Hapjeong shabu-shabu: free gyoza for a photo review, Shabu in Seoul

What kind of shabu-shabu restaurant is Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch?

Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch (샤브인서울 합정점) is a premium shabu-shabu dining spot that says it researches the ideal thickness and aging for each meat: 1++ Korean beef (hanwoo), prime Angus, Black Nine wagyu and grade-1 black pork. The space is calm, in white and wood tones, so the meal feels refined.

When the weather turns chilly I crave warm, brothy dishes, and this time I had a premium shabu-shabu, a bit different from the usual, where the broth is done properly from the start.

Getting to Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch from Hapjeong Station, and parking

The restaurant is at 14 Worldcup-ro 1-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, in Basement 2 of Delight Square Building 1, part of the Mapo Han River Prugio complex by Hapjeong Station. By subway, head toward Exit 8 but don't go up the exit. Take the passage on the right toward Kyobo Book Centre and it's easy to find.

If you're driving, search for Mapo Han River Prugio 1st Commercial Parking Lot, park for free in the Building 1 lot, and come up to Basement 2.

People were waiting, so I had a cold drink while I waited.

The 4 broths at Shabu in Seoul: which should you pick?

You can choose from clear mushroom, spicy mushroom, blue crab doenjang (soybean paste) and sukiyaki broth, and the closing meal changes depending on which broth you pick. Being able to choose to your taste suits all kinds of palates.

• Clear mushroom: if you like a light, clean broth
• Spicy mushroom: if you like something sharp and deep
• Blue crab doenjang: the crab's savoriness plus the earthy doenjang makes the broth itself enjoyable
• Sukiyaki: sweet and a little salty, it felt especially good with meat

I heard you get dumplings (gyoza) as a free service when you write a photo review.

Vegetables, sauces and extra soy milk skin

The vegetables were really fresh, and there was a wide variety: mushrooms, bean sprouts, bok choy, green onion, kabocha squash, shiitake, napa cabbage and more.

I chose spicy mushroom, the restaurant's signature broth, which they say is made only from fresh shiitake and natural vegetable ingredients with a spicy kick added. The closing meal for spicy mushroom broth is rose risotto.

The sauces came neat and classy, and with the meat it was a really generous spread. I love soy milk skin (dubu-pi) so I added it, and it was definitely the right call.

How were the black pork belly and neck?

The grade-1 black pork belly has a thick layer of fat spread just right, so it gets deeply nutty the more you chew. The black pork neck has a visible grain and comes at a thickness that stays tender even when cooked quickly at high heat, so the chewy texture and clean flavor worked well together.

Shabu-shabu is meat and vegetables cooked in broth, so I think the broth decides the whole taste. Shabu in Seoul felt like it treats broth not as plain soup but as something designed to harmonize with each ingredient.

Once it starts bubbling, add the vegetables,

and I put the pork belly in first.

Cook the meat lightly, eat it, then take a spoonful of broth: the meat's clean taste and the broth's savoriness blend naturally. Add the vegetables and keep simmering, and the broth gets deeper over time, which is part of the charm of shabu-shabu.

I liked how the clean broth grew richer as meat and vegetables went in one by one. Cooking each ingredient is fun and feels healthy, so I was very satisfied. The meat wasn't dry either, nice. Even the flat rice-starch noodles (bunmoja), yum yum~

There were also rice paper wraps (Vietnamese-style, wolnam-ssam), a thoughtful touch, so I enjoyed it as wraps too, and ate the soy milk skin to the fullest.

The neck is tasty too, but personally I recommend the belly!

Finishing with rose risotto and omija dessert

If you choose spicy mushroom broth at Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch, they make rose risotto as the closing meal once you've finished eating. After we finished, we asked for the meal,

and the staff made us a delicious rose risotto. Even truffle shaved on top, swish~

And the omija (five-flavor berry) dessert was perfect too.

Reservations and hours at Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch

Reserved guests get priority, so I recommend visiting with a Naver reservation. It's open daily 11:00–22:00, 64 m from Hapjeong Station Exit 8.