J’ Shabu

I’m still so ridiculously depressed that they closed. :0(

Sayonara, J’Shabu. It’s been fun. Buh-​bye now.

I just went to this restaurant and it is now closed for good. Too bad

I ate here last night for the first time. I have to say it was a much more pleasant experience than I expected, especially because I wasn’t so sure about the whole «cooking your own meal at the restaurant» deal. I went with my boyf and some of his friends, and had a grand time.
There was nothing WRONG with J Shabu — let me get that out right now. It was a lovely experience from start to finish. There was just nothing exceptional or stand-​out for me to give it 4 or 5 stars. While the food was good, I found the regular portion of the prime cut to be a teensy bit small for me (I ended up stealing a couple of pieces of meat from the boyf’s large order). I would have preferred more vegetables, and I thought there could have been more variety.
The food was good, however, and I felt healthy, ate until I was full, and enjoyed the new dining experience.
I live over by Coor’s Field, so it is a HAUL to get here. I probably wont’ be back unless I’m meeting a group of people, but I may feel differently about that if I lived anywhere near it.
I know this review is jumbled, but it’s appropriate, seeing as my thoughts on this place are jumbled as well. It was good, but not great. Satisfying, but not overly so. A solid restaurant that I would frequent if it weren’t so far away.

I love shabu because you can flavor your own broth and cook your tender meat to your liking; however, this place didn’t do that. You get your choice of either miso, spicy & one other paste, which I can’t remember. I chose spicy, which didn’t add to the broth. On top of that, the meat was so dry that when I was ready to do my udon soup (they don’t even have soup base) my broth was boring like a very sad korean instant noodles.
PROS:
SIZE
PRICE
SERVICE
CONS:
DRY MEAT
FLAVORLESS BROTH
NO SOUP BASE
LOCATION

March 11, 2010: Sad news! Was there last night (and I’m pretty much a regular) and was told that the owner was not renewing his lease — so the place will be gone sometime in May/​June. I’m super bummed because it’s the only Shabu place in Denver and Colorado…
Apparently business has really slowed down and it doesn’t make sense to the owner to continue. I really think that if he put some advertising into it (and did a Groupon), he’d see much more business. Problem they have now is location — if you don’t know it’s there, it’s super hard to find! Plus one of these downtown would make a killing!!!
I love this place! Although we can make it at home, the Ponzu sauce is awesome and I haven’t figured out how to copy…

Sometimes a restaurant will score high solely because it is unique. Even though this is the ONLY Shabu Shabu restaurant in town (currently)… they do a great job. I’ve traveled and eaten enough to know.
The portions are huge. Some of the customers were taking pictures of the food when I was there. Ok, ok, that’s a little over the top for me, but the spread is plentiful and really impressive looking. The service is friendly and casual. Overall its a great little place. My only complaint is that I feel sloppy eating here because my food drips all over the place when I take it out of the soup. I don’t know why that troubles me, but that’s more of a personal issue I think… hehe
Pros:
Great Service
Good Value
Cool Modern Asian Décor
Tastes great yet you feel healthy… (never thought that was possible)
Cons:
I always make a mess (if the restaurant didn’t look so cool, that probably would bother me)

Wednesday, Nov 4^th 2009 evening, we went to J’ Shabu for dinner. Its part of (I.C.E) meetup group to dine out in around town.
I have try shabu shabu in different cities before and some of the places differs from each other yet have some similarities.
From the MENU, they do provide sashimi as part of appetizers and they have Vegetable options for Vegetarian.
Anyhow, the staff that attend to us throughout the whole evening was so accomodating to our needs.
We have several choice to choose in terms on which kind of broth we can have.
First came the condiments or the dipping sauces. One small bowl of ponzu and green onions (scallions) while the other small bowl consists of miso paste of some kind.
Since I opt for SEAFOOD, the platter I received contained these :
* Udon noodles
* Shrimp
* Scallops
* Salmon
* Halibut
* Mussels
* Clams
* King Crab Leg
Included in the Seafood platter too, are the vegetables. It contains :
* Napa Cabbage
* Chinese Cabbage
* Spinach leaves
* Bamboo Shoot
* Chrsanthenum leaves
* Shiitake Mushrooms and Enokitake
* Onions
* Tofu
~ to name a few.
Its up to you how you want to cook your Shabu-​Shabu. For me, I start with the Shiitake Mushrooms and Onions. From there, the seafood and the vegetables.
The rest of my friends opt for Sukiyaki, with the Rib –Eye and Angus Beef as part of their meat choices.
To make the broth more spicy, I «doll» it up with thai bird chilles. I also opt for a small bowl of rice to eat my Shabu-​shabu plus not forgetting another small bowl for me to pour the broth to sip it.
I end up my evening with Mango Mochi.
I have fun cooking my own Shabu-​Shabu and with awesome friends to strike conversations, perhaps you will too.
Another added bonus, J’Shabu ALLOWS Separate Checks for our group.
Definitely a return to J’Shabu with Hubs in the future. I’m a FAN J’Shabu. Thank you for an awesome evening.

Got tired of eating the same 40 – 50 restaurants that we always go to, so we gave J’ Shabu a try. Now, we have another favorite. J’ Shabu serves shabu shabu, a Japanese cousin to fondue. You get a massive plate of vegetables, a massive plate of raw meats or fish, and a giant bowl of boiling water (or broth) to cook your ingedients in. There are a few dipping sauces for your cooked food and rice is also made available upon request. This is probably not a good meal for kids or people that have absolutely no idea how to cook. However, it is a great way to get together with a couple of friends and chat while your food cooks.

I went here with my boyfriend not ever having shabu-​shabu before but after one visit I am a fan forever!
I ordered the seafood with spicy broth, the woman who owned the restaurant said that it was a lot of food and I didnt take her seriously… but then I was presented with all of the seafood under the sea to cook in my own little pot. Holy cow. It was a lot of fun cooking my food to the temperature I wanted, the only thing was that since by broth was not clear I often forgot about what I had in my pot.
I could not eat all of my meal but thankfully I brought the man with the largest stomach to help me.
The owners husband is a really nice man who was helpful in explaining the process. Go visit them!

I’ve been going to this Shabu-​Shabu place for over a year now. I really enjoy it and honestly I don’t think there’s another restaurant in Colorado that exclusively does Shabu-​Shabu.
Shabu-​Shabu is the Japanese version of hotpot. It’s generally very healthy and gives you the opportunity to have a lot of control in what you eat and how it’s cooked.
The first decision you have is the flavor of the broth. My boyfriend is really all about simplicity, so he adds no flavor to the pot. A flavor like miso is going to be on the mild/​subtle side whereas other flavors are going to be more noticeable. I personally really enjoy the fish broth, even when I’m eating the prime rib plate.
The best part is being able to cook the meats and veggies yourself. The broth in the pot is hot enough to cook the meat very quickly. You dip the meat in for a couple of seconds and you quickly notice the change from pink to gray. Of course, the more rare you like it, the less you dunk it, and the more well-​done, the longer.
If you are Japanese you probably grew up on this stuff and may find that you could easily do this at home. However, if you didn’t grow up on this, and don’t have the tools at home to do it yourself, I think it’s a really fun and enjoyable new way to eat delicious and good for you food.

This place is pretty good for Shabu Shabu — for those of you that are unfamiliar with Shabu Shabu, it’s pretty much like fondue. You have your own private bowl of boiling broth/​water and you cook your own food, be it beef, veggies, etc. You typically order a meat and it will come with a plate of Asian veggies and a small portion of udon noodles.
The meat and veggies are usually fresh and the portions are just enough for me. Don’t forget to drink some of the broth with the Udon if you picked the flavored broth. Shabu Shabu is probably the safest way to introduce non-​Asians to the Asian form of fondue, since it is in individual servings, hence more «sanitary.»
If you really want to share in a group experience, try Chinese Hot Pot at one of the local Chinese restaurants like Ocean City, where there is only one pot of broth and everyone dips into it! You can try a lot more different things, like fish balls, lamb, shrimp, etc.
regardless, both versions makes for a great time, especially on cold days.

We owe Unilocal another vote of thanks for bringing to our attention this pleasant shabu shabu restaurant in Denver. If you want someone else to cook for you, it isn’t the place for you. If you like fondue, you’ll enjoy the similar process. The friendly waitress will walk you through it if you’re new.
My son and I enjoyed our dinner there tonight, sharing an order of chicken and the regular-​size econo-​beef. He ordered the miso to cook in; I used the kelp water. Our verdict: The thin-​sliced beef and the miso win. Oh man, that miso was good as it cooked down.

3.5 stars. My boyfriend and I shared a seafood plate for dinner last night. There was certainly enough food for both of us. We chose to cook in two pots one with the fish broth and the other with the miso broth. The seafood looked very fresh and the variety of greens and mushrooms was fun. Both of the broths went well with the seafood and greens, but it they were both a little too salty. We also shared a cold Kurosawa sake which was very good. My only problem with the experience was that I must have not cooked something long enough as I am feeling pretty sick today. The server was very helpful in explaining everything and told us how long we should cook each type of seafood, but we didn’t think to use a cell phone as a timer. I don’t think that shabu shabu is my thing. I enjoyed the experience, but I when I go out to eat I prefer to let someone else cook for me.

I have never been disappointed! The menu is limited, but it’s shabu shabu (so how could you really get variety anyway?). I recommend the sukiyaki, but the miso broth with the beef was good. There isn’t much of a difference between the angus prime beef, and the choice beef… so not worth the difference in price, to be honest.
It’s fun to bring a small group to (2 – 3 people), but any more than that and you feel disconnected because of the bar style. The only shabu place I’ve found in Denver!

This is my new favorite place for lunch. I’d go more often if they opened for lunch at 11 instead of at 11:30. I went my first time on a cold, rainy day. I left full, but not with a heavy tummy, but with a warm, satisfied tummy. The gal walked me through my first time. Since them I’ve tried the seafood (lots of work), the zesty broth, the seafood broth, the sukiyaki broth, and the miso broth. My favorite is the beef dish with the miso, or maybe the sukiyaki watered down. I can usually get out of there at lunch having spent $ 11.50 including tax + tip. YUM!

Hard to mess with the ONLY shabu shabu restaurant in town– if anyone knows of any other shabu shabu joints please let me know.
This place is clean, service is friendly, and the food is delicious and filling. It’s hard not to spend under $ 30 after getting an entrée and a few saki’s.
For those of you who have never had shabu shabu, this is a great restaurant to try it at. The servers will walk you through it– it’s great for the hakujins!
I would definitely recommend this as a great date restaurant because it’s something different, but not so crazy that no one will want to touch the food.

Coming from California, I have missed shabu shabu CA style.
First of all, you don’t have to share the shabu pot with other people and you can flavor the water/​broth however you want. I go here once a week and love that it’s never busy and that the staff is always friendly. The pot sits directly in front of you and you can either leave the water alone or flavor it with fish, red pepper, or miso paste.
My favorite is the red pepper, but I like things spicy. I usually get the «lighter dish» which is chicken. The little asian lady that works there on Tuesdays is great because she always voluntarily gives you tongs to pick up the raw chicken. And I always ask for a side of chopped garlic (which they always have handy unless they’ve made the miso/​sesame dipping sauce that day). This place is SO good. I only wish they had more variety with their veggies and offered dicon radish purée to add flavor to the ponzu sauce and broth.
One last comment-​if you prefer brown rice over white rice, ask early as it takes about 5 – 10 minutes for them to make.

I found out this place through
. Oh, yeah. Kudos go to Shiho and monolith…
Within a week, I went there twice for lunch :-)
The place has a setting that caters to individuals, gang of 2 – 3 because of the horseshoe or U-​shape long counter table. Each guest will have a shiny and clean expensive-​looking built-​in glass ceramic electric stove in front of him/​her. Angus premium steak is my favorite, around $ 10, you will get a plate of vegies (some tofu, one shiitake mushroom, one long bamboo shoots, some cabbage, noodles, etc), a plate of Angus very-​thinly sliced in front of you…
There are 3 types of soup base: miso, red-​pepper and fish. Once you decided on that, you just have to throw whatever stuff into the boiling pot.
Service is good. Both Maria and Meg are very nice people. Second time I was there, I was told one Asian guy (actually a Korean) sitting at the further end all by himself was actually the owner. He was busy eating too.
Good business model. There are 40 + stoves/​stools, one guy prepares the vegies and meat, one girl serves all the guests. Very cost-​effective I guess.
I like it. Though it might not be a good place for a big gang since you all have to line up one by one. Maybe the owner should consider adding another area where they could have round tables. However I enjoyed my dining there.

i saw an ad for this place in the westword and decided huh that might be cool. it was. you’re seated at a long counter w basically electric stove tops built into it.
a pot is placed in front of you filled w water that is brought to a rolling boil. you’re given a choice of wagyu beef, seafood and a couple other options. so they bring a large platter filled w vegetables and you choice of meat. w the harder of the vegetables you create a broth in which you cook everything else. some vegetables you let boil to cook while the thinly sliced beef you just swish back and forth quickly to cook. this is where this type of cooking gets its name shabu shabu or swish swish. the beef is very thin, tender, and almost melts in your mouth.
the waiter was very good at explaining the shabu shabu concept and guiding you through the process, all the while making sure things dont boil over. at the end i wasnt overly full but i was satisfied by the simple and filling meal. very interesting place to eat and a very interesting and fun way to eat!