Chef Johnny Chu’s hot pots return for a steamy, mouthwatering experience.
Megan Draper’s cheesy appetizer from the Mad Men Season 6 opener looked so scrumptious it landed in a cookbook aptly titled Fondue. But the gooey Swiss standard isn’t the only trending heat-and-dip option. In August, chef Johnny Chu unveiled Shabu Fondue, a petite North Phoenix eatery serving Japanese “shabu-shabu.” The concept is simple: meats, veggies and noodles cooked tableside in broth. The fun part: You do the cooking.
This isn’t Chu’s first go-round with hot pots. His ramen-shabu joint Tien Wong Hot Pot had a solid four-year run before folding last March. Like Tien Wong, Shabu’s interior is minimalist and modern. Adjacent to Chu’s Red Thai, it greets guests with mirrored walls, subtle Asian art and a handful of parasols hanging gracefully from the high ceiling.
Fondue is as much about the cooking experience as it is about the quality of ingredients, and Shabu excels on both fronts, offering a choose-your-own-adventure culinary spread. Nine broths ($4.95 each) are prepared from a pork/chicken or vegetarian base; I highly recommend splurging $1 extra for the “yin-yang” dual broth pot. Rich, silky coconut curry is a crowd-pleaser, while delicately perfumed House Chinese Herbal broth rises from flat to flavorsome with the addition of garlic and dates. Chu’s spicy lemongrass broth is a chili-tinged mouth-tickler that boosts blander add-ins like fried tofu and starchy taro, a purplish root vegetable native to Southeast Asia.
The broth’s bold citrus notes contrast beautifully with gamey beef tongue and hand-shaved Angus New York steak, the latter a melt-in-your mouth cut with just a touch of marbling. Ma La Spicy Broth fares similarly, pairing well with sweet, plump prawns and savory pork dumplings that smack of green onion. The meat add-ins range from $6-$8.
Crisp broccoli and chrysanthemum leaves lend fresh, green zing to the milder miso and Chinese herbal options, and Korean pumpkin pleases despite its naturally dry texture. I eagerly followed tableside instruction to nibble the rind – which according to Chu is “a very good source of iron” – and found its bitter undertone complemented the sweeter flesh.
Not all mix-ins are as palatable. Sampling the cuttlefish puffs, for example, is an experience akin to licking an aquarium, and “iced” tofu boasts a disturbingly squishy texture.
Since hot pot is the only main dish offered at Shabu, guests can import appetizers and entrées from neighboring Red Thai. My dining companions devoured sweet, crisp almond chicken and sugarcane pork ($8) in minutes, the latter’s tangy sauce and succulent meat propelling it to the top of Red Thai’s must-try list. The supposedly “crispy” noodle island ($12) was soggy enough most of the dish was left marooned on our plates, but Chu made up for it with his crisp, refreshing and sweet ginger fish: fried whitefish nuggets, carrots and sugar snap peas coated in an addictive sugary, citrus-tinged glaze ($15). The only dishes sweeter on the tongue are Shabu’s dessert wontons (crisp fried shells filled with creamy cheese) and beignets ($5). Shabu’s take on the classic Creole pastries is spongy and moist, with a tangy honey finish.
Chu knows how to do fondue right. With fresh, hand-cut ingredients and appetizing broths, Shabu Fondue offers the intimate, customizable experience of a certain national fondue chain – sans hefty price tag and calorie-laden cheese and chocolate courses.
DETAILS
Shabu Fondue
Cuisine: Japanese, Hot Pot
Contact: 7822 N. 12th St., Phoenix, 602-870-3015
Hours: 5-9 p.m. Tu-Th, 5-10 p.m. F-Sa, 5-9 p.m. Su
Highlights: Spicy lemongrass and coconut curry yin-yang pot ($5.95); Angus New York steak ($7.98); sweet shrimp ($5.98); pork dumplings ($5.98); taro ($2.68); Korean pumpkin ($3.68); sugarcane pork ($7.98); sweet ginger fish ($14.98); beignets ($5)
