Healthy Shabu Shabu

Waiting for the waiter to pour stock into the hot pot

Mr. G was craving for Spanish but the Spanish place near Oyster Bar in Powerplant has closed down. I thought he would drag me to The Fort or elsewhere for a paella. Instead, he settled for shabu shabu.

Waiting for the stock (called dashi) to boil

I'm of the belief that eating at a shabu shabu restaurant is less about the food and more about the experience. But I always wondered whether I did things right (more about that later).

There were controls on the table to regulate the amount of heat

It didn't take long before the broth was in full boil

I flavored the broth with ginger, scallions, bird's eye chili, and shrimp paste

Mr. G ordered a mix of meat (US Angus) and seafood (group B on the menu, the one with prawns, salmon, scallops and green mussels). I opted for the same combination but with a different meat (beef tenderloin).

The ponzu, which I poured into the broth

Our orders came with the standard serving of greens, tofu, kani, corn, shiitake mushroom, udon noodles, squid and chicken balls, and egg.

According to my research, we did most things right, except for the ponzu, which is usually used as a dipping sauce. You can season it to taste with the serving of scallions, chilli, and ginger, and even combine the egg with the dip to make a more unctuous sauce.

You can then fish the meat and veggies out of the broth and dip it in the sauce. Oh well. Next time.