Yeah, we said it; massage our meat. We can’t help what the t-shirt at California Shabu-Shabu says, but we like it. Follow the taste of our Director, Duan Dao, as he chimes in with his second restaurant review. With a strong readership base in California, we hope to add yet another dining gem to your eatery black book. Be warned: this article is so good you might leave during the middle of the read and head to Shabu-Shabu.

By: Duan Dao
Luxozine.com Director

Imagine taking a frozen slab of rib-eye sliced almost paper thin and then dipping into a well-seasoned pot of boiling water for a few seconds. Then dipping it into a mouth watering Ponzu (tart and watery consistency) sauce or a savory and nutty goma (sesame seed) sauce. Quickly transport this steaming morsel to the bowl of steamed rice and devouring it while readying yourself for another blissful serving of meat and veggies. Shabu-Shabu has been enjoyed in Japan since the early 1950’s and was derived from the 13th century during the reign of Genghis Khan. The act of cutting the meat really thin was to hasten the cooking time as Khan’s army had limited fuel source to cook with so the faster the better. Translated from Japanese, shabu shabu essentially means swishing, which best describes the sound that is made when one is swirling the meat around in the boiling water. This culinary delight where you are the chef has arrived in Orange County California under the banner of California Shabu-Shabu. They hold the enviable title of being the first shabu shabu restaurant in the OC.

California Shabu-Shabu has been serving up this ancient style meal to diners since 1997. Their menu is diverse, ranging from a very pricey American Kobe Beef plate of $35.99 to a very reasonable $13.99 for their regular Beef Shabu Shabu plate. By the way, most of the beef plates can be ordered in regular size (9 slices of beef), large, “king kong” and “Godzilla” (that’s if you’re really hungry). Straying from the original serving of thinly sliced beef, you can also order up vegetarian, pork, chicken, and an assortment of seafood plates to cook up. All dishes ordered come with an additional plate of Chinese cabbage, udon noodles, and tofu.

Preparing and cooking your meal is really the fun part of this meal and we emphasize FUN. Each person gets to sit in front of his or her own electric hot plate with a pot of water seasoning with kelp. We usually flavor our broth with some soy sauce, green onions, minced garlic and some spices which all accumulate into a nice soup base. The meat then arrives thinly sliced and typically frozen (assists in easier cutting when the meat is frozen) ready for the dunking. Once the water starts to boil, we put the Chinese cabbage into the broth and follow shortly with a slice of meat. Both the meat and vegetables are securely held together with your trusty pair of chopsticks and dipped into your choice of Ponzu or Goma sauce and then enjoyed with a mouthful of steamed rice. Once finished you can ask for a soup bowl so that you can enjoy the flavorful broth and a small serving of Udon (Japanese rice noodles); a perfect way to finish off a great meal. We almost want to say that this is the Asian version of going to a Fondu restaurant.

The Luxozine staff has made this a Saturday lunch ritual for months now! But get there just before noon as the lunch time crowd can make the wait a bit long. Lunch is served from 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM, Monday through Saturday. Sundays are open for dinner only, 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM. If you’re in the Fountain Valley/Huntington Beach area and you want to try something different other than a burger and fries, make it a point to stop by and have some lunch or dinner. You will not be disappointed as it is fun and satisfying.

For more information call California Shabu-Shabu at 714.963.8844. They are located at 18908 Brookhurst Street, Fountain Valley, CA 92708.