Went to iSquare with friends for lunch between class time. Saw that they had an all-you-can-eat deal and thought we'd try.
The all-you-can-eat for 60 minutes was $88 for normal beef and pork $108 for better beef and pork, and then $208 for Japanese beef (wagyu). Need to add more money for the sukiyaki, the soya bean, or the mixed soup bases (per person). The vegetables and noodles were laid out buffet style, the beef and pork had to be ordered. If you restrict yourself to 1 plate of meat (150g), you're looking at about $30 cheaper for the normal and better beef, and $80 cheaper for the wagyu.
First thing that annoyed us - we were a group of 6, but 2 of us haven't arrived yet. We asked if we could sit down first, but they said no - the 60 minutes start counting down the moment you sit down. If the restaurant was super busy then that's fair because the restaurant has to turn tables around, but there was no one waiting! We didn't understand why we couldn't sit down, and have them start the 60 minutes once they take our order.
Second thing that annoyed us - we had about 5-10 minutes left on the clock, but the staff came by and asked us to pay first, and told us we had 6 minutes left. We were busy eating, so she came by again and said we had to pay first, and that we and 2 minutes left. That really ruined things - a reminder once, say 10 minutes before the end, would be fine. But here, the reminders and exactness of time shows how stingy the restaurant's policy is.
The final draw - they started cleaning up right when time was up, to try to get us to leave. We already knew our time is up, so we thought that meant we couldn't order more meat or get more vegetables or noodles from the buffet. We were a bit annoyed they tried to clean up so fast, especially since there was no one waiting for tables. We had our food cooked in the pot and turned it off, thinking we could sit around for a little bit more to finish eating the food. BUT NO - THEY TOOK THE POT AWAY. That's too extreme, and a waste of food on their part! We were planning to finish off the vegetables and things in the pot.
On a side note, I felt like the beef wasn't consistent - the first plate looked good, but the subsequent plates looked like normal beef, not the better beef that we ordered. It was like they were trying to cheat us out of what we ordered. Also, the seating arrangement was mediocre. We were a party of 6 in a booth, which made it inconvenient for everyone to go out to the buffet. It was also stupid that there was only one pot to share amongst the 6 of us.
For $120 (including service), it was mediocre. It wasn't a pleasurable dining experience, with the super-strict stingy policy and food wastage.