Earlier this night, I had an impromptu dinner date with one of my best buddy, Angel. It has been a while since the last time we catch up with each other and, luckily, both of us were free, so decided to meet up at Fedwell.
Fedwell here is a great dinning place for those of you who fancy healthy food. They serve a variety of salad and protein bowl, with gluten-free options, as well as vegan options. But, worry not, you carnivores can still enjoy a bowl, or two, at Fedwell because they also serve meat.
I was feeling a bit famished, so I opted for a larger portion of the DIY Bowl, which consists of a base, two proteins, three toppings, a dressing of my choice, and some crunch to top it all of with. Angel and I did our listing of ingredients right in front off the display window. We had our DIY sheets, and a pencil each on our hands, and started ticking the empty circle of which food we wanted to have. It took us quite a while. The fact that we put our head in the game reminded me of when we were taking our National Exam back in High School.
I forgot what Angel had for her DIY Bowl, but I sure remembered mine. I got me a tabbouleh base, with herb chicken and pan-seared dory for the proteins, along with a handful of edamame, kale slaw, and some broccoli snap. As for the dressing, I stayed in my comfort zone by choosing the balsamic black pepper dressing, as well as having some fried shallots for that extra crunch in between my bites.
Despite the messy appearance, both of our DIY Bowl was bomb! It took some extra time for me to finish my meal as Angel had herself the regular portion. The tabbouleh was very fulfilling, while the greens gave that fresh and juicy aftertaste. My favorite choice of protein is always the herb chicken because the meat is tender, yet well-cooked, and the subtle flavor of the herbs was not too overpowering.
After dinner, we decided to grab some coffee from a cafe just across the street. It’s a newcomer in Senopati that goes by the name Southwest. The owner of this cafe is a former colleague of my Dad. I met him once during the soft opening of Southwest earlier this year. A funny guy, and friendly too!
I wasn’t sure on what I wanted to have, so my first choice was to have another cup of Flat White (I had it earlier before I went to Fedwell, while I was waiting for Angel’s arrival). But, Angel managed to persuade me into trying other drinks that I’ve never tried before, so I switched my order to the Dose Latte. She got herself a cold Karma Coffee.
Dose Latte consisted of frozen Americano cubes drizzled in palm sugar, served with a bottle of warm frothed milk on the side. The combination of those three ingredients would result in an ice cold sweet latte that is very refreshing and not sickeningly sweet. It’s a very common beverage among the locals nowadays - combining coffee, milk, and palm sugar - because the flavor that those three creates is just simply delicious and very delectable to everybody.
Karma Coffe, on the other hand, shared a very similar taste to a Flat White, but this one was served with ice cubes, caramel sauce, and a burnt marshmallow on the top. The presentation is very adorable and aesthetically pleasing, if I may say, and the flavor, as well as the texture, of the beverage is enjoyable. It was too creamy and too sweet for my taste, but can definitely be the perfect companion during a scorching afternoon.
Speaking about Flat White. Southwest's Flat White is one of the best Flat White I have ever tasted, no bullshit! The milk and coffee ratio was just on point. Though the milk was too frothy and too creamy for the beverage to be considered as Flat White, I didn't really mind with the whole texture of the drink. I love how smooth the flavor transition between the milk and the coffee was. Both sourness and bitterness of the coffee was THAT subtle to the point that, maybe, I have found my favorite Flat White!
We spent hours exchanging stories about our love lives and our lives in general. Pictures were taken, videos were recorded, laughters were traded - it was really fun while it lasted!
Smoothie bowls! Who doesn't love 'em? Dari tampangnya yang warna-warni dan meriah aja udah bisa bikin gue greget layaknya penderita OCD yang nggak tahan kepingin bersih-bersih rumah yang baru aja disapu pel lima menit yang lalu. Belum lagi gregetnya nambah ketika gue baca bahan-bahan pembuatannya yang orang-orang bilang super food ini, yang pelafalan namanya membuat gue merasa seakan-akan gue bule dari kampung sebelah. Chia seeds. Acai berry. Multigrain nuts. Goji berry. Spirulina. Gue bahkan nggak akrab dengan yang namanya spirulina, gue pikir itu semacam sesuatu yang berhubungan dengan program KB.
Kalau boleh jujur, gue nggak terlalu peduli dengan kandungan vitamin dan omega bla bla bla yang ada di dalam setiap suapan smoothie bowl ini karena, ya udah, yang namanya buah-buahan pasti mengandung berbagai macam vitamin yang bagus untuk tubuh kita. Betul, dong? Hanya saja, yang ini diblender dan dihias secantik mungkin, jadinya udah pasti lebih menarik untuk disantap ketimbang yang biasanya kita makan pisang utuh dari kulkas layaknya penghuni bonbin.
I dig smoothie bowls just because they look super fancy and festive. I'm not gonna lie. Memang, sih, smoothie bowl mana dari cafe apa pasti memiliki kombinasi rasa yang berbeda, tergantung dari bahan dasar pembuatan yang mereka pakai. Itu pun menjadi salah satu faktor yang membuat gue akhirnya mencicipi bermacam-macam smoothie bowl dari tempat makan yang berbeda juga. But, still, I dig it because it appeals to my eyes.
SNCTRY
Jalan Dharmawangsa Raya No. 4, Kebayoran Baru - Jakarta 12160
Bukan Kinan namanya kalau jalan nggak pakai nyasar. Hanya dengan bermodalkan aplikasi Zomato dan Google Maps, gue berhasil sampai di SNCTRY meskipun gue harus nyetir dengan amat sangat pelan, demi cafe ini nggak kebablasan untuk yang kedua kalinya karena tempatnya sangat kecil dan nyempil, dan jalan yang gue lalui adalah jalan satu arah sehingga gue nggak bisa memutar balikkan mobil gue saat gue kelewatan pintu masuknya meski hanya sepersekian meter.
Gue merasa nyaman banget dengan suasana outdoor seating SNCTRY yang, meskipun sempit dan kecil, adem dan sejuk. Mungkin didukung dengan faktor timing yang pas kali, ya, karena saat itu masih sekitar jam delapan pagi, mataharinya belum terlalu terik dan udaranya masih agak sejuk, jadinya gue dapet suasana yang ciamik.
Menu sarapan gue pagi itu adalah semangkuk Green Superfood Bowl, yang terdiri dari campuran yogurt, pisang, apel, bayam, dan spirulina. Of all the smoothie bowls available that day, why did I choose this one, you asked? Sederhana aja, karena warnanya hijau dan ada yang namanya spirulina di dalam makanan ini. Seumur-umur gue belum pernah mencoba spirulina, yang ternyata adalah semacam superfood yang berasal dari ganggang - yang berkhasiat untuk menurunkan tekanan darah, menurunkan kadar kolesterol, dan bisa mendetoksifikasi segala keong racun yang bersemayam di tubuh - kebayang, kan, betapa semangatnya gue saat memesan menu yang satu ini?
Selang beberapa menit setelah gue pesan, datanglah smoothie bowl perdana gue. Persis seperti yang ada di bayangan gue: warnanya hijau, atasnya dihias dengan potongan-potongan pisang dan apel hijau dan taburan beberapa jenis kacang dan buah-buahan kering. Cantik. Enak banget buat dilihatin doang.
Perlu beberapa kali jepretan sana sini sebelum akhirnya gue menyantap sendokan pertama dari Green Superfood Bowl ala SNCTRY ini. Campuran rasa segar dan kecut dari apel dan bayam beradu dengan manisnya pisang dan tendangan pedas dan tajam dari taburan kacang dan buah-buah kering yang sepertinya disangrai dengan kayu manis dan jahe terlebih dahulu sebelum disajikan.
Untuk keseluruhan, rasa didominasi oleh gurihnya bayam dan kecutnya apel. Untungnya, ada pisang yang bisa ngebantu gue merasakan sedikit rasa manis, so it went down nicely. The homemade granola also helps in giving flavor to the fruit puree as they give a little twist of spices in every grain. Sayangnya, gue pecinta rasa manis dan gue nggak terlalu gemar dengan pedasnya jahe, jadi Green Superfood Bowl dari SNCTRY ini macam angin lalu buat gue. It was okay for my first smoothie bowl, but that's it.
Berrywell
Fairground Building, Jalan Jendral Sudirman, Kav. 52-53 Lot 22
Jakarta, Senayan - Jakarta Selatan 12190
Meskipun tempatnya kecil, terpencil, dan seakan-akan berada jauh dari peradaban di luar sana karena letaknya di lantai dasar sebuah bangunan yang secara teknis merupakan tempat parkiran mobil, gue sangat senang dengan pencahayaan di Berrywell yang sangat membantu dalam proses pengambilan gambar dan video untuk blog gue. Hanya tersedia beberapa meja dan kursi yang berdempetan satu sama lain untuk memaksimalkan kuota pengunjung, tapi tempat itu cukup untuk membuat gue dan teman gue menikmati setiap menitnya selama kami di sana.
Otak medit gue bekerja dengan sigap sesampainya gue di Berrywell saat gue melihat dispenser cantik berisikan lemon-infused water dingin, beserta shot glass yang berbaris rapi di sampingnya, tertata rapi di sebuah meja di ujung cafe. "Yes, nggak usah keluar duit buat beli minum,"pikir gue.
Menu yang gue coba malam itu adalah semangkuk Green Energy, yang terbuat dari campuran bayam, green tea, pisang, nanas, dan dihias dengan berbagai macam topping, mulai dari biji bunga matahari, coconut flakes, chia seeds, goji berries, oat, dan cocoa nibs. Rame banget, kan?
Soal rasa, smoothie bowl yang satu ini lebih banyak rasa pahitnya, yang gue rasa diperoleh dari campuran green tea dan pisang. Kalian mengerti kan pisang itu rasanya manis, tapi at some point akan ada bitter aftertaste-nya? Nah, itu dia. Rasa pahitnya terlalu dominan, sehingga gue membutuhkan bantuan tambahan rasa dari topping yang menghiasi permukaan smoothie bowl ini, yang sayangnya nggak banyak membantu karena mereka pun hambar, kecuali potongan pisang dan cocoa nibs. Once again, it was an okay smoothie bowl, but it didn't leave a big impression on me.
Nalu Bowls
Jalan Drupadi No. 1, Seminyak - Bali 80361
Ini dia tempat yang gue idam-idamkan sejak lama, Nalu Bowls! Terletak di sebuah gang sempit di daerah Seminyak, Bali, gue bela-belain naik uber dari Sanur hanya demi bisa menyantap salah satu menu smoothie bowl-nya untuk sarapan. Iya, gue seniat itu orangnya.
Gue sama sekali nggak menyesal udah bangun pagi, lebih pagi dari biasanya gue bangun, hanya demi menempuh perjalanan seharga delapan puluh ribuan untuk semangkuk buah blenderan. Sesampainya gue di sana, gue bahagia dengan bagaimana Nalu Bowls looked exactly like I expected it would be. Very small, very petite, not too crowded because it was only 8 o'clock in the morning, very appealing to the eyes especially when the sun ray is on point, very cozy, dan sangat-sangat Intagram-able. But, you know me, I don't do interiors. I care more about the architecture of the food.
Kadang gue suka kesel sama diri gue yang suka modal mental doang, ya contohnya seperti saat gue mampir ke Nalu Bowls ini. Gue cuma bawa diri, modal mental, dan uang receh untuk transportasi. Terus gue mau bayar makanan yang gue pesen pakai apa, jual rambut? Untungnya di sini terima pembayaran menggunakan kartu debit, jadi gue nggak perlu mendedikasikan tujuh tahun hidup gue nyuci blender dan mangkok di sini. Siapapun yang menciptakan kartu debit BCA, terima kasih, ya.
Pagi itu gue lagi nggak nafsu untuk menyantap smoothie bowl yang serba hijau, akhirnya pilihan gue jatuh pada J-Bay. Nothing can go wrong with a bowl of blended peanut butter, banana, soy milk, and honey, not to mention, topped with homemade granola, sliced banana, and drizzled with honey. And, guess what? Nothing did!
J-Bay khas Nalu Bowls adalah smoothie bowl yang paling enak, paling dingin, paling menyerupai es krim, paling mantep, dan paling membahagiakan yang pernah gue santap, yet! Gue sangat sangat menggemari tekstur blended ingredients-nya yang mirip banget dengan es krim. Perpaduan rasa antara selai kacang dan pisangnya harus gue kasih acungan jempol tanpa batas, belum lagi potongan pisang manis dan madu yang membuat health food ini nggak hambar-hambar banget pun nggak luput dari acungan jempol. Belum lagi homemade granola-nya yang sangat renyah, nggak terlalu berat, dan manis.Gue akan bahagia kalau bisa sarapan ini setiap hari.
Perlu gue ingatkan bahwa J-Bay ini manis banget, bisa-bisa kalian yang nggak doyan manis bakalan tersiksa kalau harus menyantap health food yang satu ini. Tapi, untuk para penggemar manis, seperti gue, smoothie bowl mahakarya Nalu Bowls ini bagaikan surga di telapak kaki Ibu.
Fillmore Coffee
Suites at Seven, Jalan H. Sidik No. 7, Setiabudi - Jakarta Selatan 12940
Butuh perjuangan buat gue untuk sampai ke Fillmore Coffee karena letak cafenya yang sangat sangat tidak strategis. Cafe kecil nan mungil ini berada di lantai dasar dari sebuah apartment kondo bernama Suites at Seven, yang terletak di sebuah gang sempit. Iya, lagi-lagi gang sempit. Pertama kalinya gue ke Fillmore Coffee, gue nyasar jauh sampai ke jalan buntu. Alhasil, gue harus memutar balikkan mobil gue di gang sempit itu dan untungnya berhasil setelah bulak-balik maju mundur.
Gue langsung jatuh cinta pertama kali gue menginjakkan kaki di Fillmore Coffee. Tempatnya mungil dan sangat nyaman, nggak banyak pengunjung yang datang tapi nggak bisa dibilang sepi juga, dihias dengan tanaman rambat yang cantik di sudut sana sini secukupnya, dan pencahayaannya sangat sangat ciamik. Tipikal cafe kece sederhana yang pengunjungnya pun orang-orang kece. Iya, gue salah satunya.
Karena saat itu gue lagi males mikir berkepanjangan, akhirnya gue memutuskan untuk memesan menu yang familiar di mata gue, yaitu Fillmore Bowl, dengan bahan dasar peanut butter, cocoa, pisang, almond, chia seeds, dan granola.
Gue harus menunggu agak lama untuk pesanan gue selesai dibuat untuk alasan yang gue nggak tau pasti apa. Mental gue goyang karena saat itu gue kepingin banget ngunyah dan pesanan gue nggak datang-datang, sampai gue akhirnya lalu lalang di kasir, berfikir keras mengenai lebih baik mana, nungguin smoothie bowl jadi, atau pesan makanan lain sembari nunggu. Akhirnya gue memutuskan untuk menunggu karena saat gue mengintip isi dompet, hanya ada Tuanku Imam Bonjol seorang.
Chocolate in color, topped with sliced banana, a line of chia seeds, a hint of almonds here and there, and a handful of mixed nuts and crisp coconut. It had a very simple, yet appealing presentation, but it didn't leave a big impression on me. I'm no food expert, tapi gue merasa bahwa kombinasi bahan yang digunakan untuk membuat smoothie bowl ini saling baku hantam di dalam mangkuk. Both cocoa and peanut butter have their own fortes, but to combine them with each other in a smoothie bowl? I don't think they are a match made in heaven. Lidah gue bingung mau berpihak pada siapa. Belum lagi ada campuran pisang di dalamnya! Lidah gue makin bingung, karena pisang bisa masuk ke dua-duanya, and I don't know which ship I should go down with!
Sejauh ini gue baru mencicipi empat macam smoothie bowl dari empat tempat makan yang berbeda, and my favorite so far is the J-Bay from Nalu Bowls! Gue belum sempat berkelana lagi karena saat ini gue sedang dalam masa konsinyir, alias masa hukuman dimana gue jadi tahanan barak dan nggak boleh mencicipi peradaban dan indahnya lampu kota saat malam. I'm looking forward to the day when I can get my hands on those smoothie bowls once again!
Big thanks to Kak Oliv, whom without her, this blogspot wouldn't exist.
A million hugs and kisses to the Shabu Ghin crew, Pak Greg, Kak Novi, and Kak Wisnu whose kindness exceeds the fairy godmother herself. If it weren't for you guys, I would still be a Shabu Ghin virgin until God-knows when.
✈ ✈ ✈
Me, Gita, and the Shabu Ghin crew
Unlike Gita, who happens to have eaten shabu-shabu before, I was a shabu-shabu virgin to tell the truth. I know not the origins of the delicacies, nor the food stuff contained in it. Heck, I didn't even know how to indulge in the dish properly! So, when I found out that I was invited by the Shabu Ghin crew to attend it's grand opening event, I went straight to cloud nine.
It was at noon when Gita and I arrived at the shabu-shabu restaurant - fifteen minutes into it's opening hour and the restaurant was unoccupied with crowds of hungry citizens. As an early bird, I was rewarded with a parking lot for my car. Usually, it is a bit of a challenge to get a parking space at most restaurants in Senopati because they generally only provide four, up to six, parking lots; and did I mention that the traffic is sickening?
We didn't struggle that much to locate the restaurant. Just across Seven Eleven, you just can't miss the black colored building of the restaurant, with its' eye catching white colored Japanese writings.
Definitely can't miss it
We were about to set foot into the restaurant when the staff opened the restaurant door for us and greeted us with the brightest smile ever. The waitresses then welcomed us and confirmed about whether we already have reservation, or not, in the most proper and friendliest manner they can ever bring out. No, seriously, the waitresses were beyond friendly I ended up nodding my head all the time to express gratitude every time they said something to me. "Selamat datang," she said, I nodded. "Sudah ada reservasi sebelumnya," she asked, I nodded. "Maaf, mbak, sudah ada reservasi sebelumnya," she confirmed, I snapped out of consciousness and spoke human language.
We were then escorted to our table by one of the waitresses and was given a menu. She offered to help us in terms of choosing the meat to indulge, which I accepted because I know nothing about this set of food.
I just love how this particular waitress explained to us about the details of the meat and the basic flavor of the soup used for the hot pot. She even narrowed down our food options and gave recommendations about which one we should have. How great is that, right?
Some waitress that I have encountered in my life can be ignorant about the food served at the restaurant they work at and they can be rude as well, which is an instant loss of appetite. But, here, at Shabu Ghin, you will only find the friendliest, most welcoming, and knowledgable staff you can ever find, yet. 50 points for Shabu Ghin!
Look at that happy face behind the menu board
What to chose?
There were three kinds of beef available at Shabu Ghin, which were the Special Beef, the US Premium Beef, and the Wagyu Beef. We couldn't decide which set of beef we should take because all of them looked super appealing. In details, the waitress explained the differences between each meat. "Special Beef itu dagingnya tipis dan empuk, dan lemaknya sedikit. Beda dengan US Premium yang banyak lemaknya. Dagingnya lembut juga, hanya saja lemaknya lebih banyak ketimbang dua daging lainnya. Nah, untuk Wagyu Beef, dia memiliki tekstur kelembutan yang sama seperti US Premium, hanya saja lemaknya sangat sedikit dan di permukaannya ada motif marble."
As for the soup, you can choose up to five different selections of flavored broth with an additional Rp29.000,00 each. There were five kinds of soup, which were the Original Konbu, Chicken Mizutaki, Spicy Tonyu, Spicy Seafood, and Sukiyaki.
Again, the waitress was very detailed in explaining the basic flavor of the soup, which was very helpful for me and Gita to make it easier for us to chose which we would have. "Kalau Spicy Tonyu itu hampir mirip rasanya dengan kuah opor, mbak. Nah, kalau Spicy Seafood itu seperti rasa Tom Yum, dan kalau Sukiyaki itu agak manis dan sedikit asin," she explained. She recommended us the Original Konbu Soup because people dig that particular flavor at Shabu Ghin. I decided to go with what she recommended to ease the curiosity. And, as for Gita, she went with the Chicken Mizutaki Soup.
Your choice of an all-you-can-eat buffet
Eating utensils
There were lots of side dishes to choose from the buffet table, and the choices varies from condiments, fruits, vegetables, raw food, and even cooked dishes. Me and Gita took a couple from every food stuff available so that we could have a taste of everything.
The raw food stuff were mostly fish related, and some of them I was not that familiar with. There was this bowl of what seemed to be orange balls, which turned out to be salmon flavored balls; cylinder shaped frozen dough with white filling, who goes by the name oborotsuki, that was actually fish balls; another bowl filled with white fish balls, raw fish, crab cakes, and seafood filled tofu.
I didn't eat vegetables that much on that day - as I only took a pair of baby bokcoy, a piece of baby corn, and a spoonful of bean sprouts - but I tried every mushroom served at the buffet table. There were brown shimeji, enoki, and shiitake mushroom, plus some more that were deep fried with tempura batter on the other side of the buffet table. Oh, and did I tell you that I don't like mushroom?
Some greens, perhaps?
Fish based raw food
Various options of edible fungus
A bowl of Oborotsuki, or fish balls
Personal favorite condiment
Chilly powder to add some taste
Strings of cold and chewy udon were also available for us to dig in
A diverse choices of Japanese cuisine and Korean cuisine were the options that we can chose from the cooked dishes. Two kinds of sushi were served on that day, but they didn't stand out much compared to the other side dishes, as they were merely cucumber filled rolled rice topped with fried shallots.
Various kinds of tempura were also served on the buffet table, such as spinach tempura, string bean tempura, onion tempura, sweet potato tempura, enoki tempura, and mushroom tempura. I'm not a big fan of the veggie tempura, especially the spinach tempura and string bean tempura, because they were very very oily. The tempura batter stood out more than the mushroom itself, blinding my tastebud about the fact that they are mushroom, so I keep finding myself craving for more of Shabu Ghin's enoki tempura and mushroom tempura.
I was not a big fan of the chicken karaage, though. They were fine, deliciously savory and crispy in fact, but I don't like how the chicken meat was oily and fatty.
I also had a bowl of gyüdon, which is basically a bowl of warm rice topped with sweet beef and onion soup. The flavor of the gyüdon was perfect for my taste - the beef was very tender and honey-like, while the savory and sweet broth was on point. I may not know the exact authenticity of a Japanese cuisine, but this dish right here truly was Japan in a pot.
Your choice of sauces
Unappealing, but tasted good!
A pot of beef soup to have your warm rice with
Sushi, anybody?
I found a unique fusion between Japanese and Italy in one of the dishes, which is the Bolognese Ramen. People usually blend spaghetti with bolognese sauce, but Shabu Ghin decided to go out of its' comfort zone and ended up creating this exceptional love child.
Two thumbs up for the chef who made the bolognese sauce because he, or she, actually used meat in the sauce mixture instead of just tomato like most restaurant do. There was actually a generous amount of meat in the sauce, and the sauce itself was rich in flavor - sweet, slightly piquant, savory from the meat, and a refreshingly sour from the tomato. On the other hand, the ramen was nicely cooked - not too hard and not too mushy - and it mixed well with the bolognese sauce. Simply enjoyable!
Now this is something you don't see everyday
My personal favorite was the chapchae!For those who are not yet familiar with what chapchae is, it is a korean cuisine consists of stir fried sweet potato noodle, with sesame oil, vegetable, beef, then topped with a handful of sesame seed. It was my first time eating chapchae and I feel in love instantly.
I just love the consistency of the chewy chapchae, plus whatever seasoning that the chef put into the dish made the sweet potato noodle tasted even better. Them beef and veggies add an extra kick, making the whole dish a burst of flavor.
My favorite side dish from Shabu Ghin!
Would definitely come back for more of this
The beverages here at Shabu Ghin is also refillable, and the drinks varies from hot to cold, juice to coffee, and sweet to bitter. I had a glass of iced ocha, while Gita had her share of hot ocha because she was having a sore throat.
I was very curious with this funky gadget that serves iced Milo and cold juice, just adjacent to the ice ocha machine. After I finished my glass of iced ocha, I proceed to the beverage corner to get me a glass of cold fusion juice. As expected, I didn't know how to operate the machine. I tried to look for a button to push so that the juice will flow into the empty glass that I have, but my search was to no avail. I ended up asking for help from one of the waitress.
"Mbak, boleh minta tolong," I asked, "ini pencet yang mana ya supaya keluar jusnya?" I bet she was laughing so hard on the inside because of how frustrated I was, but she managed to keep it cool and showed me the way to operate the machine. It turned out, the machine was equipped with touch screen. Damn it, technology!
Refillable cold and hot beverages
Hot beverages for those who have sore throat
Fresh and thrist-quenching Mango & Peach juice
And, thus the fun part begins!
I was pretty much blind about the whole shabu-shabu situation, so I let Gita to take charge in terms of cooking. "Nih, Kin, pertama-tama kamu masukin dulu yang lama matengnya, kayak bakso ikan dan sebagainya," she explained, "abis itu baru deh masukin sayur-sayuran, soalnya bakal cepet matengnya." I followed her instruction like a student following a teacher's order.
"Nah, nanti kalo kamu mau masak dagingnya, dicelupin kedalem hot potnya terus diaduk-aduk biar cepet mateng. Sebentar aja tapi dicelupinnya," she added.
Multitasking is not my forte, so I had a bit of a struggle between wanting to create a masterpiece with my hot pot and the need to take decent photographs. I eventually managed to do both, but some of my food stuff ended up overcooked because I let them swim in my Original Konbu soup for too long. But, they still tasted good, though.
Gita was so fluent in what she did with her ingredient and hot pot. She made the right choice in choosing the Chicken Mizutaki soup because the stock itself already tasted delicious, let alone adding condiments into the mixture. The savory chicken stock blended well with the garlic, chili, and chilly powder that Gita added, not to mention the fact that it was warm and bubbly, making the whole dish very enjoyable to consume. Pure bliss.
Would you look at that!
Gita's creation in her hot pot
My pot of Original Konbu tasted delicious as well! The soup is dominated with savory and piquant flavor, with a dash of sweet and sour in it. It reminded me of how Miso soup tasted like as they share similar flavor points here and there.
I followed Gita's instruction and put in the fish balls first, followed by the veggies and udon. I had fun cooking them raw ingredients, but it was one hell of a task.
My share of original flavored soup
Put some fish in it
My favorite were the salmon flavored balls and the oborotsuki. They tasted like how fish balls are supposed to taste, but each had a slight different flavor that stood out more compared to the other seafood ingredients.
As I said before, I'm not fond of mushroom, yet I ate every single mushroom-related food stuff available on that day. I couldn't figure out the flavor differences among enoki, brown shimeji, and shiitake mushroom, but if I have to choose which one that tasted yucky the least, it would probably be the enoki.
To me, all mushroom tasted yucky. Yet, I keep on eating them in hope that, one day, I can open my heart for mushroom and eventually fancy them.
What was inside my hot pot
We were overwhelmed by the fact that we get to try all three kinds of meat - Shabu Ghin's Special Beef, Shabu Ghin's US Premium Beef, and Shabu Ghin's Wagyu Beef - all of it for free and we can refill the meat as much as we want. We questioned it at first, but then the waitress who was with us earlier came back and explained that, "Karena mbak adalah tamu undangan, jadi kami akan menyediakan semua jenis daging yang kami punya untuk mbak coba." Lord Almighty..
I love the simple, yet elegant presentation of the meat. The three of them were sliced so evenly and thinly, and were served in a different colored container - the specials in black, the premium in white, and the wagyu in dark brown; stacked according to the price range of each beef set.
Gita taught me how to cook the beef in the hot pot, which is to grab a slice with a chopstick, dip it into the soup, stir it for a few seconds until it gradually changes its' color from red to gray, then dig in. "Nih, ya, aku bikinin dulu biar kamu coba dagingnya kayak gimana," she said whilst dipping a slice of her Shabu Ghin's Special Beef into her Chicken Mizutaki soup. I observed the whole process in fascination and, to be honest, were awestruck by how fast the meat got cooked. I tried my hand at cooking the beef and it didn't take long before I could master the whole dipping action.
My personal favorite would be the US Premium Beef, as they tasted so tenderly juicy and melted in my mouth, and I couldn't help but to crave for more of those jelly like fat that makes the whole dish taste even better. Don't get me wrong, the wagyu beef were delicious too - it was even more tender than the US Premium Beef - but they were lacking of those fatty goodness that I love so much. Even the Special Beef set, which was far less pricey compared to the other two, managed to capture my attention with its' tenderness.
Special Beef Set
US Premium Beef Set
Just look at them tender and juicy fat
Wagyu Beef Set
Layers and layers of tender goodness
Here's a quick vlog of me and Gita pigging out.
Unlimited desserts were also served on the buffet table for us to enjoy - it varies from fruits, salad, jelly, and soft cream - and we had a bit of everything. We love the chocolate and vanilla pudding the most because of its' lightness and sweetness that completed our meal. I was going to get myself some green tea and vanilla ice cream, but it was unfortunate that the soft cream machine was out of order on that day.
Some pudding to end your meal
All in all, my first dining experience at Shabu Ghin was awesome! I would definitely recommend you to dine in at this shabu-shabu house when you get the chance. True, the price of the food and beverages here can be a bit expensive, especially for my fellow cadet comrades, but I don't see why you shouldn't treat yourself once in a while.
The good news is that the restaurant is currently having this special promo that lasts until the end of October, where you can dine in like Gita and I with a special 50% discount, woohoo! Oh, and did I mention that child and senior citizen who dine in at the restaurant, will get a special prize as well? How awesome is that?
I bet you are going to love the restaurant in and out. The comforting ambience of the spacy restaurant, combined with the friendly and well mannered restaurant staff, plus the delicious all-you-can-eat food and beverages will definitely make you want to come back for more. Trust me.
