Unlimited shabu-shabu in Buk, Daegu: Shabu20 Daegu Bokhyeon branch

Shabu20 Daegu Bokhyeon branch is a place I had already visited often. This time, I went for weekday lunch, had beef shabu-shabu with katsuobushi broth, and used the salad bar through dessert.

What are the parking and group dining spaces like?

The restaurant is on the first floor at 79 Gonghang-ro, Buk-gu, Daegu. The original post lists its hours as 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM. The on-site parking lot has about 30 spaces, and I found more parking after turning the right-hand corner. If it is full, Gonghanggyo Parking Lot right next door can also be used, according to the post.

There are many tables inside, with seating for up to 190 people. There were many empty seats when I visited at weekday lunch, but on past weekend or dinner-peak visits, it had been nearly full and I had waited. I also often saw group gatherings and large family meals.

What are the unlimited refill prices and broth options?

According to the original post, weekday lunch is ₩22,900, while weekends, public holidays, and dinner are ₩26,900. Some broth choices may incur an extra charge, and I ordered only katsuobushi broth.

Unlimited draft beer was also listed as available.

What were the beef, vegetables, and sauces like?

The meat station had beef and pork. Beef is why I visit this place often. This time as well, the slices were substantial and tender, with no off smell when I ate them.

The vegetables felt varied and fresh. There were vegetables for Vietnamese-style wraps, mushrooms, dumplings, kabocha squash, noodles, fish cakes, bunmoja (wide sweet-potato starch noodles), and more. I mainly took mung bean sprouts, enoki mushrooms, bok choy, and napa cabbage.

The sauce station had several sauces and suggested combinations. I made one with soy sauce and wasabi, and another with peanut sauce, crushed peanuts, spicy chili, garlic, and scallions. These are two combinations I normally enjoy.

Which salad bar dishes stood out?

The dakgangjeong (Korean fried chicken in sweet-spicy sauce) was my favorite item at the salad bar. Its coating was thin and crisp, while the meat inside was tender. I enjoyed both the soy-seasoned and red-seasoned versions.

Tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), fried rice, and takoyaki were also available.

The noodle dishes included pad thai, cream pasta, and memil-soba (buckwheat soba).

There was minari-ureong cho-muchim (water parsley and freshwater snail salad), dotorimuk (acorn jelly), and salads. Rice paper for shabu-shabu, kalguksu noodles for finishing, rice noodles, and ingredients for juk (rice porridge) were available, and I could refill the broth myself.

The dakgangjeong I brought back had a nice match of crisp exterior and tender meat. The memil-soba and pad thai were good too, and when the meal started to feel rich, the soba broth tasted refreshing.

How did I eat the shabu-shabu, kalguksu, and porridge?

After bringing my meat and vegetables, I first added the vegetables to the broth and let them cook. Once the broth boiled, I added the beef, cooked it, and ate it.

I also soaked rice paper thoroughly, placed it on my small plate, then wrapped cooked meat and vegetables with sauce. I liked this combination even without adding extra vegetables meant for Vietnamese-style wraps.

I added kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) to finish. The noodles were chewy and absorbed the broth flavor well, but I reduced the broth too much, so it became a little salty. It would be good to taste the broth and add water before putting in the noodles.

Next, I removed a little broth and added rice and a raw egg to make egg juk. The broth from cooking the beef had a good savory depth, and the shredded onion and carrot in the rice stayed crisp. The rice grains also did not become overly soft, which suited my taste.

How can you enjoy dessert?

The dessert station had ice cream, toppings, and coffee. Takeout cups were also available, so coffee could be taken away.

I made an affogato by adding espresso from the coffee machine to ice cream. I topped it with granola and injeolmi (chewy rice cake), and the sweet ice cream went well with the crisp cereal and chewy injeolmi.

There was also a receipt-based prize event during my visit, so I joined in.