A note on the words: shabu-shabu is a hotpot dish where thinly sliced meat is typically swished through simmering broth, though here guests are told not to swish, instead steaming the Agu pork gently over a bed of vegetables to preserve its juices. Agu pork is a prized Okinawan breed known for its rich sweetness and low-melting fat. Umibudo are sea grapes, an Okinawan seaweed with crisp popping pearls, while dashi mozuku features delicate stringy seaweed served in a light savory broth rather than vinegar. Shima-masu is traditional Okinawan sea salt, and koregusu is a pungent island condiment of hot chillies steeped in awamori liquor, splashed here over the closing bowl of Okinawa soba.
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Shabu Tei Kotobuki Ikebukuro honten on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. This time I visited “Shabu Tei Kotobuki” in Ikebukuro.
They say you can enjoy shabu-shabu made with Okinawan Agu pork here, so I was looking forward to it! It is located on the west side of Ikebukuro, heading toward Rikkyo University, barely a five-minute walk from exit C3. Right outside the west exit the area is transformed into a sleepless neon city, but once you come this far out it feels quiet and relaxed. Perhaps having a fairly large park nearby helps keep it calm.
Up the elevator to the fifth floor!
Stepping out of the elevator, a wooden door greets you. It gives off a refined, upscale air that makes your heart flutter a little, but opening it reveals a welcoming restaurant inside!
Agu pork belly course — 5,000 yen
Agu pork belly and loin combination course — 6,000 yen
Agu pork belly and prime Ishigaki beef rib-eye course — 8,500 yen
This time I went with the 5,000-yen Agu pork belly course. You can choose your broth from kombu dashi, kohaku dashi (the amber broth), or spicy miso dashi, but they said kohaku dashi is their recommendation. The spicy miso broth looked tempting and caught my eye, but for the first visit I opted for the recommended bonito and kombu amber broth. They mentioned you could add an all-you-can-drink plan for 2,200 yen, so I took it without hesitation.
With that, the first beer arrived and I took a brisk sip. The finest moment!
Umibudo (sea grapes) from Kumejima and dashi mozuku (mozuku seaweed in a light broth).
Look at these sea-grape clusters. They are much larger than your average sea grapes, ha. They told me that pouring the sauce over them would cause them to deflate, so dip them into the sauce instead. Eating them, the crisp, popping texture of the sea grapes is utterly delicious!
Here is the dashi mozuku.
In a gentle broth, it is thoroughly delicious. It feels different from regular mozuku su (mozuku in vinegar), pleasantly novel!
Apparently this is Ishigaki beef shabu-shabu.
Just when I thought it would be only Agu pork, bringing out Ishigaki beef as today’s special dish is a classy touch. Tender and melt-in-the-mouth, it’s wonderful!
At this point, I switched from beer to a highball! How many did I drink? In the end, all I remember is that I ordered a lot of refills, ha.
Here it comes: the beautiful, amber-colored broth!
And with it, a mountain of vegetables and the meat!
The petal-like arrangement of the pork belly is gorgeous. Looks delicious.
As for condiments, there are three types: an Okinawan salt called shima-masu, ume-katsuo (plum and bonito), and shikuwasa (an Okinawan citrus) pepper;
there is also shima rayu (Okinawan chilli oil)! The dipping sauces are ponzu and sesame sauce.
There seems to be a specific way to eat the shabu-shabu: first put in about a third of the vegetables and wait a moment.
Then the staff comes by to place the meat in the pot for you.
And remarkably, even though it is shabu-shabu, swishing the meat is forbidden (!?).
Apparently you lay the meat atop the vegetables and let it cook as if steaming; they said swishing it around lets all that precious flavor escape. They advised eating the first slice with shima-masu, the Okinawan salt, so I took it with salt.
Mmm, delicious. Agu pork is said to have a lower melting point for its fat than ordinary pork, giving it a melt-in-the-mouth texture.
It gives an initial impression of having quite a bit of fat, but the melting fat is remarkably silky, bringing out a rich savor and sweetness. Eating it with salt certainly helps highlight that, and you really taste the sweetness! Fantastic!
From here on, I kept eating by trying various combinations with the ponzu, sesame sauce and other condiments.
Man, this is good. There is plenty of volume too, so you leave thoroughly full.
At the end of the meal, they explained you could choose between zosui (a rice porridge) and Okinawa soba for the closing dish.
I was already leaning toward Okinawa soba, and when they recommended it, my mind was made up instantly!
They told me the noodles were already seasoned and pre-boiled, so letting them warm in the broth for about 30 seconds was all it took.
With a flat-ish shape, the Okinawa soba has a satisfying, hearty heft, ha.
They also handed me koregusu (chilli peppers steeped in awamori), so I splashed it generously over the noodles!
The verdict: incredibly delicious, ha.
The noodles are substantial and flavorful on their own, pairing wonderfully with the gentle broth. The bright, sharp heat of the koregusu splashed across them works brilliantly. Honestly, wouldn’t there be serious demand for this Okinawa soba at lunchtime, ha?
For the finale, they said there was ice cream with a choice between pistachio and an Apollo-like flavor (reminiscent of the strawberry-and-chocolate Japanese sweet),
so I ordered one of each.
I had wondered how filling the course would be, but by the time dessert arrived, I was completely full! I was glad to learn how different Agu pork is from everyday shabu-shabu. Not only the pork, but the vegetables too were delicious, and above all, while I can’t speak for the zosui since I didn’t try it, the Okinawa soba is wildly good, so I definitely urge you to pick that the first time! Ha. I have no idea how many highballs I put away, but 5,000 yen for the food and 2,200 yen for the all-you-can-drink felt like a great bargain!
Shabu Tei Kotobuki Ikebukuro honten (Pork shabu-shabu / Ikebukuro Station, Kanamecho Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.7
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
