I was in LA this past weekend and went to Koji's Japan Restaurant and tried Shabu Shabu for the first time. I got an order of thinly sliced raw chicken and pork then a platter of veggies, noodles, and raw salmon, a real mix of everything! Each person had their own boiling pot of water infront of them in the table and cooked their own food, then after had an array of different sauces to dip in. It was delicious and only $30 a person. My brother said this type of restaurant is very hard to find and there are only a few scattered in San Fran, LA, San Diego, NYC and elsewhere. Does anyone know of a Shabu Shabu restaurant on the east coast, perhaps near Richmond, VA? Thank you in advance.

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"hotpot" is another term for basically the same thing. Typically the chinese/korean joints that have it advertise hotpot....

But hotpot and "shabu shabu" are very different. In traditional shabu shabu we use very thinly sliced beef which we "swish" around in a boiling pot of water flavoured with "kombu" and dip into a few different kinds of sauces (usually soya based sour sauce and a sesame flavoured one with some condiments like minced ginger, green onions, etc). Then, vegetables are placed into the pot along with tofu and eaten the same way. Finally, the broth is used to make a rice porridge and/or as the soup for "kishi-men" noodles (like Japanese fettuccini). At home we would cook this ourselves but at the fancier restaurants in Japan a hostess does the cooking for you.

While I do not know of any in Virginia I know there are some in NYC. I will try to find them....

[QUOTE=luxury] In traditional shabu shabu we use very thinly sliced beef which we "swish" around in a boiling pot of water flavoured with "kombu" and dip into a few different kinds of sauces (usually soya based sour sauce and a sesame flavoured one with some condiments like minced ginger, green onions, etc). Then, vegetables are placed into the pot along with tofu and eaten the same way. Finally, the broth is used to make a rice porridge and/or as the soup for "kishi-men" noodles (like Japanese fettuccini).[QUOTE]


This is exactly what we had with 2 kinds of sauces like you've described. We cooked this ourselves which is what I enjoyed so much. We have a ton of Kobe and Japanese Steakhouses in Richmond where someone cooks at your table which I enjoy but I prefer cooking at my own pace and doing it myself. The only thing close to this in Virginia is probably the Melting Pot but I prefer Japanese food. Thanks for your help, I'll have to make a trip to NYC soon.

They also have a restaurant in Garden Grove and it's my 'new favorite' Just went last week. I accidentally discovered it -- not being familiar with shabu shabu -- in Dec because they are in the Entertainment Book. The Hollywood location is on restaurant.com. Also, they both have 50% discounts on Mon-Thurs till 6 pm ^

Off the top of my head, there's Lan and Shabu-Tatsu in the East Village (disclaimer: have never been to Lan, haven't been to Shabu-Tatsu in years).

Ok.. I've had hotpot in China and shabu shabu in the LA area and I didn't think there was a ton of difference. Suppose it's subtle but essentally, it was take a piece of meat or veggies, dip it into the boiling hot water for a short time and eat up.

In New York you have Shabu-Shabu on 70th street (close to 2nd). it's a Japanese family that runs it.

Shabu-Shabu 70 (212) 861-5635 - 314 E 70th St # 1, New York, NY -

Swish in New York City is great for Shabu Shabu. My wife and I were there a few months ago and really enjoyed it.

This is IMO, but I don't find the draw to pay $30 for boil-your-self meat. Yes, I've tried shabu shabu, and I felt totally ripped off.

But yes, plenty of shabu shabu places around California.

Several in BOS also, mostly in Chinatown although I just saw a sign for one in the financial district.

Isn't this vaguely similar to what's called STEAMBOAT in Singapore?

... great little place in Shinjuku called Momo Para... all you can eat Shabu-Shabu for ~2,500 yen per person... saw one in Taipei the last time I was there as well...

Fugakyu in Brookline (Coolidge Corner) does an excellent Shabu Shahu in addition to being one of the best sushi restaurants in Boston.