Wooow... oh me oh my... did NOT expect this place to be THAT good! Last time I had incredible shabu shabu like this was at Maruyama's spot at Little Tokyo in Downtown LA! Just incredible. Their broth selection, meat selection, marinade, ghost pepper sauce, spacious parking, customer service... on point!! My favorite Japanese meal is shabu shabu and I've eaten at plenty of spots (including those I've tried in Japan itself) but none came close to Little Tokyo's shabu shabu. This one comes so close, I dare say it's on par!
Parking is extremely easy as this spot shares parking with the dim sum restaurant just adjacent to it.
Seating is adequate - bar seating or tables. Have a party? Call ahead and reserve. Service is very accommodating and wonderful, zero complaints.
Food? Omg. So good. I'll do my best to keep it aligned for your consideration in case you want a similar experience. Otherwise I'd be all over the place as that's just how crazy I am about their shabu shabu! For those entirely new to shabu shabu and afraid to give it a shot - don't be! Very friendly staff here. I'll also include some simple steps at the end in case it helps ease your experience. Ambience is very friendly, welcome, classy, and comfortable for a fun gathering with a date, friends, family, or by yourself!
Now for the experience. Ordered for my entire party of 8.
TIP: See some gray rubber trays on the table? Don't move it. That's where your pot will go as they have some advanced heaters built into the tables. See the burnt marks on the table? That's because people moved the gray rubber stuff. So yea, don't move it.
1. BROTH. Original, just plain water. We wanted the sauces to speak for themselves and not have the broth tamper with the taste.
2. MEAT. Kataroshin. They had Wagyu beef. Had to try it. And you know it's fantastic Wagyu if it has an incredible amount of marbleization! (White lines that look like cracks funneling through the meat slices) Pricey? Yes. Worth it? Heck ya. They have another higher quality Wagyu but I don't have a tree that grows gold so pass for now (maybe next time with just my wife and I). This meat absolutely melts in your mouth and every single bite is nirvana itself... this right here was easily 5+ stars for a Yelp rating!
3. SIZE. For a party of 8 - we ordered 3 SH plates (32 slices each). This happened to be perfect! We even were left with a few slices leftover which is a total waste, I know, but we were so full we just couldn't reach the finish line.
4. MARINADE. You have an option to have their special marinade come with the meat or on the side. We asked for it to be on the side as we were afraid it would mess with the taste. Oh man!! Their marinade was PRESTIGE!! SO DELICIOUS!! Hard to explain but let's just say my taste buds were doing the tango. Lol
5. EXTRAS FOR PONZU SAUCE. Asked for the must have extras to mix with the ponzu sauce - garlic, radish, green onions. Red pepper also for that extra kick!
6. GHOST PEPPER DROPS. This was new to me - ghost pepper drops into the broth? It frightened me, to be perfectly honest, as I didn't want to have a burning tongue for the entire meal. Just asked for 1 drop into the broth, but turns out I should've asked for 2! It really helps brings out the flavor with every bite!
I can't recommend this place more than I possibly can. Highly, highly, highly recommended. No wait time right now, but as this place gains more traction I can see them getting extremely busy. Can't wait to go back for more!! I'm salivating just writing this review
[New to shabu shabu? Read on.]
Simple steps for Shabu Shabu newcomers:
1. Wait for broth to boil. Bring down the heat a tad once boiling. Ask for 1-2 drops ghost pepper into broth.
2. Place vegetables into boiling water. Do NOT put the meat at this time.
3. Mix the marinade.
4. Add extras (garlic, radish, green onions) to ponzu sauce. Mix. Add some red pepper for extra kick.
5. Pick up one slice of meat at a time. Don't grab a clunk of meat - enjoy the delicacy of every single slice.
6. Dip meat into marinade and get it nice and tasty.
7. Dip marinaded meat into hot water - "shabu shabu" I believe means "swish swish" so literally just for a couple seconds, not long!!
8. Dip meat into your ponzu sauce that already has the extras mixed in.
9. Take a nice big bite and enjoy with your rice!
*10. Sesame sauce (brown), if you'd like, is for your vegetables to dip after they're cooked nice and soft.
Honestly you can do whatever you want, but this is what I've learned through the years and having visited Japan. Just be sure to enjoy yourself!! read more