Shabu Shabu, Swish Swish: A Modern Take on a Traditional Cooking Style

Shabu shabu-style dining is deeply rooted in Asian culinary history. The experience involves submerging thinly sliced meats, fresh seafood and vegetables into a pot of boiling broth, resulting in quick and delicate cooking.

“Shabu-shabu” translates to “swish-swish,” representing the sound of the meat cooking. This method allows diners to enjoy the natural flavors and textures of the ingredients while also controlling the cooking time. Local spot Yoshi Shabu Shabu has embraced this tradition and offers a modern take on the cooking style.

Yoshi Shabu Shabu made its debut in Richardson in 2014, then opened a second location in Plano in 2018, becoming a go-to destination for shabu shabu enthusiasts.

Entering the restaurant, guests are greeted by a vibrant and convivial Cheers-style bar, complete with individual hot-pot setups. Nearby, staff meticulously slice meats to order. The scent of simmering broths fills the air as light cuts of rib-eye, Berkshire pork and Wagyu pile up on plates.

In front of each seat is a bubbling cauldron of traditional Japanese soup stock. Diners can curate their own culinary adventure, choosing from different flavors and meats to add to their personalized hot pot.
Start by picking a base broth, from the traditional kombu dashi, tsuyu (a seasoned soy sauce), miso with white soybean paste, tonkatsu or several others. From there, you'll select a noodle style (udon, ramen or gluten-free malony), followed by a protein, of which there are more than a dozen.

Yoshi Shabu Shabu offers an abundance of seasoned sauces to enrich your pot. Every aspect, from flavoring the broth to selecting and cooking the meats, along with the pairing of dipping sauces, allows diners to create their own dining experience.

We went with the tsuyu broth with soy sauce, topped with garlic, chili oil and green onions. The prime rib-eye and Berkshire pork were both great protein choices. With unlimited vegetables and rice, along with noodles, two selections of meat were plenty.

At the end of the meal, the broth is used to cook the noodles as a final course. Flavored by the swished meat and vegetables, this makes for an amazing soup.

The personal setup starts at $8, and different broths and proteins cost more, averaging out to about $25 a pot. But we'll be back. It's worth every penny. 

Yoshi Shabu Shabu, 1801 N. Greenville Ave., Richardson. Monday – Thursday, 5–10 p.m.; Friday – Sunday, 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.