Hapjeong solo shabu-shabu with peanut, chili and ponzu sauces

Eating dinner alone in Hapjeong, I got a craving for something hot and bubbling, so I headed to Nahonsha. This is a solo shabu-shabu restaurant where every seat comes with its own induction burner and pot.

This time I picked the spicy shabu-shabu and worked through meat, vegetables and finally noodles. The spicy broth version comes with meat, vegetables, tofu, dumplings and potato dumpling (sujebi) all cooked together in a red broth.

Where is Nahonsha, and what does it look like?

Nahonsha sits at 42 Dokmak-ro, 1st floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the stretch between Hapjeong and Sangsu stations. You could check the menu right at the entrance before going in.

Besides clear and spicy broth, there were plenty of other options too — miso, mala, sukiyaki, and more.

An induction burner and pot at every Nahonsha seat

Inside Nahonsha there are seats meant for one person each, and a small induction burner and pot sit at every spot. Instead of sharing one big pot, everyone cooks at their own pace. Once seated, you order through a personal screen right in front of you.

Sauces were lined up nearby, and by the window you could see green trees outside. The interior was done up in wood tones. There was a good range of sauces — peanut, chili, ponzu and more, so you could mix things up as you ate.

The water was barley tea, served in a nice-looking bottle next to me — such a small touch, but I loved it.

What comes with the spicy broth shabu-shabu

What I ordered was the spicy shabu-shabu. It came out with a red broth, thinly sliced meat, vegetables and noodles all served separately.

The vegetable plate had napa cabbage, bok choy, mushrooms and sweet pumpkin, plus tofu and dumplings — though thinking back now, that "tofu" might actually have been fish balls, haha. I started by dropping the vegetables and mushrooms into the spicy broth.

As the cabbage and mushrooms cooked, the vegetable flavor built up in the broth, and after blanching the meat, it turned even richer than at the start. The broth was on the spicy side, but it kept getting better with every ingredient I added.

Cooking the meat and switching between the three sauces

The meat was sliced thin, so I dipped it in the broth just until the color changed. Pulling it out quickly rather than letting it simmer too long suited my taste better.

Since the spicy broth already had plenty of flavor, I ate the first few bites without any sauce. After that, I kept switching sauces, pairing the meat with bok choy and cabbage.

In the middle, I added the tofu, mushrooms and dumplings a little at a time, in the order I planned to eat them. Adding things gradually rather than all at once let me really notice each ingredient's texture.

Finishing the pot with a noodle serving

After the meat, I finished with the noodles. Eating noodles soaked in the broth made the meal feel much more filling than just meat and vegetables alone. It was fun how the broth's flavor kept shifting depending on the order I added things — starting out clean and vegetable-forward.

After blanching meat several times, the broth deepened even more, and by the time I added the final noodles, the flavor had soaked in the most. It's a meal for one, but the process wasn't boring at all — good for a slow, unhurried dinner.

Is Nahonsha worth it for solo diners in Hapjeong?

What impressed me most about Nahonsha was having my own pot to cook at my own pace. When you feel like eating shabu-shabu solo, having a seat with a personal induction burner and pot makes going in alone feel completely natural. Even with a group, everyone can pick a different broth, which is a different vibe from sharing one big pot together. Next time, I'd like to try mala or sukiyaki instead of the spicy broth.