Shabu Shabu Gen

I’ve only tried the shabu shabu in this place, and why else would I stray to something else? It’s close to perfection, from the beef, to the vegetables and the ramen ending. Shabugen serves only 2 cuts of beef, ribeye and sirloin. But they have 3 – 4 grades of each cut, depending on how marbled it is. I usually just get the cheapest cut of the beef, because even for a heavy eater like I am, it’s already fatty enough and it even left me feeling a little bit ‘jelat’ afterwards.
One tip: Order the foei gras shabu shabu to share. I usually cook and eat it together with the beef. My own version of shabu shabu Rossini. :)

this review is only for their lunch.
i’ve been here many times for lunch but never for dinner.
what always brings me back is their irresistible set lunch!
choose from a selection of 7 sets, including wagyu beef, iberico pork and foie gras oyako don, with prices ranging from $ 30-​$ 60++.
so far i’ve tried their wagyu steak don and foie gras oyako don.
today, i decided to devour their delicious foie gras oyako don set at $ 38++.
1) appetizer — warm white radish and carrot strips ala popiah filling.
2) salad — thin round slices of radish, baby tomatoes, rocket, mesclun leaves in a light dressing.
3) 2^nd appetizer — agedashi tofu, topped with mushroom, grated ginger, chopped spring onions and bonito flakes.
4) the main event — foie gras oyako don, a great oishi combination of tender chicken thigh, sinfully rich foie gras cubes, runny egg, seaweed and rice.
5) pickles — burdock root slices, cucumber, white and yellow radish. nicely pickled, sweet and salty as required.
6) miso soup — piping hot and not overly salty.
7) dessert — lime sherbet to cleanse the palette and a selection of sesame tofu, plum wine jelly and red bean jelly.
all excellently executed!
the lime sherbet was sour and sweet with a hint of bitter after taste.
my favourite was the black sesame tofu with white crushed sesame seeds and a brown sugar syrup, a creative combo of colour, texture and taste.
the plum wine jelly was packed with an alcohol kick!
finally, the red bean jelly was full of crushed beans with a hint of embedded whole beans.
hot green tea to start and hot brown tea to end.
service was quick and efficient without being intrusive.
clientele this days seems to be more japanese tai tais with a fair share of business crowd.
before it used to be mainly business men trying to impress their business partners with more indonesian tai tais instead.
value and quality can co-​exist after all!

We couldn’t help comparing Shabu Shabu Gen to Fat Cow, but in this case it was more like dating two extremely gorgeous people and trying to decide which one you like better. And failing spectacularly.
Food: Wow. Where do I even start? We eagerly tucked into the generous slices of heavily marbled beef laid before us and upon popping it into our mouths, felt as if we had died and gone to heaven. There were a couple of non-​beef eaters amongst us who abstained due to religious reasons, so they ordered steamed fish and pork loin instead, and pronounced both commendable. I tried a bit of both and it was passable but I’m pretty sure I was biased as all my attention and palate was focused solely on the divine bovine.
Ambience: Chic and modern. Good for business lunches.
Service: Attentive and helpful, something one would expect from Les Amis staff.
I would so go back.