Gongeoptap, Ulsan shabu-shabu buffet date with affogato: Shabre Garden

My boyfriend and I went not long ago and I completely fell for this new hotspot, Shabre Garden Ulsan Nam-gu Branch (샤브르정원 울산남구점)! We're a couple who love hot soup dishes and also love buffets where you can pick a bit of everything. The restaurant is in Yaeum-dong, Nam-gu, Ulsan, and it was clean, the ingredients were fresh, and above all the range of all-you-can-eat items was huge, so we were totally satisfied!!

Where is Shabre Garden Ulsan Nam-gu Branch, and what are its hours?

Shabre Garden Ulsan Nam-gu Branch is at 14 Suam-ro 128beon-gil, 4-dong 2nd floor, Nam-gu, Ulsan. It's open daily from 11:00 to 21:00, with a break time from 15:00 to 17:00. It's close to the Gongeoptap rotary, so it's perfect if you're looking for shabu-shabu near Gongeoptap in Ulsan.

• Location: 14 Suam-ro 128beon-gil, 4-dong 2nd floor, Nam-gu, Ulsan
• Hours: daily 11:00-21:00
• Break time: 15:00-17:00

The location was really good, first of all! It's easy to reach by public transport and sits in the center of Nam-gu, so access is excellent!!

As a popular spot, it has Tabling (a remote waitlist app) too!!

What's the atmosphere like for a couple's date?

Shabre Garden Ulsan Nam-gu Branch has really wide, comfortable seating, so the mood was great for a date with my boyfriend. The tables are spaced far apart, so you can eat comfortably without worrying about the people around you. The photos I took are only a small part of it — further inside, it was sooo packed with people.

How fresh is the salad bar?

The salad bar at Shabre Garden Ulsan Nam-gu Branch was green and fresh, with not a single wilted item among the bean sprouts, napa cabbage, bok choy and mushrooms. We settled in and headed to the salad bar!!!! The heart of shabu-shabu is the freshness of the vegetables and ingredients, right? And it was really well kept. Just like at a malatang (spicy Chinese-style hot pot soup) shop, picking your own fuzhu (dried tofu skin), wide sweet potato noodles, glass noodles, rice cakes, fish cakes, dumplings and more was a lot of fun.

Shabu-shabu without rice paper rolls (wolnamssam, Vietnamese-style summer rolls) would feel like something's missing! There were lots of prettily shredded vegetables like cucumber, carrot, onion and sprouts, so I piled them on. My boyfriend said the vegetables were in great condition and kept filling his plate with both hands. Because it's a buffet, there's no need to hold back, and you can take as much of what you like as you want, which made me so happy ><

On one side of the salad bar there were also popular side dishes like tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), fried snacks and dakgangjeong (sweet crispy fried chicken), all nicely stocked and great to nibble on between rounds. My boyfriend said the salad bar here is sooo good, haha.

When should you grab the salmon sushi at Shabre Garden?

The salmon sushi at Shabre Garden Ulsan Nam-gu Branch is best grabbed the moment a new plate comes out of the kitchen. The sushi corner is a huge cheat code you can't skip at a shabu-shabu buffet, and the quality is amazing!!!! I didn't expect much sushi at a shabu-shabu buffet, but it came out high quality and surprised me.

The salmon sushi is truly a work of art! It's glossy and shiny, and you can feel the freshness just by looking at it. The moment it goes in your mouth, the rich, fatty flavor of the salmon spreads and it melts softly away, wow. This salmon sushi is so popular that people swarm over as soon as a new plate comes out;; I timed it well and snagged freshly made salmon sushi, and sure enough, probably because it turns over so fast, it was much fresher and tastier. Keep an eye on the salmon sushi and grab it right when it comes out!

What desserts are there?

The dessert corner at Shabre Garden Ulsan Nam-gu Branch is packed with fruit, waffles, bread, bingsu (shaved ice dessert) and more!! There's an espresso machine and ice cream, so we even made affogato for a perfect dessert time~ It's set up so you can enjoy a full course from start to finish!

Is the draft beer unlimited too?

Yes, the draft beer at Shabre Garden Ulsan Nam-gu Branch is unlimited!! This is why Shabre Garden is the best for drinkers,, with no worry about extra charges, you can help yourself to ice-cold draft beer as much as you like!!!! My boyfriend and I happily filled our glasses, working out the right foam ratio.

How are the shabu-shabu broth and meat?

Shabre Garden Ulsan Nam-gu Branch serves half-and-half broth as standard, so we enjoyed both the spicy broth and the mild original broth!

Look at everything we carried back! When it comes to vegetables, the more the merrier,,

Just as the broth started to boil, we generously dumped in the vegetables we'd brought!!! My beloved bok choy!!!! As the vegetables steeped, the broth got even deeper in flavor. The beef had a lovely color and was very fresh too. I dipped it briefly in the boiling broth, pulled it out once the redness was gone, and dipped it in sauce, and it felt like it melted in my mouth! The meat wasn't tough and was clean-tasting, so it just kept disappearing.

Shabu-shabu wrapped in rice paper rolls

I put a piece of hot meat on rice paper, added crunchy roll vegetables with peanut sauce and chili sauce, and wrapped it into one big roll, and I couldn't help but exclaim. It lived up to its title as a top shabu-shabu spot in Yaeum-dong. The crunch, chew and nuttiness filling my mouth is a taste I still can't forget.

Is Shabre Garden Ulsan Nam-gu Branch worth going back to?

Shabre Garden Ulsan Nam-gu Branch had a spacious, comfortable space, generously refilled fresh vegetables and meat, and even unlimited draft beer...!! Nothing was lacking. My boyfriend said it's his favorite of the buffets we've been to recently and wants to come again. If you're looking for a proper shabu-shabu place or a good-value buffet in Ulsan, don't hesitate and go to Shabre Garden near Gongeoptap in Yaeum-dong! You won't regret it. Totally recommended!