Shabu Fondue

Shabu Fondue Restaurant Review:

As is Valley chef Johnny Chu’s style, the place is tiny, trendy and chic with dark lighting and lots of Asian art, indie rock music and a beer/wine/saké-centric bar. But the food wins over the most serious diner. Rather than relying on oil and cloying sweet sauces, he lets the ingredients shine, serving them simply as raw ingredients to be cooked at-table in simmering hot broth. It can be daunting at first, with more than 50 choices including nine broths, but staff will demonstrate, and soon, personal preference guides the way for meats, vegetables, homemade tofu, noodles, dumplings and herbs. Part of the experience is the joy of swishing, in coconut-curry or golden poultry broth, as the bubbling stuff roils and steams the scallops, razor clams, straw mushrooms, bamboo and silky udon. The restaurant is usually very busy, and reservations are not accepted.