A note on the words: shabu-shabu is the hotpot where you swish paper-thin slices of beef through simmering broth for a few seconds and dip them in sauce; the name is the sound of the swishing. Yukhoe is the Korean dish of seasoned raw meat. Namul are seasoned vegetable side dishes. Shime is the closing dish — here, noodles or zosui, rice simmered in the broth left in the pot. Otoshi is the small appetizer you are charged for on sitting down.
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Azabu Kabuto Bekkan on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Right, this is Hangover Meshi. So, back again to the Azabu Kabuto annex! This time not yakiniku but shabu-shabu. I heard there is a premium shabu-shabu set available to only three groups a day, was invited along, and off I went!
I never expected to be back quite this soon!
[Three groups a day only] Saga beef shabu-shabu, the 7,880 yen course [with two hours of all-you-can-drink], 7,880 yen
[Three groups a day only] Saga beef sukiyaki, the 8,880 yen course [with two hours of all-you-can-drink], 8,800 yen
[Premium Saga beef, the ultimate cuts course — A] nine dishes, 6,380 yen
[Premium Saga beef, the ultimate cuts course — B] eleven dishes, 8,800 yen
There is plenty to choose from, but this time we went for the 7,880 yen Saga beef shabu-shabu course!
Two hours of all-you-can-drink included at that price is good value.
And this time we were shown to a private room. Lucky!
First the dipping sauces, sesame and soy.
The otoshi namul and yukhoe of Saga beef cooked sous-vide.
It is a pleasure that the yukhoe comes in an individual bowl each! No need to be polite about it ^^
This is one slice each, so we take them one at a time from here.
The yukhoe just now was so carefully done, and then suddenly a shared platter, ha. It is simmered soft enough to fall apart, and delicious is certainly what it is.
The vegetables for everyone.
Napa cabbage and shungiku, scallion, shiitake, shimeji.
With the napa cabbage in there it looks like rather a lot, but once cooked the bulk drops away considerably and it goes down easily.
And this is the Saga beef!!!
Remarkable meat. It looks beautiful, and above all that vivid color looks extremely good.
The marbling is fine too! And so, straight in.
In it goes into the dashi, and swish, swish…
Mmm, delicious. The meat has such power to it that even a clean kombu dashi is plenty good enough!
The vegetables are coming along nicely too.
Just as I was thinking how good the meat is, we were told the shime is either zosui or udon, so I chose the udon.
Eat the udon at the end as well and you are completely full! Thoroughly satisfied.
Not just yakiniku — the shabu-shabu is good too! Considering this price and the value of the all-you-can-drink, is that not rather good. And if you can get a private room you can spend a very comfortable evening (although, come to think of it, I am not sure I have ever seen a seat here that was not in a private room — do non-private seats even exist, I wonder). Honestly, if asked which is better to eat here, yakiniku or this, I do find myself thinking yakiniku, ha. But shabu-shabu is something I eat less often, so when the mood takes you now and then, why not.
Azabu Kabuto Bekkan (Shabu-shabu / Azabu-juban Station, Akabanebashi Station, Roppongi Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.4
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
