“Let’s eat something light,” I hear this phrase from my parents from time to time when they invite me to dinner but try to avoid heavy carb loading meals. The idea of Shabu-Shabu in our home has to do with soup, meat, vegetables and appetizing balls such as squid balls, lobster balls, mushroom balls, etc., lots of them.

I accepted an invitation from my friend Danah, also known as The Plump Pinay, to discover the latest  shabu-shabu restaurant near Makati Cinema Square called Shabu-Shabu Shogun. Of course, the idea of a light soupy dinner was hanging in my mind, expecting how my shabu-shabu night would turn out.

Before I broke my chopsticks in two, we had a mini introduction by one of the owners Lucas Britanico what Shabu-Shabu really means. In English, shabu-shabu means “swish swish.” My mind boggled for a minute trying to digest how to literally “swish swish” our shabu-shabu dinner. Coming from how I used to dine in shabu-shabu restaurants, all I know is to throw in the ingredients – meat, veggies and balls – into a pot of boiling soup and wait until they’re ready to eat.

Simplicity in its own authentic way makes Shabu-Shabu Shogun stand taller than its competitors. The Japanese-style shabu-shabu believes in keeping things simple yet sticking to the importance of quality ingredients.

Shabu-Shabu Shogun Sauces

Lucas seemed to be excited sharing us the story of their signature sauces. As everyone paid their attention to Lucas, he briefly explained the 3 main sauces that sets their shabu-shabu apart from others.

So, the 3 sauces represent the 3 owners. Kawatasan, one of the Japanese owners (I’m not sure if I spelled the name right though. Hehe.), is quite dark for a Japanese. Thus, he takes the black sauce. Lucas, a Filipino with light brown skin tone, represents the peanut sauce. Lastly, Susumu Sakai, one of their Japanese partners, gets the spicy sauce for his interesting name when said in Filipino.
Don’t you just love the humor of these owners? 😉

You have two choices to cook, either using this hot plate with sukiyaki sauce or using a hot pot with kombu dashi. Other places might entice you with their special broth. At Shabu-Shabu Shogun, they’ve got these 2 guns to hit you.

Using a hot plate like this, heat circulates evenly wherein meat cooks faster.

You’ve got a tray of vegetables to mix…

…and a tray of fresh and marbled meat.

Beat the Eggs

For best tasting shabu-shabu, you must pay attention to this step. Get your small bowl, a piece of raw egg and your chopsticks. Break the egg on the bowl, then beat them using your chopsticks.

Going back to the meaning of shabu-shabu, swish swish defines the action on how to literally cook and eat the ingredients of a real shabu-shabu. Now what you do is dip the meat – or vegetables – either in sukiyaki sauce or kombu dashi broth, then take the second dip on your small bowl of beaten eggs. Take a pause, savor that moment. My first time to drive away from how I usually eat shabu-shabu. It really makes a big difference!

Pair the meat or vegetables with steaming Japanese rice or udon noodles. The pinoy in me chose the soft and sticky rice over noodles. From the two hot plates, I had more rounds of dippings on the sukiyaki plate with the mixture of all 3 in-house signature sauces.

There you go, the classic Japanese way of eating Shabu-Shabu!

Refill your hot plate with sukiyaki sauce if needed. As far as I know, there’s no extra charge for this.

Do you remember the first Sango Master Burger? Shabu-Shabu Shogun took the spot where Sango first stood, specifically along Amorsolo Street near Little Tokyo.

With areas divided in two, you may choose to stay inside a more private room with a smaller area that could accommodate more or less 15 people, or in the more open yet spacious area.

Each table in Shabu-Shabu Shogun has a square-shaped hole for shabu-shabu pots.

Dining in a shabu-shabu restaurant with friends builds the bond through cooking with one another.

Two good friends, inside and outside the blogging community. One night isn’t enough to catch up and talk about our lives – and love lives. :p

What do you think of Shabu-Shabu Shogun in Makati?

Share with me your thoughts foodie! 🙂

Cheers,

Location: Amorsolo Street cor. VA Rufino Street, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Operating Hours: 12:00PM-2:00PM, 6:00PM-11:00PM (Mon-Fri) / 5:00PM-11:00PM (Sat & Sun)

Contact: (+632) 801-1770

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shabushabushogunmakati

Budget: PHP400++

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