Hapjeong shabu-shabu with doenjang rice roll finish: Shabu in Seoul

* This post includes a partial self-paid visit.

I was exhausted from the day before plus dealing with an upset stomach, and I wanted something warm and soupy that would go down easy — shabu-shabu! And a premium shabu-shabu without a self-bar? Totally intriguing. So before heading to an escape room in Hongdae, I went for lunch.

Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch: hours, prices and parking

• 📍Hours Mon–Fri 11:00–22:00 (break time 15:00–17:00, last order 14:00 / 21:00) / Sat–Sun 11:00–22:00 (last order 21:00)
• 📍Prices Prime Angus eye of round shabu set (weekday lunch) ₩22,000 / 1++ hanwoo bottom sirloin shabu set (weekday lunch) ₩27,000
• 📍Parking info Delight Square 1 parking lot

I booked through Naver Reservation for a weekday 12:30 slot ✨ Once I reserved, they sent detailed directions to the restaurant and parking info. Delight Square 1 parking generously supports 3 hours! Going through the underground passage next to Hapjeong Station Exit 8 is the most convenient way in.

You can also go in from ground level like this! The Delight Square building looks huge, and if you go into the corridor you see there, there's an elevator.

It's on basement level 2. I strolled along looking around and arrived before I knew it! As soon as we walked in, the staff kindly showed us to our table (I was already in a good mood before we even ate~~).

There's a menu board at the entrance with photos and both lunch and dinner prices. Black pork, Prime Angus, hanwoo, and even drinks for people waiting!! (So thoughtful..🥹)

What the dining room feels like

Right when you walk in, there's a coat rack by the counter for long coats. Perfect timing with fall and winter coming up.

The moment we stepped in, the interior was so spacious and upscale. I tried to capture it in photos but they don't do the real thing justice.. ( •̥ ﹏ •̥ ) The place itself was quiet and had a great atmosphere, so my sister and I both loved it and wanted to bring our parents here too, and I wanted to come back with my husband as well.

Why we picked the blue crab miso broth

The table was already set with sauce dishes and small plates neatly arranged for each person.

Here, whichever broth you pick automatically determines your dessert, so you have to think it through. There are five broths total: clear mushroom, spicy mushroom, blue crab miso, sukiyaki, and beef tomato! Beef tomato is the new menu item this time. I wanted something not too heavy, so after some deliberation I went with blue crab miso!

There's also a photo review event. The gyoza (dumplings) need to be cooked, so you can only take part before dessert. Don't miss those tasty gyoza! Even the tissues set on the table were pretty.

Once we decided on the broth, a staff member came and poured it for us directly. Nothing here is self-serve 😌 (waiting patiently..)

Full spread shot ✨ Everything came out so pretty that I was happy before even eating. The yeolmu (young radish) pickles were so good too, we asked for a refill haha. They bring the sauces separately like this, and you spoon them into your own sauce dish (we had a whole conversation about whose sauce dish had the prettiest color combo, but sadly I didn't get a photo of that haha).

Two different sets: Prime Angus eye of round and 1++ hanwoo bottom sirloin

What I loved about ordering was that you don't need two people to order the same set — you can each choose a different shabu set! So we ordered separately: Prime Angus eye of round and 1++ hanwoo bottom sirloin. The meat quality is clearly a different level from all-you-can-eat shabu places.. just look at the color.. The eye of round was clean-tasting and paired well with the shabu broth, while the bottom sirloin had a deeper, richer beef flavor, so we got to enjoy two different kinds of appeal. Between the two, I leaned slightly more toward the bottom sirloin! Want to eat it again … (hanwoo really is the best)

We put in the vegetables and meat and let it boil away 🔥 The vegetables were big and fresh, so once we cut them up with scissors there was a huge amount, and the meat had just the right thickness for a good bite. Completely different from the thin shabu meat that disappears the moment it touches the broth. What's really interesting about the blue crab miso broth is that it still tastes like proper shabu broth. I was a little (not really) worried it might taste like doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew), but it stayed true to shabu broth while still bringing out the crab and miso aroma nicely, without being too heavy? Totally recommend, so warm and comforting~

How to cook rice paper in the boiling broth

There's rice paper mixed in with the assorted vegetables, and you just dip it into the shabu broth to soften it. At first I was confused because I'd only ever used hot water made specifically for rice paper, but dipping it into the actively boiling broth instead cooked it evenly all over and brought out an even chewier texture — I was so satisfied (you know how the edges often stay crunchy when you soften rice paper separately..🥹).

There was even cute panda-shaped bunmoja (mung bean noodles) ~~ so adorable and so chewy and delicious 🐼

My sister suddenly piled green onions on top, saying it looked like a blanket haha. I wanted to film it because it was so cute, so I piled the onions back on, and then they sank under their own weight …

Kirimochi and lion's mane mushroom on the vegetable platter

I hadn't looked closely at the assorted vegetables at first, and only later discovered kirimochi (Japanese-style square rice cake) tucked in there — chewy and delicious.

While double-checking whether that really was kirimochi, I looked over the side dish options again and found an adorably cute lion's mane mushroom haha. The side dish selection was really varied too.

Finishing with doenjang rice roll and omija tea

Right around when we'd finished enjoying the shabu-shabu, we used the tablet to request our meal finish. It said it would take about 10 minutes, so we timed it accordingly! Since we had the doenjang (soybean paste) broth, we got doenjang rice roll ~~ I was curious about the rose risotto, but I wasn't in the mood for the spicy broth today (clear mushroom–egg rice, spicy mushroom–rose risotto, sukiyaki–yakisoba, beef tomato–tomato risotto).

They add fresh meat and mushrooms and make the doenjang rice roll right in front of you like this. Sizzling away ~~

As the blue crab miso broth kept simmering, the crab aroma got even stronger, and the doenjang rice roll ended up tasting hearty and satisfying, just like it was made from real doenjang-jjigae. Koreans really do run on rice (๑ᵔ⤙ᵔ๑)

And finally, the omija tea! So refreshing, it cleansed my palate completely and made for the perfect finish ✨

The 10% partner discount you get with your receipt

Bring your receipt from Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch and get 10% off at Paul Bassett & Kyobo Book Centre Hapjeong! Also 10% off at The Giwa, Schedule, Gonggam, and Haejeongjip! Don't throw the receipt away, hold onto it ~~

After a great meal, on our way down to the subway I spotted this ad for Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch. Since I'd just eaten so well, it made me extra happy to see it 🤭 (this is now officially my go-to spot near Mecenatpolis in Hapjeong!!) Apparently if you take a photo with it, they give you a mixed fishball platter — if you visit, snap a pic on your way out~~~

How Shabu in Seoul differs from all-you-can-eat shabu places

These days most shabu-shabu places have become all-you-can-eat spots with self-bars, and I usually go to those, but Shabu in Seoul felt completely different! (⸝⸝°ᗜ°⸝⸝) Everything was prepared neatly by staff one by one, so all we had to do was sit and enjoy the food — no getting up and down to fuss with things. It's a premium shabu-shabu place for good reason ~~ The ingredients are fresh, the flavors are outstanding, and everything comes out looking pretty and neat, and the place itself is quiet and calm, so it would be great for a family gathering with parents, a proposal dinner, or a date with atmosphere — really a spot anyone would enjoy, no matter who you go with 💗