Shaburi, Pacific Place Mall, Jakarta, Indonesia

April 14, 2017

Note that this is a delayed post so as of to date, interior and prices may have changed as well as the variety of dishes options available. Located on the fifth floor at Pacific Place, we entered before dinner time, just after work and people were already queuing but since we came not at a specific dinner time, we were able to get a table. Shaburi, is an all you can eat aka. buffet shabu-shabu offering special beef or wagyu with special prices for children. One downside would be that everyone who dines has a time limit of 90 minutes to enjoy the buffet.

Let me start off by giving a quick intro on Shabu-shabu. It's a popular Japanese cooking style where diners are able to cook thin slices of meat quickly in a boiling broth and by dipping them into a sauce. It is somewhat known to be simple but healthy and is enjoyed by everyone. Since we arrived for dinner, the prices are as follows 'Beef shabu' (IDR168k ~= AUD$16.8) and/or 'Special beef shabu' (IDR218k ~= AUD$21.8), 'Shaburi Wagyu shabu' (IDR328k ~= AUD$32.8) and 'Special Wagyu shabu' (IDR488k ~= AUD$48.8). Bear in mind that these prices are all per person as well as for the soup, it is also charged at an extra fee (IDR20k ~= AUD$2) which I'm not too sure why as people come here for shabu-shabu and that the dashi soup is essential to have.

The main part of shabu-shabu is having a dashi soup which is usually made from fresh vegetables and selected ingredients. With six different types of soup with its own individual benefits ranging from the following;

- Konbu: filled with calcium and minerals, their basic soup broth.

- Sukiyaki: a combination of sweetness and a soup that has balance

- Paitan Chicken Collagen: rich in collagen for those who want to improve their skin condition

- Hot Miso: miso has been found to prevent stomach condition, lower risk of aging and fatigue as well as having that hint of hotness

- Japanese herbal soup: another spicy based soup but has the basis of various herbs which allows to lower the risk of stomach and doesn't have an affect on blood pressure like other salty foods

The three broths that we chose were Konbu, Sukiyaki and Paitan Chicken Collagen. Although the chicken collagen was at first our last option but we thought we would give it a try as it seemed rather interesting. All soups were put in your own personal hot pot bowls on top of your own induction cooktop in front of you.

Once the broth has been placed on your tables, you are then able to take the various fresh ingredients as displayed in the middle of the restaurant ranging from vegetables, mushrooms, fish fillet, meatballs, tofu, udon cooked dishes, sushi and other condiments. You are able to fill and retake as many serves as you want however, just be careful though when taking a plate full of ingredients as they will charge you a food wastage fee if there is excessive leftovers left behind. If you wanted fresh egg, it is also available for you to crack and cook in your broth however there will be an extra charge.

When you do choose one of the beef/wagyu packages, you are still able to try the other meat types by buying a plate. Since we were quite hungry, we ended up asking for 7 plates of thinly sliced beef which was served quite quickly right after the waitresses has set up our dashi broth on the induction cooktop.

The thinly slices of beef looked rather fresh and was not frozen, the bright red showed the thinness and fragility it had. Every plate had roughly about 8 slices of beef in which anyone would easily dip it into the broth and after a few minutes or even seconds when the broth has already boiled enough, then dip it into the sauce while slurping on the soup will definitely make you full. Especially if you also took their cooked dishes or sides that are available as well along with the other ingredients.

Once you start putting in your chosen fresh ingredients, just simply wait for it to cook and before you know it, you will be gulping and slurping on the dashi broth with the various ingredients and the thinly slices of beef cooking its way right through. By leaving the vegetables and beef in the broth allows it to cook and marinates itself with the dashi broth and the broth will start to slowly interact with the other ingredients making the soup more flavoursome than before.

The sauces offered include, Ponzu (Japanese traditional light sauce), Tokusei Goma Tare (Sesame seed based sweet tare) and Jinghiskan Khan (fruity tare). Some people do like to mix all of them together instead of having it separately, but this is here and available to suit your liking. The shabu-shabu may taste as good with any of the sauces or just by its own fresh from the dashi broth soup.

Some of the fried dishes and sushi variety available also along with the other dishes and fresh ingredients. Don't forget that the package also includes drinks and dessert which normally is soft serve with a few different toppings available.