Shabbusen Japanese Yakiniku House
The first time I had shabu-shabu was in Taiwan; where exactly it was or what the name of the restaurant was remains a mystery to me. The food, however, was simply fabulous.
While in Vancouver to attend a conference, I was awed by the number and quality of Asian restaurants. When the group I was with asked where we should go, I said I didn't really care, but it had to be some type of Asian food. The rest of my group readily agreed and we quickly chose Shabusen, located right near the conference hotel and also receiving good word of mouth at the conference.
Our group of five was early enough to not need a reservation, but the restaurant quickly filled up. We were seated – by the efficient and brusque staff – in a booth designed as a small dinghy. We had some trouble climbing “aboard” (only realizing too late you should take off your shoes and just walk on the seats). Once settled in, I started to examine the complex menu. There were lots of choices, all arranged around various pan-Asian options. The rest of the group settled for the Chinese version of the bento box, but I opted for the shabu-shabu, partly to satisfy their curiosity and also to compare to my Taiwan experience.
Shabu-shabu, for those of you who don't know, is a variation on the hot pot idea. You're given a pot of broth that is heated at your table, and plates of uncooked food. In my case I had beef, various cabbages, mushrooms, tofu, etc. There is also a sauce or two for you to add to the blend.
You throw everything in the pot and stir and wait.
The non-meat options were a little heavy on the cabbage (none of the tofu variations or fish add-inn that I had in Taiwan). Also, there were only two sauces, a peanut sauce and a thicker, not too spicy sauce.
The boxes were a hit with the rest of the table (quite large servings by the way) and my shabu-shabu was good, if not great. I think it will always be hard to match that first shabu-shabu experience.
Meal: Dinner
Rating: *** 1/2
Date: 9 November 2009
Address: 202-755 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1X6, Canada
Website: http://www.shabusen.com/
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