True Seasons Organic Kitchen

The food was excellent! Christian was our server. He helped my girlfriend and I out picking a broth and entrée. The tai lemongrass was amazing, which he recommended for us. We have been there numerous times and will continue to go because of the quality of the food, the deserts/​drinks, and the service. Chef knows what she’s doing! We’ll see you soon True Seasons!

To be honest, I had my shares of shabu shabu all around Southern & Northern CA… while yes the veggies are fresh (they used kale as their green veggie – first time seeing this – nice) all you can refill on veggies and brown/​white rice… quality of meats (quiet a few) aren’t bad, but for what you get out of the entire course… each person cost about $ 50 with tips included (they charge extra for broth… not good, at least we weren’t told that it would be $ 2 extra per pot)
Felt kinda cheated upon leaving the place after paying the bill…
I should be so full, but i wasn’t and was like really? what i just had cost that much?
hummmmm…
maybe that’s why most pple order chicken curry bowl where the place is mainly for shabu?

For the health conscious, Chef even has a commercial Water Alkalizer. That should say a lot about how much pride goes into her food. Food is incredibly flavorful. Don’t ask for spicy if you can’t handle the heat! I’m Thai, but I don’t have a death wish either.
Not only is the food exceptional, chef uses very few ingredients and marries them into dishes that bring your taste buds from end to end. The Majority of her food is handcrafted. She even brews her own Thai Iced Tea! (The pot of dehydrated flowers in the front is what the Thai Tea is made of) Since moving down to California I have been on a mission to find proper Thai Iced Tea. Mission Accomplished.
I usually get the bowls with brown rice. Can’t go wrong with any of them. Salmon is wild caught. Beef is Grass Fed. She makes her own dessert. This is all before I did Hotpot there! The hot pot sauces are incredible. I would go on, but no one would read a 5 page essay on how much pride goes into someone’s food.
Funniest thing is one woman came in saying that she’d rather have in & out. If you’re the biggest fan of In & Out maybe your taste palette has found the wrong place.

I always come here for Shabu Shabu. The soup is good leftovers for next day — I add my own noodle and some meats at home. I like kale with shabu: Taste good, healthy and make good leftovers. Fresh cane juice is a plus. It is sweet naturally without sugar. Love it. Even their popsicle is good. Price reflects their high quality and healthy food.

Best coconut ice cream and great food and service. Healthy and clean. Best hot pot and very relax and cozy place.

I really need to go here when I can sit down and enjoy the meal and include dessert and booze. I was craving something clean and found this place on the Unilocal.It’s not far from where I work so it was a true score because I didn’t have to drive far.
The first time I went I called in an order for a teriyaki chicken bowl. I was a little bummed because they don’t offer brown rice. Although their white rice is organic I try to steer away from white rice. Other than that the dish was delicious. The teriyaki is sweet but not the fake sweet that most others use. I later found out they use agave to sweeten it instead of fake sugar. The second time I went I tried the curry chicken bowl and I wasn’t a fan of it. I’m not sure if it’s prepared differently but the rice was kinda runny. The garlic and truffle salt edamame was bomb! I mean, like really bomb.
I didn’t realize this place has been here for so long. So happy I know about it now.

Vegan Curry Rice Bowl
The Thai bowls are INCREDIBLE. I was surprised at how delicious they were. I normally only get the hot pot dishes. Now I don’t know how I will decide between the hot pot and the curry bowls! The vegan curry was so amazing. My fiancé also had the Thai Curry Chicken bowl which was also mouth watering. Can’t wait to come back.

Wow, what a special place. No GMOs, organic ingredients, gluten-​free options, and flavorful food… it doesn’t get much better than this! We stopped by on my husband’s birthday and were pampered from the moment we stepped through the door. Everyone was helpful and friendly, and they did a great job guiding us since this was our first experience with shabu shabu hot pot cooking.
For our meal, we did one vegetarian shabu (includes a wide array of veggies, rice noodles, bowl of rice, sauces, and cooking broth). And one split plate shabu (which gave us more veggie/​rice noodles, another bowl of rice, more sauces, and a second pan of cooking broth), plus we added on the mushroom assortment. The portions are generous. We had fun trying exotic vegetables for the first time (including lotus root). The food was insanely delicious and prices were quite reasonable considering the high-​quality ingredients.
The owner/​chef stopped by a few times to make sure everything was perfect. She is a lovely lady and was able to answer all of our questions about the organic farms she purchases produce from, and she shared details about her restaurant’s efforts to reduce environmental impact.
Probably one of the best meals my husband and I have had in the LA area. Check it out!!!

This restaurant has both shabu and food from the kitchen available to be ordered. So ASK! about the kitchen items because they don’t have a paper menu for it anymore. This review is for food from the kitchen.
The salmon in the salmon salad was very overcooked and dry! What a waste… I can tell their chef doesn’t have the experience cooking fish. Before ordering it, I was told there was enough salmon left for one person because they don’t want to buy more than they could sell until they can predict the amount of orders a day. That should of been my tip off that something was going to be off. The salad is pretty small and plain for $ 15. The dressing tasted just like the thick dipping peanut sauce for shabu which I didn’t dig. The side of edamame it came with was also on the salty side.
Based off a picture of their desserts which appeared to be served in a tall glass with at least 3 hefty scoops, turned out to be half the size and not that «instagram» worthy lol. But the grean tea and coconut ice cream tasted refreshing and delicious!
Service was friendly but definitely on the slower side with just 3 couples in the entire restaurant.

True Seasons has completely revolutionized the idea that eating out is bad for you.
I’m used to being wary of what I order at restaurants because I’m not one hundred percent sure of what is going into the food that I’m eating. As someone with food allergies, it can be a problem at times. Chef Saifon and her staff do a wonderful job of not only telling you exactly what is in each dish on the menu, but makes it taste great too!
I have been intrigued with the concept of shabu shabu (Japanese style hot pot) lately and once I found that True Seasons served an organic version, I made sure to stop by for dinner.
After being promptly seated around the bar area when I arrived with a friend, my shabu shabu pot was quickly prepared once I placed my order. I opted to try the miso soup base with thinly sliced chicken (which does come with a side of vegetables as well), while my friend tried the vegetarian option with the spicy lemongrass soup base. The chicken was fresh and I was very impressed with the variety of local vegetables that was included (even more so with the vegetarian option — definitely my first time seeing purple cauliflower)! The broth was full of flavor and was complimented well by the tangy pomegranate and savory sesame dipping sauces — my personal favorite being the pomegranate sauce. My friend was also happy with his meal and the flavor of the spicy soup. Getting the chance to cook my meal on the flat top stove was a fun experience and the portion was well worth the price I paid (around the same price point as other shabu shabu restaurants).
They make sure that you are well stocked with rice and vegetables to go along with your soup all throughout the meal and keep checking back on you for more water refills as needed. The customer service was exceptional and I even got the chance to speak with the chef about her philosophy on her restaurant. I left feeling energized with good food and inspired about True Seasons’ mission; I even came back during lunch to try out the wraps, which were just as filling and flavorful as the shabu shabu.

After Chef Saifon and David responded to my update, we decided that True Seasons deserved another shot. So we came in and had dinner the other night. There was no wait, so I’m not sure how the new reservation system is working, but I do know that the food was as amazing as it has always been.
I changed up my order a little this time around. I still chose to upgrade to the spicy miso base but I went with a 6 piece shrimp and added 5 ala carte pieces of chicken. I also added the mung bean glass noodles. I was surprised how much I savored each piece of chicken and I think next time I might get that as my main.
We will be back and I’ll update this review back to 5 stars once I can confirm that they did indeed fix there issues with the wait system.
I’ll close this out with a quick acknowledgement on the time and energy it took for David/​Chef to post their Unilocal reply. If you read it in full, I think you’d agree, it was truly a well thought-​out and heart-​felt letter… that is why we chose to come back after swearing we were done. Thank you for helping us be able to come back, I sure did miss you guys.
Unilocal 100 challenge: ²⁸⁄₁₀₀

First let me start off by saying that coming here with an empty stomach would be best. When you first walk in it has a dark relaxing lighting with a almost bar like setup. At each individual seat there is a pot that is meant for cooking your soups.
They have vegan/​vegetarian options. Me, being a vegan, was very helpful since there isn’t many places specified for my diet. The staff was very nice and helpful. They were very patient and took there time in explaining the process of cooking or food.
I ordered the vegetable soup with miso broth and a side of rice. They have 2 complimentary sides. One is 100 percent sesame seeds mashes into a sauce while the other is a sour pomegranate which is more on the savory side. I also got a berry smoothie which was phenomenal!
All of there options are organic. It is very clean and I’m leaving with a full stomach but I don’t feel groggy like I would usually feel when full. I love this place and although I don’t live nearby, I will definitely visit again.

Exactly what is pictured here, you will get. Really fresh organic food, high quality yumminess. You could totally share a hot pot with someone they give you so much plus a side of rice. The sauces are out of this world fantastic! The hot pot is worth the cost of you share with someone.
I’d only order the zucchini salad during happy hour when it’s half price.
Would not order the shaved ice again, way too expensive!

Parking is crazy here. There’s a bit of construction going on, so that might be add to the craziness.
Coming in, there’s not much of a wait area. We walked in with 7 others about to be seated, and me and my 2 other friends were smack against the door. The host, who wasn’t too pleasant had asked us if we had reservations, and his reply a little sassy. As if we should have made reservations. He did inform us that there was a party that will be leaving soon. Well, the party left, and there didn’t seem to be any urgency to clean up the area so we can be seated. He did come back and inform us of the status of the table, so that kinda put my anxiety at ease, for now. But I’m starting to feel like the Snickers commercial right now being a little sassy with my friends that filling my tummy is way more important.
They were fully attentive as we were seated. Thumbs up for the service now. We are here for the pre fixe choices for the OC Restaurant Week. I haven’t been to a hot pot place before, so not sure how big the meat portions should be. But for the price and the organic quality of the food, it’s a good share. I had informed the server that this was my first time in a place like this, and she didn’t offer to tell me about the dipping sauces or how to cook. I was able to order more veggies, which was great. I love my fill of Napa cabbage and boc choy. I ordered my base as a spicy lemon grass. My server was generous to ask if I liked it really spicy, and I replied I’d like it more mild if possible. So she said she’d put half in and I can add more if I want. Well, she poured all of it in. Thanks for paying attention to what I said. Lol. Yup, that ish was spicy. Oh well, we’ll see how tomorrow morning will be. I chose the grass fed beef, very tasty. The menu included a glass of wine or sake, I had both since another person in our party wanted the sake, I obviously had the wine. That’s the advantage of food in groups. And finally, it ended with some ice cream! YES! My favorite type of dessert! I tried the coconut ice cream. Pretty good, with large chunks of coconut.

Oh! YUMMY!
Did I say this is GOOD?!! Because it is!
Finally an owner & a chef and a server that UNDERSTANDS ORGANIC.
If your not sure what a «hotpot» is THATS OK!
Come in and ask. They will help you.
Our server was Molly. She was efficient. Kind and knowledgable. We prolly drove her cra cra with all our questions! She answered all of them.
The food is ORGANIC! The taste is superb!
We will be back.
Did I mention!!!
It’s ORGANIC?!
Try this fine place its worth it!
Your health IS YOU!

This place offers the freshest produce/​ingredients. Such a refreshing dining experience! I got the hotpot (small organic chicken… which was plentifully filling). The hotpot came with an array of very fresh and organic veggies (bok choy, kale, lotus root, carrots, cabbage). The organic veggies are refillable too! The one downside is the mushroom broth is quite salty… couldn’t drink much of it towards the end.

Cute ambiance. Amazing service. Reasonable price. We stumbled upon True Seasons while looking for a vegan spot around La Palma. It happened to be across the street from where we were. The place is cute — it was my first time going to a hot pot restaurant with this type of setup. Very cozy. We mentioned to our server that it was our first time there, and he was super helpful with the menu suggestions. I ended up ordering the Vegan bowl and my guy got the vegetarian hot pot. Both dishes are amazing. Mine in particular was tasty. I’ll admit, I was expecting it to be a bit bland, but to my surprise, it was bomb. One of the workers (she might have been the owner) asked if I wanted more tofu and I said, «Is that okay?» and she gladly said, «I don’t see why not! :)». And then came my extra tofu. All in all, everything was awesome. I would definitely come back here.

My fiancé has been wanting to try True Seasons for some time now so when we saw there was no wait we decided to go there for lunch.
The wrap around bar seating has burners at each place for ordering hot pot — basically customizing your own soup.
We were greeted by a friendly waitress who explained the restaurant concept to us.
He selected the beef rice bowl which came with spicy sauce and I had the beef wrap which came in a tortilla with mixed greens and carrots.
Both our quick bites came with a bowl of miso soup which was quite bland. I liked it (he didn’t) but we both missed the nori that usually comes in the miso soup at other restaurants where we order it.
Both meals also came with edamame.
Overall he liked the flavor better than I whereas I appreciated the healthiness and the smaller portions.
Despite not being very busy we had to wait quite some time for our check and then for our credit card to be billed.
We also ran out of water.
Overall quality food but lacking some flavor.
He would give this restaurant 3 stars and I would give it 4 — it would earn 5 if the food had more herbs and spices for flavor.
If we returned I would want to try the grassfed beef as it was out when we dined there.

I ordered the Small Grass Fed Chuck without added broth. Your order comes with gluten-​free rice noodles, kale, and napa cabbage. The meat is very high quality and the vegetables are fresh and crisp. I was happy their rice noodle is gluten free as the version available at Asian markets usually contain wheat starch. Since I cannot have soy, I was eating all of this food boiled in plain water and it was a very bland meal. Thus, this place is not good for people with soybean diet issues. I did my best to flavor the water with the minced garlic and chopped green scallions. I also ground a lot of sesame seed on every bite of food I ate. My friends liked the mushroom and spicy miso soup base. Sounds like spicy miso is the way to go.
I like how their iced green tea comes unsweetened and they give you natural cane sugar to sweeten it to your liking.
Ice cream here is unique and incredibly creamy. We ordered the coconut and green tea. The coconut is clearly made with real young coconut flesh. The green tea also surprised me because it’s one of the best green tea ice creams I’ve ever tasted. It’s creamy and has this underlying flavor my friend said is reminiscent of lavender.
Next time my friends come here for shabu, I’m eating ice cream and more ice cream.
Christy (If I remember the name correctly) is an AMAZING staff member. She’s friendly and welcoming and clearly knows the menu. She can recite the drinks and dessert menu without pause. She is also very aware what foods contains certain common allergens. Five star service! Thank you very much! :)

Buddha. Ohm. It’s the calmest, most serene place you’ll ever to eat at. With meditation music and the softest of soft chants, I was put into a Zen-​like state. Namaste.
Organic. You know what that means? Expensive. For lunch, the Shabu Shabu will run you $ 24 – 50, unless your Vegan too, and that’s $ 18. Tack on sides, a drink, and a organic popsicle, and your talking upwards of 50 big ones. Let alone dinner prices, yikes.
I got the Prime Chuck, the lowest price beef out of 4 choices for $ 23. Broth, flavored Spicy Thai Lemongrass ($ 2) — yeah, I like it spicy, Thai Iced Tea ($ 5), and Udon Noodles ($ 3).
All in all, it was a feast. I had to get out of my chair so that I could get a picture… it was 4 – 5 plates of things, along with 4 bowls. To eat, you have to be little bit of a maniac plus a little bit of a drummer — very coordinated. But this is one of my favorite foods of all-​time, so I’m getting better each time.
All in all, it’s the best organic Shabu Shabu I’ve been to (I’ve been to another in Little Osaka, WLA), and a top 10 contender for the category. Well done. Nice service. Winner.