Yongsan shabu-shabu restaurant with spicy broth: Shabu in Seoul

Lately, I've wanted something neat and satisfying, but not something too light either, haha. So I suddenly went out for shabu-shabu! To give you the conclusion first: the spicy mushroom broth here was even more my thing than I expected. And the post-meal dessert course at the end was perfect too!

Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch, near Samgakji Station

Hours vary a little by day, so I recommend checking before you go! It is 247 m from Exit 3 of Samgakji Station. Apparently it is already well known as a Yongsan food spot around Yongridan-gil, and its proximity to the station makes it convenient to visit on foot too.

I've seen Shabu in Seoul in Seongsu too, and it always feels so spacious and upscale from the outside. It looked like a fine choice even for a family meeting or an occasion where you need to be a little formal.

And it had that clean, nicely atmospheric kind of vibe!

Seasonal dishes and the menu were displayed out front. I liked being able to decide what to order before going in—it felt like doing my homework.

Choose your broth and meat, with a different dessert course for each broth

It was printed on such a large sheet that it was bent over, so I flattened it out to take a photo. You can choose not only your broth but also the type of meat you want, so it looked easy to tailor the meal exactly to your taste.

The dessert drink is omija tea (five-flavor berry tea) either way. What was unusual was the post-meal dish. At 99% of places, it is fried rice or egg porridge, right? But here, a different dessert course is prepared according to the broth you order, which was fun. It definitely seems like a place for a different kind of experience, haha.

There was even a huge table that would be great for a group gathering! The inside also felt clean and upscale. Even the four-person tables were so roomy you could practically lie down. (Not saying I was going to lie down, haha.) A textbook example of clean and upscale.

After being shown to our table, these were the three sauces already set out: yuzu soy sauce, chili sauce, and peanut sauce! Those are the top three sauces for shabu-shabu, right? There was also minced garlic and chili. You can add them however you like, or just slurp up the broth as is, but I recommend putting them into the soup, haha.

Prime Angus chuck roll shabu set with red broth

What we ordered: the Prime Angus chuck roll shabu set, ₩25,000 × 2!

I said it was interesting that the dessert course changes, right? Since we ordered the red-broth shabu, we were planning to have rosé risotto afterward.

Prime Angus chuck roll shabu set

Here comes the red broth! When we go to a restaurant for the first time, we have this habit of safely ordering the red broth first, hahahahahahaha, so that is what we went with, haha.

The shabu vegetables arrived beautifully arranged too. There was every kind of ingredient, even glass noodles, and the mostly premium vegetables made for a neat, solid selection!

The vegetable portion was quite generous too! Let me give you a quick sweep.

Prime Angus chuck roll? That is the meat! The name is seriously hard, but it sounds premium, right? It was beautifully laid out, and each person gets one plate. I liked that it was divided up this way—no one can steal your meat. (Mine gets stolen a lot ㅠㅠ.) Ready to eat with the three sauces!

We were throwing all the vegetables in at once, hahahahaha. Just to cook them quickly and eat them quickly, of course, haha. In they go, diligently.

It is packed full, right? The broth was not bland at all—it was a deeply colored, rich red broth. It was a little like spicy fish stew, with a pleasantly sharp kick, and seriously delicious.

At first we tossed everything in messily, but meanwhile it was getting perfectly ready to eat. After pressing it down to cook, I arranged it somewhat prettily for the photo. This is bunmoza? Rice cake? It was wonderfully chewy.

There were panda-shaped rice cakes too. The broth was rich and pleasantly spicy, so it went incredibly well with the vegetables. The broth was ridiculously good, so I drank loads of it...

Staff-made rosé risotto after the meal

After we finished everything, we ordered dessert. The staff member personally prepared the rosé risotto I mentioned earlier. First, they chopped shrimp and mushrooms into small pieces and added them.

Then they added rice, rosé sauce, butter, cheese, and maybe egg yolk? They made it into a thick, rich risotto.

And finally, maybe olive oil? I do not know what oil it was, but it added a nutty, clean flavor.

The look of it was insane, right? It was my first time seeing a shabu-shabu restaurant make rosé risotto, so it felt fresh and was tremendously delicious ㅠㅠㅠ. It was not overly rich, and it was so thick and creamy it gave rosé pasta a run for its money.

The mushrooms from earlier made another appearance, haha. And everyone finishes with omija tea! It was sweet and just right for dessert.

Overall, Shabu in Seoul was clean and high quality! The price was good too, and it looked like a very nice spot for a gathering. The spicy broth and rosé risotto in particular were incredibly tasty, so I recommend this combination. Next time, I want to come back and try another broth.