shabu shabu paradise

Hi there!  Boy did this week fly by for me.  Anyone else?  Work is definitely picking up with new projects and the days are getting away from me.  A couple days I haven’t gotten to lunch until 3pm I’ve been so enthralled with things to do!  I definitely make sure to get a snack or two in between meetings though.  I also had to work today, but am getting through and enjoying the moments that make life special.  It’s always so important to fit in those things that make us who we are and make us happy.  Last night Chris took me out to a surprise dinner for our Valentine’s celebration.  It was quite the adventure and lots of fun!  

“One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.” ~ Iris Murdoch

When I finally got home from work and an appointment, we set off in the direction of a few of the restaurants that we usually frequent.  As we pulled into the parking lot of one of our favorite Italian places, I thought we would surely be going there to enjoy some vino and Italian specialties.  As we started walking up to the front, at the last minute Chris pulled me in a slightly new direction to a place next door… Shabu Shabu Paradise.  At first I was surprised and was soon excited to try something I’ve never had before. It’s always good to have something different, right?

Shabu Shabu is not your traditional dining experience.  The name Shabu Shabu is derived from the “swish swish” sound of cooking the meat in the pot.  Sitting around a gently boiling pot of water with various raw veggies, meats, seafood, dipping sauces and rice, you get to cook your own food by swishing it in the water. uh raw meat did you say?!  I was a little hesitant at first too, but it’s sliced really thin and is very clean and fresh.

This was so much fun!

We also decided to try some premium quality sake.  Usually I’m not a fan of sake because it isn’t smooth and usually tastes rough, but the ones we tried were really quite delicious, smooth and flavorful.

The quality of the sake depends on how much of the outer kernel of the rice kernel is milled away.  Milling removes the protein and fatty acids in the kernel and leaves the dense starch packet.  The more the outer kernel is milled away, the higher quality of sake.  Standard Junmai sake will use rice milled down to 70% of the kernel size and is usually aged 3 months.  Junmai-Ginjo and Tokubet Junmai sake will use rice milled down to less than 60% and is aged 6 months.  The cream of the crop Junmai Dai Ginjo sake will use rice milled down to less than 50% and is aged for 9 months.  These higher end ones were $20-23 a glass!

I went with a stardard sake (Junmai) called Urakasumi from Miyagi.  They served the sake in these boxes and as the server poured it to the brim it overflowed into the box.  It was light-bodied, slightly sweet and flavorful.

You start out with a nice salad (we had 2 bowls)

Then they bring out all the veggies and dipping sauces.  The ponzu on the right and the peanut sauce in the middle were my favorites.  The one on the left was super spicy for my tongue.

Here is the beef and scallop combo.

I added some mushrooms to my meat/seafood combo for some earthiness.

Once everything is out and the water gently boils, then you throw whatever you want into the pot.  Veggies and noodles take 2-3 minutes, the scallops cook for 1 minute, and the meat only requires a 5 second swish swish in the pot.

As you cook the meat there is a white film that sits on the top of the water so they bring out a separate skimmer to take off that layer into a separate pot.

After the meal they brought us a nice little bowl of refreshing ice cream with a tiny spoon!  so cute

I loved this meal because it required some time in between bites and you had to keep track of what you had going in the pot and for how long. It was filling but I didn’t feel overly stuffed which was great  I would highly recommend Shabu Shabu Paradise for a non-traditional yet delicious dining experience.

After recovering from my bike race last weekend with a massage, some reformer pilates and an easy trainer ride, I plan on getting my butt on the road tomorrow and catching up on house cleaning, grocery shopping and meal prepping.

Any unusual but delicious dining experiences lately?  Do you like trying new foods?