Shaburina

So here we go with another AYCE in experience while I was in Bellevue.  This time around, we decided on Shaburina, which is a "Japanese-style" Shabu Shabu.  I put this in quotations because authentic Shabu Shabu would have far less ingredients and only one type of broth.  However, I'm glad that they extended the format with different broth options and many things to choose from at the buffet station.  For the non-Wagyu option (House Course), it is $39.00 per person inclusive.  I found this to be a fair price and a good value with all things considered.

Each person has their own personal hot pot (with the heating element built into the table) with a choice of Broth.  I ended up choosing Spicy Miso while my son had the Sukiyaki.  Both Viv and my daughter chose the featured broth of the day being Chicken & Scallop.  Predictably, the most impactful of the 3 was the spicy miso as it did have a kick (not scorching hot though) with the fermented flavour of miso.  Sukiyaki was pretty basic and only good for those who aren't adventurous.  The best was the chicken and scallop as it was super sweet with savoury elements.

Without even needing to ask, everyone received all 4 meats including Rich Beef, Lean Beef, Rich Pork and Lean Pork.  If you were wanting to take full advantage of the other ingredients at the buffet station, then you might want to share the meats to start rather than having a full serving for each person.  We struggled to finish it all.  Now the rich cuts look alarmingly fatty, but rest assured, they were sliced thin so after cooking it wasn't too bad.  In fact, that made the meats more tender and buttery.  I actually loved the lean pork (looked like shoulder meat) the most though as it was strangely the most succulent.

I was actually quite impressed with the Buffet Station as it included a good variety of ingredients including shrimp, clams, baby scallops, squid, quail eggs, spam, tofu puffs, various fish cakes and meatballs, wontons, different types of noodles and kimchi.  As for the veggies, they consisted of Shanghai bak choy, chrysanthemum, napa cabbage, spinach, sprouts, tomato, squash, green onion, white onion and corn.  Again, plenty to choose from and things looked fresh.

Lastly, there was the requisite Sauce Bar that sported ponzu, sweet chili, sesame sauce, cilantro, jalapeno, Thai chili, garlic, peanut, fried garlic, white onion, green onion, fried shallots, sriracha and a variety of oils.  If you look at the picture, you'll notice a soft-serve ice cream machine.  Well, you do get an ice cream cone when are finished, but it wasn't available the night we ate there. No biggie though as we enjoyed the broths and the fresh ingredients that came with it.  This is a place we will be visiting again.

The Good:
- Delicious broth
- Good quality ingredients
- Great service

The Bad:
- Tables are far too small for all the plates, sauces and ingredients