Mala shabu-shabu you can eat while dieting in Hapjeong: Nahonsha

Maybe it's because the weather's gotten noticeably colder, but I kept craving hot soup lately. So my friend and I decided to meet in Hapjeong and eat something warm, and while looking around, we found this place: Nahonsha.

The name itself gives off the vibe — it literally means "solo shabu-shabu is possible here."

I love mala, but since I was dieting this time, I hesitated a little. Turns out their mala shabu tasted like something I could totally still eat 🤭 Here's my review.

Where is Nahonsha in Hapjeong, and is there parking?

Nahonsha is at 42 Dokmak-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul — right on the sidewalk if you walk from Hapjeong Station. Hours are Tue-Fri 11:30-21:00, Sat 12:00-21:00, closed Mon and Sun, with a break time. Parking is also available ⭕️

The sign is big so it wasn't hard to find. The entrance is a bit hidden behind trees, giving it more of a hidden-gem vibe than a hip-place vibe ✨

And right next to it, though not many, there were about 3 parking spots!

Inside Nahonsha: solo seats with phone stands

Nahonsha's interior has solo seats as the default, and each seat has a phone stand and a bag basket. It's more calm and quiet than loud and buzzing, so it was perfect for chatting quietly with a friend while eating.

The quietness hits you the moment you walk in 🤭

And this is a place solo diners will love, since solo seats are the default! (Plus, window seats... amazing.) All solo diners, gather here 👍🏻

Plus, every seat has a phone stand, so it was super convenient to watch videos while eating! No boredom while eating alone.

And there's a basket next to your seat for your bag too.

Ordering by kiosk: 5 broths to choose from

You order at Nahonsha via the kiosk in front of your seat, and choose one of 5 broth types. I went with spicy, rich mala shabu, and my friend chose the milder clear shabu.

You order using the kiosk screen in front of you, and you can even select an apron and wet wipes there — super convenient. Introverts love this kind of thing.

They had 5 broth types here, so order according to your taste! (Mala shabu seems to be showing up more often these days.)

There was a sauce zone right next to my seat. Soy sauce, chili sauce, peanut sauce, and barley tea were all together, so it was easy to just grab and use!

They bring pickled radish for you — just call a staff member if you need it.

What comes with mala shabu: the tray and vegetable platter

At Nahonsha, the broth comes out first, then the meat, kalguksu (knife-cut noodles), and vegetable platter all come at once. The vegetables were bok choy, alba cabbage, tofu skin, oyster mushrooms, carrot, mul mandu (water dumplings), fish cake, sweet pumpkin, and mung bean sprouts.

The broth comes out first.

My friend had a different menu but the vegetable set was the same!

They light the stove for you, and I'm basically the type to just dump everything in at once lol. They also put the meat in slice by slice — it wasn't tough at all, it was soft and delicious?! So I just kept munching away.

Mala broth while dieting: peanut sauce is the trick

Nahonsha's mala broth is spicy but not harsh — mild mala, if that's a thing(?). It has that savory, sharp flavor style, so it was a taste I could enjoy without guilt even while dieting! So I rationalized it and scraped the bowl clean lolol.

And here's the trick I discovered while dipping sauce — if you order mala shabu, try putting the peanut sauce from the sauce zone into the boiling mala shabu!!! Absolutely amazing ⭐️ It turns into even more realistic mala tang flavor, so I kept adding more 🤭

And my number one pick ingredient. In mala shabu, this tofu fish cake thing? Is the real deal. It's plump and chewy-soft, and the broth soaks right into it. I actually clapped after eating it lol.

And this one too. The classic mala tang staple ingredient shows up here too, and it holds the broth so well that you can trust it as always.

Also, the kalguksu here was surprisingly good too. I didn't expect much since the noodles looked thin, but they had a nice chew and slid down easily, so I just finished them all... The reduced-down broth suited them even more. This place knows what it's doing.

Is Nahonsha in Hapjeong worth a visit?

Overall it's a quiet, calm atmosphere where solo diners can eat comfortably, and it even gave off a slight Japanese travel vibe. The flavor is clean but savory, so I kept spooning up the broth again and again. I'm planning to go back for the mala flavor again (a taste that lets you rationalize your diet a little...).

• ✔️ If you crave hot soup on a cold day
• ✔️ If you want to enjoy shabu-shabu comfortably alone
• ✔️ If you're dieting but craving something spicy

I'd recommend Nahonsha in Hapjeong to these kinds of people! A satisfying meal again today, the end ❗❗