May 15, 2009
橘色涮涮屋
We wanted to take mom and dad out some place nice for dinner. With only the four of us a big Chinese-style banquet is impractical. Dad's not particularly keen on Japanese food, mom can't handle anything too spicy, and the wife wanted something warm and savory.
Well, how about some hot pot? The Sichuan-MaLa spicy places are out of the question, and we're not taking the folks to some random all-you-can-eat chain, but there are plenty of high-end shabu-shabu places on the east-side, including Orange Shabu. We'd wanted to try it before, but missed out on it last time, so this seemed a good opportunity to make up for it.
The webpage emphasized their fine decor, high-quality thick-cut meats, and organic vegetables. Located in a basement on DaAn Rd., the air-conditioning is set on deep-freeze to suck out all the vapors from the bubbling pots. The room is kept dim, with halogen spots putting emphasis on the hotpot. The main dining room is dominated by two long circular bars for couples and singles, surrounded by tables and booths for larger parties. But we were shuffled off to a secondary overflow dining room, which was okay with us since it was quieter and allowed me to take flash-lit pictures without distracting other diners.
Now, this ain't no NT299 all-you-can-eat, although some might find the latter to be a better value. Different meal options are available, from the typical meats like beef and pork, up to seafood combinations, topping out at special orders like Japanese snow crab or live lobster. Each comes with copious amoutns of vegetables and sides. We're not big eaters, so we ordered three meals for the four of us, which turned out to be plenty satisfying. All cooked inside a gleaming, hand-made, Japanese copper pot.
We had a simple lettuce salad with Japanese-dressing while the pot came to a boil. Theoretically they'll do all the cooking for you, if you so desire, and the service person did start the hot-pot for us by pushing the vegetables into the broth. But we preferred to do the meat-cooking ourselves, since that's most of the fun of the whole experience. Not that it was up to me, anyway, since mom got impatient and started handling most of the cooking herself, just like at home. They provided a pre-blended dipping soy-based dipping sauce, with a dash of yuzu vinegar to add a fruity zing. Red chilis and green scallions could be added to taste. There's also a thick sesame sauce for a change of pace, but I preferred the lighter soy dipping sauce which adds enough salt to the meat without overwhelming its original flavors. Which was good because the meat itself was quite high-quality. Generous thick slices that cook quickly but maintains its shape and texture, without curling up into an overcooked ball like the paper-thin cuts at cheaper places.
The tasty beef left me wanting more, but we were all quite full so one can hardly complain about the portions. Just in case, they'll take the flavorful pot of stock and make either congee or noodles with it. We got the noodles which were bathed in a tasty sesame sauce, but by then I was the only one who could take more than one bite.
There's always room for dessert, though. The almond tofu wasn't extraordinary, but it's a bit different from the usual restaurant desserts, and lighter, too. A good compliment to the fresh fruit plate. An intimate family meal is unfortunately rare for us these days, so it was important to have a good experience. Considerate decor, good food, and service that stayed out of the way is how you deliver.
Orange Shabu
橘色涮涮屋
台北市大安區大安路一段135號B1
02-2776-1658