When we first saw Lost in Translation, we didn’t understand the restaurant scene in which Bill Murray jokes about the sloppy service of a place that makes you cook your own food. But this was before we discovered the beauty and skill of eating shabu-shabu (translation: swish-swish). Our own former ignorance still makes us cringe, but at least we know what we’re dealing with now.
Some of the most authentic shabu in town is in Chinatown, to be exact, but some of us live in Cambridge and hate the trek past Downtown Crossing. So when the urge to cook at the table hits us, we head to Shabu-Ya. Shabu is some of our favorite cold weather food, and unlimited meat and veggies is nothing to sneeze at…unless you still have the flu, like we do.
Thankfully, warm soups and spicy sauces clear our sinuses, and the bright funky colors of Shabu-Ya keep us wide awake. Meat eaters among us love the sirloin beef pot, and our veggie friends dig the kimchi sauce with the vegetable platter. The tom yum broth is also among our favorites, strangely better than that at some of the best Thai spots around town. Make sure you get plenty of napa cabbage on your plate. It heals that winter sickness.
If you feel like Bill Murray or Scarlett in that lunch scene, don’t fret. We’ve taken shabu newbies to Shabu-Ya in recent months, and our friends are always impressed by the staff’s helpful advice on everything from which utensils to use to how to order. When in doubt, show up for sushi happy hour from 3-5pm. No matter what you order, everyone can relax. Nothing gets lost in translation here.
Shabu-Ya [Official Site]
[Photo: Gustty/Flickr]
