By Sandi Masori
CARLSBAD, California — When I lived in Japan back in my 20s, one of my favorite foods there was Shabu Shabu. This funny sounding name is the onomatopoeic sound that the Japanese hear when thinly sliced meats and vegetables are dipped into water. In English it could be translated as “swish swish.” Similar to fondue, this form of hot pot has a bowl of broth, in the center of the table, or in front of each diner, and various meats and veggies are added to cook in the broth, and then dipped in sauces before eating. While not specifically kosher, it’s a great one for kosher style as there’s no dairy, and in my humble opinion is more delicious with beef than pork or shellfish.
In Japanese Shabu Shabu, the two main sauces are Ponzu, which is a tangy citrus soy sauce, and Gomu, which is similar to Tahini in that it’s made from sesame. My favorite sauce is the ponzu, but it’s hard to find a really good versions here in the U.S.
Most hot pot restaurants in San Diego are all-you-can-eat and more in the Taiwanese style. They’re good, but slightly different in style and flavor. Also, with all-you-can-eat, you can’t take any leftovers home, and sometimes I just can’t eat enough to justify all-you-can-eat (rarely, but it happens!) So, you can imagine how excited I was to discover a relatively new Shabu place that not only has more traditional Japanese style Shabu Shabu, it’s also on the restaurant gift card that you can buy at a discount at Costco.
I’ll come back to the gift card in a minute, but first, let’s talk about Tabu Shabu. It has a total of eight locations, but only two are in San Diego County; one in the North Park community of San Diego and the other in the Bressi Ranch area of Carlsbad. The options and flavors are the same, but I greatly prefer the Bressi Ranch location to the North Park one for the simple fact that it has ample parking while the North Park one has none, at all, whatsoever. But if you live in walking distance, I highly recommend it.
The Bressi Ranch location features a large U-shaped bar, and there is a hot plate in front of each seat, so each diner gets an individual meal. This is especially nice if you’re eating with people who have different dietary restrictions than you.
When you sit at the bar, they will direct you to choose a broth, and then to choose your protein, noodles and rice. They have six different types of beef ranging from Prime to Wagyu. I usually get the prime reserve as I prefer a leaner cut of meat to a more marbled one. The more marbled ones are considered better by most people though. A pot that is shaped somewhat like a bunt cake pan is put in front of you and left to boil while they go fetch the veggies and meats. You’ll get a bowl of rice, a huge plate of veggies, some variety of noodle (I choose udon usually) and a plate of thinly sliced meat.
First, the veggies that take a long time to cook go into the water. Then you can dip your meat, until it is cooked to taste, dip into the sauce and yum! Flavor explosion! Their ponzu sauce is so good it instantly took me back to being in Japan 25 years ago.
So now that I’ve whet your appetite, let’s talk about the Costco restaurant cards. They recently went through a name change and are now called the Synergy gift card. You can buy $100 worth of cards for $70 all the time, but if you wait for week before a holiday, they’re often $10 off, which means that you’re really getting a 40% discount off the food.
Now, it’s important to remember when you’re using the gift cards that they cannot be used for the tip- so plan to tip in cash. Every restaurant has different rules about how many cards can be used per diner, but Tabu Shabu welcomes them completely.
This is not a fast meal. But is a great meal when you want to take some time to eat slowly and savor your food and your company. In the past month I have gone there multiple times, so I’m definitely a fan, and I highly recommend this restaurant.
Tabu Shabu in Bressi Ranch is located at 2674 Gateway Road, Ste 190 Carlsbad. Tabu Shabu in North Park is located at 3647 30th St., San Diego.
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Sandi Masori is a food and theatre reviewer for San Diego Jewish World. When she’s not watching local theatre she helps people self-publish their books on Amazon, hangs out with her kids and hunts for the best sushi in town.