Shabu Shabu & Kushi in LA

Friday, November 14, 2008

There's something so wonderfully simple and satisfying about shabu shabu. The thin, quick-cooking meats and fresh vegetables, the savory dipping sauces, and the soup or porridge that results in the end. It's said that shabu shabu originated in the 13th century, when Genghis Khan was looking for an efficient way to feed his troops. By gathering large groups around one big pot of boiling water and giving them thinly sliced pieces of meat, his forces were able to cook for themselves and eat quickly. It wasn't until it was introduced to 20th-century Japan that the modern-day cuisine caught on and quickly spread across Asia, and eventually to the West. Kushi, also deliciously simple, is sort of like Japanese kabob: meats and vegetables skewered and grilled or fried. The following Los Angeles restaurants are where to go for shabu shabu, whether you like it Japanese or Korean style, and some even offer tasty tidbits on skewers alongside their brews.

Kagaya

418 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Kagaya is widely considered to be one of the best Shabu Shabu spots in all of Los Angeles. Lines sometimes form in anticipation of the restaurant's daily opening, and a … relatively lengthy wait is typical during prime dining hours. While the Shabu Shabu dinner price might scare some prospective dinners, it (along with the wait) is well worth it for true food lovers with a big appetite.
[link]

N 34° 2.51180 W 118° 14.20860

Kushi Shabu Restaurant

123 Astronaut Ellison S Onizuka St
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Offering over 30 kinds of kushi katsu, including fish cake, wild potato, shrimp, asparagus, beef and pumpkin, Little Tokyo's Kushi Shabu is a Los Angeles favorite. In … addition to all of the yummy stuff on sticks, their ayce beef shabu shabu special means you get plate after plate of veggies, noodles, tofu, and thinly sliced beef in the raw, plus appetizers, miso soup, and mochi.
(photo) [link]

N 34° 3.2469 W 118° 14.31243

Shabu Shabu House Restaurant

127 Japanese Village Plaza Mall
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Ah, the ever-packed and ever-popular shabu shabu House in lovely Little Tokyo. The beef is marbled, the portions are generous, the quality is high, and your wait will be … really, really (really) long.
[link]

N 34° 2.56864 W 118° 14.23251

Sushi & Kushi Imai

8300 Wilshire Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90211

Tucked into a strip mall at the corner of San Vicente and Wilshire, this little gem serves up a ton of kushi alongside their sushi. Kushi options include okra, eggplant, … chicken, shrimp, scallop, and shitake mushroom. The restaurant hosts a happy hour every day from 5:30-7:30pm, during which you can get selected kushi for $2, sushi rolls for under $3, and sake for $4.
[link]

N 34° 3.50176 W 118° 22.20881

Seoul Garden

1833 W Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90006

Another in the Korean school of shabu shabu, this Pico Union restaurant serves insanely enormous portions -- and you better come hungry, because they don't know the … meaning of "to go." In addition to the never-ending mountain of meat and veggies, your cooking pot is filled with beef broth instead of plain water, and they serve kimchi with both udon and porridge after the shabu.
(photo) [link]

N 34° 3.3005 W 118° 16.38301