I love the open set-up, consisting mostly of bars and countertops with strategically-placed shabu pots. Unfortunately, the placing of the seats needs work. There was a lot of awkward, hope-you-wore-deodorant reaching-over-your-neighbor to get to your pot. Seeing your meat sliced in front you is a perk, but with so many people eating and only one person slicing, you also see how slowly they move.
No sukiyaki broth at the soft opening, but the traditional slice of seaweed stews suitably in a soon-to-be soup.
Appetizers are for other places, but the veggies are plenty to tempt the palate. You get a little bit of everything and just enough of anything. Napa cabbage stews up nicely, as do all the different mushrooms. Kabocha is a nice touch, the tofu is a classic, and there's even a sweet little fishcake and a lobster bouncy-ball to round it out.
All three dipping sauces go with everything, and you can amuse yourself with dipping different ends of each vegetable in different sauces while you wait for the meat. All permutations of salty and bitter House Barbecue; toasty, nutty Sesame, and light soy n' sour Seafood Sauce taste surprisingly good.
The seafood features quite the selection of giant mussels, sizable shrimp, and these medium Scallops. A little on the rubbery, slippery side but at worst the quality is standard. It's prime time with paper-thin slices of Angus Prime Ribeye. You can see through the slices, but the flavor is solid and full.
It's game on with the Lamb. Tougher but just as thin. The US Kobe is lighter and less in-your-face, but all of them add a lot of savor as they stew.
When I went to IShabu Shabu, it was so brand-spanking-new, like shoes that need to be broken in. It was expectedly rough around the edges and had a lot kinks to iron out, but this friendly, family-owned shabu shack is a welcome alternative to King Shabu, and I think their potential will bubble as every pot boils.
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