Yesterday, Paula, Deb and I went to the giant multi-mall complex near Bangkok’s National Stadium, and I tried two new things.

First, we all got facials at a place called Hanako Tokyo. After we changed shirts, they lined us up for our treatments. Paula and Deb got the “Hanako Special”, and I got the “Gentlemen’s Choice”. From the chatter, it was clear the the “Gentlemen’s Choice” was just the “Hanako Special” renamed. Interesting marketing lesson.

The number of potion and lotion applications, scrapings and proddings that my face, neck and chest experienced during that hour is basically uncountable. But it was fun, and now some areas of my face are silky smooth.

After a tantalizing stroll past Loft, one of my favorite stores from days-gone-by in Tokyo, we sat down to my first meal of shabu-shabu. We went to a top-floor place called Evaime, which I see is a Taiwan-based chain.

We got two broths, the Evaime house broth, and a tom yum. They offer a variety of dipping sauces, and the two I tried were delicious. The tom yum broth was spicy, with a lemongrass brightness, and not too much fish sauce. All the components were chopped fine enough to be chewable – sometimes tom yum has tough stalks.

I don’t why I have hesitated about shabu-shabu in the past, but I will certainly do it again.