[Irvine] [Japanese] House of Shabu Shabu

House of Shabu Shabu
5394 Walnut Ave # A
Irvine, CA 92604-2548
(949) 654-9400

I was craving for shabu shabu, and Dr. P had time to have lunch with me on a weekday.  Shabu shabu is always a few dollars cheaper for lunch.  Perfect!  We went to try House of Shabu Shabu for the first time.



Lunch price ranges from $10 to $40, and that $40 was for Kobe beef.  They also offer combination plates with two different items.  Besides shabu shabu, you can also order sushi.




The shabu shabu broth was made with a small piece of kombu, which is a type of seaweed.



And if you dare, you can also ask the owner to add a drop (or a few) of their special "hot drop" into the broth.  Dr. P asked the owner about it.  But he was like "are you sure?  It's really spicy.  You think about it."  So Dr. P decided maybe next time he'll try.


Ponzu sauce / Goma sauce

Two sauces were offered, ponzu sauce and goma (sesame) sauce.  Their ponzu tasted just alright.  The one at California Shabu Shabu was better.


Sapporo Mug ($2.00)

While we were waiting for the broth to boil, Dr. P enjoyed a mugful of Sapporo draft beer, for only $2!


Vegetable Plate

The vegetable plate had napa cabbage, onion, carrot, broccoli, mushroom, some green leaves, tofu, and udon noodle.



Once the broth started boiling, I like to add all my vegetables, except the green veggies, into the soup and just let them cook.


Beef and Shrimp Combination Plate ($13.75)

I ordered the Beef and Shrimp Combination Plate.  There were so much meat on this plate.  The owner told us that unlike other places that sell the meat by pieces, they actually sell by weight.  So we definitely got a lot more meat at House of Shabu Shabu.  There were 5 shrimps, and they were delicious.  It was the peeled kind so we didn't have to peel the shell ourselves.


Prime Beef and Salmon Combination Plate ($16.75)

Dr. P ordered the Prime Beef and Salmon Combination Plate.  Prime beef was fatter and more marbled than the regular beef.  I tried both, and could really taste the differences.  Prime beef was softer, tender, and tastier.  But for people who "tried" to be on a diet (<--- me), the regular beef would be a better choice.  Salmon was also very fresh and delicious.  We were wondering why was there wasabi on the plate.  Were we supposed to put the wasabi in the broth?  Then the owner came and showed us.  He put some wasabi and soy sauce together in a dipping dish, just like how you do it when eating sushi.  He cooked the meat in the broth very slightly, like 3 seconds.  Then he dipped the meat in the wasabi soy sauce and asked Dr. P to try.  Dr. P said it was really good.  And he made one for me to try, too.  It was yummmmy!  The owner also suggested only to cook the salmon slightly so it's still raw in the middle.  We tried it that way, and it was really good.


Udon Noodle Soup

My favorite part of shabu shabu is always the bowl of udon noodle with the broth that has all the goodies flavor in it.  Yum yum yum!  While we were eating the udon, the owner Harry was chatting up a storm with Dr. P.  They talked about Jimi Hendrix, and Harry went to the back and played his CD for us.  He also talked about the year 1968, and told us how that was a very interesting year in history.  He is quite a character.  He is very funny and very entertaining.  We enjoyed talking to him a lot.

So food-wise, I still think California Shabu Shabu is better.  But you get more food at House of Shabu Shabu.  Also you can only get the owner Harry here.  haha....  Oh and they also gave us those stamp card for buy 9 get 1 free.  We like House of Shabu Shabu, and will try to work our way toward that free pot of shabu shabu.

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