Though he recognizes that the current wave of shabu shabu in San Francisco doesn’t adhere too closely to the Japanese tradition, Jonathan Kauffman finds a few things to like about two new recently opened spots: Shabu Pub, and G Cube Cafe. First, he teaches us that shabu shabu means “swish swish” in Japanese, referring to the swishing of thin strips of meat in boiling broth, to cook them. He writes, “The new restaurants, almost all of which are owned by Chinese-Americans, pair a New World disrespect for tradition with America’s love of all-you-can-eat,” but he finds that G Cube is a bit more faithful to Japanese shabu, while Shabu Pub is a bit more inauthentic, and the combo plate he orders is “nothing special.” He warns that the experience of cooking all of one’s own food, bite by bite, at the table, tends to make for a lengthy meal, and when he dines solo at G Cube it does sound vaguely sad. He prefers to say it was “meditative,” and he waxes, “A breeze coming through the open front door sent the cloud of soybean-scented steam across the table, haloing my face… the conversation between me and the pot never faltered.” [SF Weekly]
