Spicy vs mala shabu-shabu for a couple in Jang-an-dong: Shabu Torang

I kept thinking about it after eating here once before, so I went back again — Shabu Torang Jang-an Branch, a Jang-an-dong favorite!

Last time there was no wait, but this time the place was packed and there was even one team waiting?! Still, a table opened up pretty quickly so my husband and I got to enjoy a nice meal hahaha.

Where Shabu Torang Jang-an is, opening hours and parking

Shabu Torang Jang-an Branch is at 146 Janghan-ro, 1st floor, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul (Jang-an-dong 309-3), South Korea. It's open daily from 11:00 to 22:00 with last order at 21:00, and closed Friday (9/25) for the Chuseok holiday.

• Wifi available
• Separate men's/women's restrooms
• Waiting area available
• Solo seating available
• Free parking (small lot, fits only 1–2 cars)

I think we came around 6pm on a Sunday, and the crowd ranged from young kids to elderly folks. Since you can also make egg porridge or cream pasta/risotto here on top of shabu-shabu, and it's all affordable, I guess that's why all sorts of ages come here. Actor Ryu Soo-young would be the perfect spokesperson for this place haha.

We'll eat the shabu-shabu and then move on to pasta~

What this couple ordered at Shabu Torang, and what it cost

I ordered the spicy shabu-shabu I loved last time too, with beef belly! Plus cream risotto ₩2,900, and vegetables and beef neck 50g for ₩4,000 — ₩15,600 total.

. . .

My husband also went with the mala flavor he had last time lol, with beef belly! Plus kalguksu ₩1,500 and mul-mandu (6 pieces) ₩1,500 :)

The food came out really fast, and since it's solo-style shabu-shabu we could each cook our own flavor, which is great — plus the meat and vegetables were all so fresh!

Stirring the spicy broth and adding beef neck

First we mix the spicy seasoning into the broth. I only mixed in about half so it wouldn't be too salty.

This was my first time ordering beef neck, and the color looked really fresh too. So good.

What comes on the basic topping tray

Even without adding extra vegetables or meat, the basic toppings include mung bean sprouts, napa cabbage, chicory(?), enoki mushrooms and oyster mushrooms, plus one rice cake and one fish ball. Oh, and one piece of Shabu Torang's stamped fried tofu too!

Throw in the vegetables, bring it to a rolling boil, swish the beef belly slices one by one until cooked, and then it's straight into my mouth nonstop hahahaha. Squeal, so my style.

Isn't the color on the beef belly amazing too haha. Dip it generously in the peanut sauce and chili sauce set on every table for even more deliciousness. The beef belly was tender and nutty, while the beef neck was a bit leaner, so it was nice to enjoy both in different ways.

Making the cream risotto: how much broth to leave in the pot

After finishing that up quickly lol, following the instructions posted for pasta and risotto, I left just half a ladle of broth, poured in the cream risotto I'd ordered as an add-on, and stirred until it thickened (induction stove set to level 3!).

For egg porridge, leave 2 ladles of broth!

I loved this cream risotto last time too, and it was delicious again this time... The cream sauce has a nice bacon flavor, and at only ₩2,900 it's so cheap that it's basically stamped as one of Jang-an-dong's best value-for-money finds.

Her husband's mala shabu-shabu with kalguksu and mul-mandu

This is the mala shabu-shabu my husband ordered — I only took one photo of it at the start haha. My husband, who loves mala tang (numbing spicy soup), turned out to love Shabu Torang's mala shabu-shabu too. Highly recommend this one if you're into mala flavors~~ We also ordered mul-mandu and kalguksu as add-ons, and since those are only ₩1,500 each too, I'd recommend them if you want a heartier meal!

He said he was too full for the cream risotto I served him, but he finished all the mala kalguksu lol. Next time I want to try a different broth flavor, and try pasta instead of risotto haha.