Shabu-shabu gets personal
Cool couple: Jeroen and Cecile Van Straten, who brought Pepper Lunch to the Philippines, at their newest Japanese restaurant, Shaburi in Uptown Mall, BGC.
Ever dreamed of a restaurant where you can eat all the delicious, healthy food you want for a very reasonable price?
The dream is real at Shaburi, a Japanese shabu-shabu concept brought in by Benmark Group CEO Jeroen Van Straten and wife Cecile Zamora-Van Straten, aka Chuvaness, with its first branch at Uptown Mall in Bonifacio Global City.
Cecile is a longtime family friend (we even joke that we might be cousins, since our last names are Zamora and Jamora), and I’ve always known her to be a Japanophile — an otaku way before the term got popular.
Her family is the same: Jeroen says they visit Japan twice a year, and they discover many cool things during their journeys.
One of those cool things is Shaburi. “The managing director of Pepper Lunch moved to this brand, and he offered the franchise to me,” Jeroen says. “He got it under a different name. The founder is Tomoyoshi Nishiyama of Gyu-Kaku, a yakiniku grill in Japan. Nishiyama built this shabu-shabu to 100 stores, then sold it and moved to Indonesia, where there’s a bigger market. This is his first branch here.”
Like Pepper Lunch, Shaburi streamlines what is an authentic Japanese experience to something palatable, quick and easy for Filipinos — without sacrificing taste.
Shabu-shabu isn’t a new concept, but one of the things that make Shaburi unique is that you get your own hotpot, which is great for those who aren’t thrilled with the idea of sharing a common soup pot with a tableful of people.
Shaburi also customizes your experience in a number of ways. Since you get an individual hotpot, you can dictate what soup to cook your meat and vegetables in. There are five broths to choose from: Original Konbu, which is Cecile’s favorite; Sukiyaki, a sweeter soup that Scott chose; Hot Miso, for those who like it spicy; Soy Milk Miso, for those who like it mild; and Chicken Collagen Paitan, which Cecile says is good for the skin and Jeroen says is the hottest trend in Japan right now, so that’s what I tried.
The only group decision that has to be made is what grade of meat everyone wants, since only one kind of meat will be served at the table as “all you can eat” to prevent confusion (and/or scamming), though diners are free to order other kinds of meat as side dishes. The choices are Regular Shabu (either tasty beef or tender pork), Special Shabu, Shaburi Wagyu (black label), Special Wagyu (gold label), or all of the above.
For your first time I’d suggest the Regular Shabu, which includes everything — from appetizers to unlimited meat, drinks and dessert — for P499. (The highest level of beef, Special Wagyu, includes everything for P1,599.) Jeroen says all the meat is imported from the US, so even the quality of the entry-level meats is excellent.
Once that’s settled, you’re free to select what you want from the buffet, an inviting island set up like a produce market and kept fresh by a mist machine imported from Japan: platters of fresh sushi, baskets of vegetables (four kinds of mushrooms!), cream dory, lobster rolls, squid balls, fish cakes, noodles (they have udon!), chicken karaage, tofu, French fries, fried rice, dipping sauces (choose from ponzu, roasted sesame and soy milk, or sweet sauce), limitless coffee, tea, soft drinks, and soft-serve ice cream (chocolate, vanilla, or mixed!).
Back at the table, it’s fairly easy to work your hotpot, even if you’ve never cooked with one before. At the highest setting it heats up fast, and your broth will come to a boil within five minutes. Jeroen advises putting in vegetables like carrots and onions first, then noodles, then your meat. Once it’s come to a rolling boil you can bring the temperature down with a few presses of a button. “You don’t want it to boil too much,” he says. “Keep it medium.”
Though the restaurant is large at 260 square meters, with the capacity to seat 96, thoughtful design by a Japanese firm makes it feel intimate, with the space divided into rooms and booths for a more cozy, familial atmosphere.
Benmark Group, which now has three Japanese food concepts, with Pepper Lunch, Yakitori One, and now Shaburi, has promised to open 10 Shaburi stores in seven years, but Jeroen is taking it slow. “My concern is finding the space,” he admits. “This concept, the space has to be big because of the buffet, and that’s hard to find. I’ve talked to all the malls to find a second location, but none yet.”
In the meantime, let’s enjoy the flagship location at BGC, where the only danger is that the meat is sliced so finely that you end up eating a lot.
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Shaburi is on the fourth floor (Veranda) of Uptown Mall in Bonifacio High Street Central. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., it’s best to reserve by calling 805-2932, 978-2481, or 0917-708-3930. Follow @shaburiph on Instagram.
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