Shabu Chic - A Review

Oh my goodness... if any of you are in the Seattle area, you MUST try shabu shabu at the best place ever, located in the International District: Shabu Chic.

Photo Credit: www.tripadvisor.com

Ok... so I am expecting that some of you are looking at the screen, trying to figure out what the heck shabu shabu (pronounced "shawboo shawboo") is. Well, you may have gathered it is a type of food, and you would be right! It is a traditional Japanese style of food that is truly something you should try at least once in your life! Basically, you have a pot of boiling broth, and a huge plate of veggies and meat. Typically it is beef, but Shabu Chic also offers chicken or pork dumplings. Although, I don't believe that is as traditional.

The broth is usually a seaweed broth, very mild, but my favorite is the sukiyaki, which is a little sweeter. They also have a spicy miso broth if you like a little kick. Once the broth is a-boilin', you get to do the fun stuff. You dunk your meat and veggies right into the broth, cooking them within a few seconds, dip it into a sesame or ponzu sauce, and stick it right in your mouth! You basically have a freshly cooked bite of meat every time! And the slices are so thin, you just swish them around in the broth a little and it is perfectly cooked.

Photo Credit: www.blog.pirq.com

The flavors are so fresh and clean that even when you are full, you don't feel heavy in the belly. The veggies are unbelievably fresh, and they give you a large selection including baby bok choy, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, and mushrooms. They also give you a little bit of tofu and udon noodles.

The one thing I must say, you should probably have a good grasp on the use of chopsticks, or be prepared to learn quickly! I wasn't too shabby to begin with, but eating "shawb" a few times has allowed my skills to really flourish! :)

All of the staff members are very nice, and even though we have only been there twice so far, they already remember who we are. :)

Ok, I am going to end this post before my keyboard shorts out from the drool! :)

Bon Appetit!