Hapjeong shabu-shabu date with rice paper wraps and white fungus

With the weather cooling down these days, I was craving warm shabu-shabu, so I went to Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch, which is hot right now for premium shabu-shabu! From the luxurious interior to the high-quality ingredients, I ate so well — let me introduce Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch.

Location and hours of Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch

• Address: B2, 14 Wolldcup-ro 1-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
• Hours: Daily 11:00 - 22:00 (break time 15:00 - 17:00)
• Parking: Available

Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch is a 1-minute walk from Hapjeong Station Exit 8, located on B2 of Delight Square 1.

A wait even in early evening — the exterior of Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong

Every time I passed by Delight Square, Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch was always the one bustling with people, so I was curious! Even though I visited on this day during early evening, it was already full of waiting customers! They had cool drinks ready outside for people to drink while waiting. True to a premium shabu-shabu brand, the exterior looked sleek, making it seem like a great spot for family meals, work dinners, or dates.

Luxurious interior and private sofa seating

Living up to its reputation as a Hapjeong shabu-shabu favorite, the interior was more spacious and upscale than I expected, giving me the feeling of being at a restaurant. There were also several round tables that could seat larger groups, making it look great for family meals or various gatherings!

All the seats are cozy sofa seats with high backs, so you can focus on your meal comfortably and intimately with your company. The basic table setting was also very clean and classy. Besides spoons and chopsticks, they provided tongs for the shabu-shabu and small bowls for the three sauces, so I could eat comfortably.

Menu and order at Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch

At Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch, you first choose your shabu type and broth, and the staff explained everything kindly so there was no trouble picking. Starting with black pork belly and pork neck, there were many premium options like prime Angus chuck flat, 1++ Hanwoo bottom sirloin, Black Nine wagyu, and a flank steak & abalone set, so it was great to pick whichever cut I wanted. There were also side menus like matcha strawberry latte, cheongyang perilla oil noodles, and a kids' menu, so it seemed easy to fill up generously beyond just the shabu-shabu.

• Prime Angus chuck flat shabu set ₩25,000 x 2
• White fungus mushroom ₩3,900

We chose the clear mushroom broth

At Shabu in Seoul, the finishing dish changes depending on the broth. There are 5 total: clear / spicy / soybean paste / sukiyaki / beef tomato. We chose the clear mushroom broth, which comes with egg porridge as the finish! Apparently it's Shabu in Seoul's signature broth. Its clean, deep flavor was excellent.

We received delicious gyoza as part of a photo review event.

Not long after ordering, they set up all the shabu-shabu ingredients! A wood bowl full of vegetables and mushrooms, and 2 servings of prime Angus chuck flat neatly arranged in compartments came out. You could tell at a glance how fresh the meat and vegetables were, right?

The sauces come out beautifully in clear glass bottles. You can add minced garlic and minced chili to the chili, sesame, or soy sauce according to your taste, then dip your shabu-shabu in it. I mixed minced chili into the soy sauce.

The vegetable bowl and the white fungus mushroom we added

As befits a shabu-shabu favorite, Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch's vegetable bowl was packed with napa cabbage, bok choy, red chard, bean sprouts, enoki mushroom, shiitake mushroom, sweet pumpkin, glass noodles, rice paper, and glass noodle (bunmoja), with a cute panda bear peeking out among them!

The white fungus mushroom I ordered extra because I love mushrooms! It's huge, isn't it? Lightly cooked in the broth, you get both great texture and flavor.

Once the broth started boiling, we first dunked the vegetables in one by one according to taste!

This is the mu jeolim (pickled radish) that comes as a default side dish — it has a refreshing taste like pickles and was addictive.

The cute panda bear soaked up the clear vegetable and mushroom broth and turned out chewy and springy and delicious,

and I also dipped the white fungus mushroom in soy sauce for a bite! Shabu-shabu you can eat with zero guilt. I really liked that Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch had various add-on menus, especially mushrooms.

How was the prime Angus chuck flat?

We put in the prime Angus chuck flat and got into eating shabu-shabu in earnest! The more vegetables and meat you keep dipping in, the more the broth gets infused with meat juices and vegetable flavor, becoming richer and richer, haha. I think this is exactly the appeal of eating shabu-shabu.

We dipped the meat, mushrooms, and glass noodles into various sauces to our taste, haha. The chuck flat was tender and soft, and I usually don't eat vegetables unless I'm wrapping pork belly in lettuce, but I don't know why vegetables cooked in shabu-shabu are so delicious!

I think the advantage of shabu-shabu is that you can see the condition of the ingredients yourself, and since the cooking process is simple, it's easy on the stomach. Light and healthy, yet delicious! I recommend Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch, a shabu-shabu favorite, for eating out.

Even rice paper wraps for spring rolls

Interestingly, there was also rice paper among the shabu ingredients, so you could make spring rolls with it. My boyfriend, who has good hands, rolled them up beautifully for me and I ate them happily.

Ordering the finishing meal and dessert

After finishing the shabu-shabu, you can also request the finishing meal via the tablet (egg porridge and omija tea are included in the set) — they said it takes about 10 minutes depending on the kitchen situation!

Savory egg porridge made fresh on the spot

When you request the egg porridge, the staff makes it fresh on the spot for you! They ladle out some of the broth, then quickly whip up the egg porridge with rice, egg, sesame oil, and pepper.

As the finishing touch, they sprinkle on some seaweed flakes. It came together in an instant, so it was fun to watch, haha. The egg porridge was savory and soft, easy to finish off as a meal.

And the omija tea (five-flavor berry tea) they served for dessert at just the right timing. The glass was pretty too, so it felt like being treated well, and it was refreshing as a palate cleanser.

Tip for a date course after the meal

After eating at Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch, you can get 10% off at Paul Bassett if you bring your receipt, so keep that in mind!

After the meal, we also browsed books at Kyobo Bookstore across the street, making it a perfect date course. With its modern, upscale atmosphere, clean and light premium shabu-shabu, and the staff's kind service, Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch is a Hapjeong shabu-shabu favorite — I highly recommend visiting with someone special!