King Crab Platter (photo by PINGGOT ZULUETA)

"What kind of restaurant makes you cook your own food?” complained Bill Murray in the movie Lost in Translation. In that scene, Murray and Scarlett Johansson’s characters ate lunch at a shabu shabu restaurant in Shibuya, Tokyo and he wasn’t pleased with the way the Japanese ate their famous table-cooked dish.

Today, shabu shabu is one of the most famous Japanese dishes around the world, second only to sushi. More and more people are cooking their own food in haughty Japanese restaurants and this time, no one’s complaining.

Shabu shabu which literally means “swish swish” is the Japanese’s version of Chinese hot pot. Trays of vegetables, beef, mushrooms, and noodles are cooked in a pot of stock simmering at the table. For the Japanese the dish is reserved for special occasions and celebrations where people can cook and eat together over the course of a scrumptious leisurely meal.

However, for the people behind Healthy Shabu Shabu, it’s not enough that people have their fun in simply putting the ingredients in the boiling stock -- they must also enjoy the essence of the opulent dish, taste and health wise.

Healthy Shabu Shabu is a Japanese restaurant that ensures high nutritional value for its customers as it uses only the freshest and finest ingredients in the market.  Shabu shabu diners are also given the opportunity to customize their plates by allowing them to create meals that will perfectly complement their tastes.

Each dish starts with the stock. Waiters approach the tables to pour a pot’s worth of chicken stock that they promptly heat until a certain temperature. Then, they come to prepare the dipping sauce, which consists of chopped garlic, chilis and onions, barbeque sauce, sate, and raw egg. (Yes there is raw egg, egg white for the stock, egg yolk for the sauce.) After which, they advice you on which food cooks faster and longer and then you’re on your own.

Healthy Shabu Shabu provides different variations for their vegan and meat loving diners. But among their newest selections are the Mixed Seafood Super Deluxe and the King Crab. We got to try the seafood deluxe, a tray of fresh scallops, mussels, salmon fillet, and king crab legs served with a complimentary platter of vegetables, corn, noodles, mushrooms, fish cake, squid balls, chicken balls and tofu.

With the size of the seafood, not to mention the number of side dishes, the meal could feed ten people. As we start the course shabu shabu style, the steam from the pot gives off an aroma that’s very appetizing and calming as well.

The seafood was very tender and slightly sweet which depicts its freshness. The vegetables were slightly crisp and refreshing. The boiled squid balls, chicken balls, and fish cake were so tasty; it made us wonder why people bother to fry them.

With Healthy Shabu-Shabu's introduction of this premium catch in their menu, the Asian food chain proves its commitment in bringing loyal patrons only the most luxurious and tastefully delightful dining experience. With the restaurant’s robust flavors found nowhere else, one cannot help but agree that Healthy Shabu-Shabu’s cuisine is a fare fit for royalty.