Mecenatpolis shabu-shabu in Seoul with a double finish: Shabu in Seoul

If you're looking for somewhere to eat a clean, satisfying lunch or dinner in Hapjeong, shabu-shabu seemed like a good call, so I gave it a try. This time I visited Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch. It's on the Mecenatpolis side, which is easy to get to from Hapjeong Station, so the location was convenient — and more than that, the atmosphere felt a bit cleaner and calmer than your typical shabu-shabu place, so it seemed like a good spot for a date, a family meal, or a get-together.

Where is Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch? Delight Square, Mecenatpolis, basement level 2

The restaurant sits on the basement 2nd floor of Delight Square 1 in Mecenatpolis. You find it by going into the building and heading down, which made it easy to locate while looking for somewhere to eat in Hapjeong Mecenatpolis. The exterior already had a clean look to it, and it was obvious at a glance that this was a shabu-shabu specialty restaurant, so even on my first visit I found it without much trouble.

Stepping inside, the whole place had a clean, calm feel. It's decorated mainly in white and wood tones, so instead of feeling flashy or overwhelming, it had a comfortable dining atmosphere, and the spacing between tables was generous enough that I didn't feel crammed next to the neighboring table. It seemed like a good place to visit as a couple or to eat with your parents.

Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch menu: shabu sets you build by choosing the meat

Shabu in Seoul is set up so you choose your meat type and enjoy it as a shabu set. There was quite a range, from grade 1 black pork belly and neck to prime Angus chuck flat, chuck flap tail, 1++ hanwoo top sirloin, and Black Nine wagyu ribeye. The menu I chose was the prime Angus chuck flat shabu set.

There's also a photo review event running right now, so take part and get a free gyoza service.

The broth you pick decides how the meal finishes

Here, the finishing dish at the end changes depending on which broth you pick. You can finish with kalguksu, but if you want to finish with porridge like I did, you need to choose your broth carefully. Since we wanted to finish with egg porridge, we went with the clear mushroom broth. It was a clear, clean broth, so adding meat and vegetables into it never felt heavy, and I liked how the broth's flavor kept deepening as we ate the shabu-shabu.

How does the prime Angus chuck flat shabu set taste?

After ordering, the ingredients for shabu-shabu were laid out. The condition of the meat really matters for shabu-shabu, and the prime Angus chuck flat came out sliced thin, which made it easy to drop into the broth and cook quickly.

We dropped the meat into the boiling broth one slice at a time and gave it a light swirl to cook. If it cooks too long it can get tough, so we pulled it out once the color just changed — the texture was tender and had that clean, savory flavor unique to the meat. Eating it together with the broth kept the meat's own flavor from feeling too heavy, so I kept reaching for more.

Prime Angus chuck flat is described as a cut known for its marbling and umami, and eating it as shabu-shabu really did feel that way — not too fatty, while the meaty flavor still came through clearly.

Sauces at Shabu in Seoul and the combination worth mixing

And this place had such a wide range of sauces that I'd almost call it a sauce specialist. With shabu-shabu, the meat itself matters, but the flavor changes quite a bit depending on which sauce you dip it in. There were several basic sauces already set out, and I also tried making the recommended sauce combo listed on the menu.

After lightly cooking the meat in the clear mushroom broth and dipping it in sauce, the clean flavor of the broth combined with the savory sauce gave it a whole different feel. Even with the same meat, switching sauces kept it from getting repetitive and I just kept eating. The recommended combo in particular is made by mixing several ingredients together, and I was curious what it would taste like at first — but once I made and tried it, it went well with the meat and also worked nicely for dipping vegetables.

Kalguksu, then egg porridge: finishing the shabu-shabu twice

After eating the meat and vegetables, they added the extra kalguksu we ordered into the leftover broth and boiled it up. Since the broth already had meat and vegetable flavor soaked into it, it tasted much richer and deeper than at the start. The noodles soaked up the broth and cooked up chewy, making it a great finishing dish after shabu-shabu.

And at the very end, we had porridge too. Using the shabu-shabu broth to finish with porridge gave a completely different feeling from the kalguksu. It went down smoothly and rounded off the meal in a hearty way. Eating in order — meat, vegetables, kalguksu, and porridge — made for a fully satisfying, filling one-meal experience.

If you're looking for somewhere to eat on a date in Hapjeong, or hunting for a spot for a family meal or gathering inside Mecenatpolis, this is a place worth visiting.