Satisfying from the Beginning to the End

Shimazu is situated in a convenient area, about 1 minute walk from Shinjuku-sanchome Station and 5 minutes from Shinjuku Station.

Both the inside and the outside will give you a taste of Japan.

Oh! Please take off your shoes at the entrance! There are boxes for it.

The moment you enter the restaurant, your body feel as though you’re in a Shabu-shabu pot.

You are greeted with an impressive selection of Shabu-shabu.

Oh! Shabu-shabu is actually an onomatopoeia that derived from the sound that’s emitted when the ingredients (especially meat!) are stirred in the pot.

Shabu-shabu refers to the dish in which you dip and swish raw meat into boiling water with vegetables.

We were led to a private area but there are also open areas for larger groups.

Soft-boiled egg was offered as a starter.

While we waited for the water to boil, we also enjoyed some Otsumami (snacks to go with alcohol) - crab innards and horse sashimi.

Both go really well with alcohol!

I recommend you to eat the horse sashimi with grated ginger and garlic.

For our main dish, we ordered black cattle beef and black pig Shabu-shabu.

This set came with ready to cook meatball, vegetables, three dipping sauces (Ponzu, sesame, and Soba-Tsuyu) and perfectly aligned Shabu-shabu meat.

As for the meatball, you use the stick to make small balls and put it directly into the pot.

Wait for a while to get cooked! Cook the meatballs first because it takes a while!

Then put some vegetables in.

You can then start dipping the meat!

But only for a few seconds!

If you cook too much, it becomes too stiff.

Watch out! This is the hard part!

The Dashi soup stock principally used in Shabu-shabu is Konbu seaweed.

I was impressed by the amount and the quality of the meat. The meat was unbelievably tender and delicious.

The sauce is the key!! The sauce gave an authentic taste to the rich meat.

I personally preferred dipping it in sesame sauce, which gives a traditional Japanese taste.

The sweet taste of the meat filled my mouth within a second.

You can’t go wrong with Shabu-shabu.

But must remember to not overcook the meat.

You wanna eat it soft!!

It was a light but very satisfying meal from beginning to the end.

I can guarantee the taste and it will definitely satisfy your stay in Japan.

writer：Saya