Japanese-Style Hot Pot Cooking Comes to Long Island
Long Islanders are long accustomed to the Hibachi experience. A chef comes to your table and playfully cooks up your order of rice, vegetables, and protein on a big square flat grill.
We are now about to be introduced to the latest cooking style from Japan, called Shabu Shabu, similar to Hibachi in that food is cooked tableside, but with a few key differences. Shabu Shabu means “swish swish” in Japanese, according to the website of a new restaurant in Bay Shore called JBBQ & Shabu Shabu.
For Shabu Shabu prepared dining, thin-sliced meat, vegetables, and noodles are brought out and the ingredients are placed in a hot pot of a flavored broth of your choosing. The “shabu shabu” or “swish swish” in Japanese describes the sound of the cooking ladle or chopsticks as you cook your dinner and then dip it into the sauces.
The JBBQ part of the restaurant name comes from the tabletop grill surface over charcoal-aided flame where diners can cook their food - the same thin-sliced meats, vegetables and noodles. Grilled food is also dipped in a variety of sauces. The restaurant says that this is similar to the Korean barbeque concept, frequently abbreviated as KBBQ. Hence, the Japanese version they offer is called JBBQ.
Meats include beef, pork, chicken and seafood (shrimp, mussels, calamari, and fish cubes). Vegetables include corn, mushroom, eggplant, onion, and pumpkin.
Two different fun style of dining and cooking in one restaurant: JBBQ & Shabu Shabu.
On Yelp, Christy F, from Lindenhurst said that it was a welcome addition to the area.
“I usually have to go all the way to Queens for Japanese BBQ and Hotpot, so I was super excited to visit this restaurant a few minutes from home,” she wrote.
Tonessa C, from Islip gave it a five-star rating.
“Why go to Queens or New York City for hot pot when you can have it right here,” she said. “Now this is a slightly watered down version of the authentic versions but it hits all the right notes. The food is super fresh! The service is impeccable. I felt like a queen.”
Location: 11 East Main Street, Bay Shore, (631) 647-7777.