Shabu Zen, with locations in Allston, Harvard Square, and its original location in Chinatown, is the only hot pot in Boston. Known as shabu shabu in Japanese, hot pot allows its customer to take part in the creation of their own dinner with their personal simmering pot of flavored broth. A student could easily take the train to Harvard Ave. and walk a few blocks, or grab a spot on the personal parking lot for the restaurant directly behind the establishment. My venture to the Allston Shabu Zen was by car, and at 7:30 p.m. on a Saturday night, there was absolutely no parking. I would suggest to never bring your car to the Harvard Ave. area.
Though I did not have a reservation and the restaurant was at full capacity, my party was still seated a few minutes after we walked in the door. The place was modestly decorated, with hot pot booths in front of each seat and a charming rock garden in the front. As a bartender, my eyes immediately went to the bar. There was a beautiful wrap around bar, completely stocked. In addition to the regular full bar, there's an array of sake for the adventurous drinker.
Once seated at a long horse-shoe shaped counter, dishes are provided with a container of garlic, scallion, chili pepper, and satay to mix into your dipping soy sauce, a bowl for noodles or rice, a small plate, a soup spoon, and a sieved ladle. The first question the server asks is what our broth preference was. Being a novice hot pot-er, I chose to stick with the original; it is quite tasty, and the others are more expensive. The other option was vermicelli noodles on jasmine rice. I ordered the jasmine rice, a plate of lamb cuts, dumplings, and tofu. My dining partner ordered the same, but with a mix of lamb, beef, and chicken.
Each meat platter comes with an array of vegetables to choose from. I placed my first bit of meat and tofu into the boiling broth. There is always this apprehension of, "Is it done yet? Is this undercooked? Will this dining experience bring about self-inflicted food poisoning?" (FYI, the meat takes only a few seconds to cook thoroughly before it is ready for your dining pleasure, tofu takes a bit longer, and dumplings float when they are done).
Spring Break
