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| Posted: 03 Nov 2011 06:20 PM PDT  Call it shabu-shabu, syabu-syabu, hot pot or even steamboat. Call it whatever you want, and it will still be the same, fun experience of cooking your own food in a big pot of soup. A Japanese variation of the hot pot, shabu-shabu’s main difference is that each person gets an individual pot of boiling hot soup to cook his or her food, without sharing it like the Chinese hot pot. In this sense, each pot of soup is hygienic, customizable and personal. Don’t like beef, don’t put it in!
Can you spot the one that got away? One thing I dislike about buffets is the crowds. And the fast-disappearing food from the buffet line. Living in a predominantly kiasu land, it’s not common to find buffet tables to be nearly empty almost as soon as they’re served. Thankfully, I did not face this problem with Nagomi. Every time I went to the buffet line, the food was always at least half-full and the crowd was not that alarming. I always had time to leisurely walk around, observe each dish, decide whether I should choose one or the other, before moving on. What’s the rush?
The buffet spread One thing that captivated me was the fresh mini lobsters that were still swimming in the tray filled with water! A few of them even managed to escape the tray, onto the table. When I tried to take a couple of them onto my plate, they started crawling and fell on the floor. Talk about running away.
Variety of fish balls, crab sticks, meat balls and the like Apart from the lobsters, most of the other seafood offered were fresh, notably the fish slices, prawns and bamboo clams. The crayfish and crab were marvellous for the miso soup. I added them in at the beginning before anything else and they made the soup so much sweeter and delicious.
Fresh prawns, crabs, clams, bamboo clams, mussels and squid
Crayfish
Fresh fish slices Apart from the raw food spread, there was also a section dedicated to Sushi and Sashimi. Yes, Salmon Sashimi to be exact – they are offered only from 8 to 9pm daily, signaled by the ring of the bell. The sashimi slices were fresh to be eaten on its own, or they can be blanched in the sweet miso soup. Saucer enjoyed the blanched version very much – he called it the half-boiled sashimi.
Noodles and salad
The variety of greens Of course, the main star of shabu-shabu is the thinly sliced meat. There were 4 choices to choose from: chicken, lamb, beef and duck. Duck? It was my first time. Although I found the meat to be a little on the tough side, the aroma was unmistakable, and it was thankfully, fresh. My favourite had to be the lamb and beef slices though, just swish-swish for about 10 seconds in the bubbling soup, and they would be tender and juicy.
Sushi and thinly sliced meat
Selection of sushi
Sweet desserts
Tofu The selection of sauces was so huge it was overwhelming. I didn’t know which ones to choose so I asked a waiter for recommendation. According to him, the top 3 sauces were the Goma (sesame) sauce, Ponzu (vinegar) and Nyonya (spicy) sauce. I enjoyed the Goma sauce the most especially with the sliced meat. For seafood, I preferred to eat them on their own or with spicy chilli sauce. What to do? I’m a chilli addict.
Variety of sauces
Sliced lamb
Bubbling pot of shabu-shabu One more thing, look out for the incredibly long fish noodles from the meat ball counter. These noodles were thick and long, and tasted like fish ball – so very bouncy! I’d rather eat these than normal noodles anytime.
The long fish noodle
Comfortable dining environment Even though the selection was not that extensive, the seafood and meat slices were definitely of top quality. This is the case where quality triumphed over quality, and I certainly have no complaints. My only gripe, perhaps, was the lack of dessert in the selection. They only had several trays of fruits and kuih offered. Some ice-cream would be great to cool us down, perhaps? Just my 2 cents! Otherwise, this is one buffet that is good value for money, considering the quality of food offered.
Nagomi Shabu-Shabu Japanese Restaurant Buffet price: Adult = RM32.80++, Children 5-12 years = RM18.80++ Nagomi Shabu-Shabu @ Menara Hap Seng |
I personally enjoy shabu-shabu on a cold, rainy night, when the low temperature sends chills down my spines and makes my hair stand. The steaming hot food and bubbling soup are my number one cure. That night, we ended up at Nagomi Shabu-Shabu to try their newly launched Shabu-Shabu Buffet.
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