Shabu Shabu Bangkok

If you’re looking for a «lighter» meal this is the place. I ate mostly veggies, but does it still count as healthy if I ate 5lbs worth?
Nah. I didn’t eat 5 pounds of veg, but it easily felt like it as I was stuffed after eating at SSB! Best part was not feeling too guilty.
We actually tried to go to Shabu Shabu House, but at 5:30 on a Friday night they were booked until 8:30. Really? Since when did they get so damn busy. So I decided to check out SSB.
It was a good choice indeed. The best deal to me was the meat platter and veggie platter for two adults and my son. We also ordered another side of tofu and the fresh udon. I thought all the prices were really reasonable and we defintely ordered way too much food. Some people are complaining about small portions, but I think that’s if you order the different dishes individually. That would cost you a pretty penny and most of the items are already on one of the mixed platter choices. I believe the platters were $ 14 or 15 bucks. Deals in my book.
I was forcing the last few bites down and we still had things simmering in the pot at the end. We had the tom yum broth (it was yum! think lemon grass) on one side and the chicken broth on the other for my son. The chix was a little bland, but I’d rather it not be too salty since you have a selection of 5 dipping sauces. My 5 year old LOVED this place and was begging to come back the next day.
I think the best part is the variety of veggies that you get. I have never seen some of the mushrooms that were on that plate and they were really good! The udon was fresh and tasty and I suggest cooking it for a long time. I suggest putting it in first when the broth is really boiling as the noodles are raw.
So check it out. They have a great selection of meats and veggies and your wallet and tummy will be happy. There is also no intolerable line or wait here… YET!
One CON — parking… it’s pretty tough around here. Only 6 stalls in the back then it’s street parking.

The newest fusion to hit the Kapahulu block: Japanese and Thai. This restaurant combines the subtle delicacy of Japanese shabu shabu and kicks it up with the Thai dipping sauces. Presentation is definitely Japanese, but the spices are Thai. Verrrrry interesting. We ordered the vegetarian and meat platter, then sides of shrimp, udon and somen noodles. Food came out to $ 62 which was very filling for 5 of us. If we go back, we’ll probably do the sides only as you can get exactly what you want and the portions in the sides are more. Parking in the back is a definite plus.

Shabu Shabu Bangkok is like a significantly more civilized version of Sweet Home Café. That also makes it significantly less fun. I missed those hustle-​bustle, mix-​your-​own-​sauces, grab-​your-​own-​ingredients, better-​be-​out-​the-​door-​in-​90-​minutes-​or-​less, rootin’-tootin’ good times!
That being said, Shabu Shabu Bangkok’s civilized version of hot pot was not at all shabby. I had the Tom Yum broth. It was already pretty tasty, but added some of my tom yum sauce to liven it up even more. We split the veggie-​platter and a bunch of different sea foods. Everything was fresh and delicious.
However, if you get the udon noodles like I did, make sure you throw them in the broth right away: They take forever to cook.
So, I’ll return to Shabu Shabu Bangkok if I’m on a date with a classy dame (like my wife) who wants hot pot, but otherwise… Yee Haw! It’s Sweet Home Café for me!

I wanted it to be better. But alas it didn’t show up.
They charge you $ 2 PER PERSON, PER BROTH. Just because they put a split pot on your burner, you don’t have to get two broths. But conveniently, if you do order 2 broths, then voila, they’ll charge you more!
We had the chicken broth and tom yum. I preferred the blander chicken broth because I thought the best part of it is the 5 different dipping sauces. They are unique and very distinct but with a flavored broth, it gets quite confusing. So if you go, I’d recommend a plain broth but use the dipping sauces to experiment. Got a meat platter and a veggie platter, then some extra chicken and tofu.
The pad thai was ok, but it seemed a little overdone, overflavored, and some noodles were crispy. I prefer Phuket Thai by a mile. But it is nice that you can order off the menu and/​or do the hot pot, especially if you have a large party and folks aren’t sure what they want to do.
Ok, so if the food wasn’t spectacular, then maybe it was at least cheap — nope. 4 people $ 70+tip, no drinks and no dessert, free, or otherwise (SHC has something going for it that they offer free refreshing dessert that everyone leaves happy!)…
And they charge for rice, each bowl of rice! Who knows, maybe next time they’ll charge for each grain of rice. At a place like this, I don’t get why charge for rice. You just make me mad. SHC doesn’t charge for rice, and heck even HPH doesn’t charge for rice. You need rice to really enjoy the hot pot. And it’s just rice. And it’s not like I’m stuffing the rice in my purse for the dog or anything.
Free parking around the corner off of Kapahulu – they allow double parking so if you’re in a rush, plan ahead because you might get trapped in. But at least it’s free. Oh and it’s really hot and sticky inside, perhaps they are keeping their air conditioning bill low at the cost of making patrons feel yucky.
No need for me to go back, even though they take reservations. If I am in need of hot pot and need reservations, I’d much rather go to HPH, even though they have NEVER given me a free dessert there. Yes, in full disclosure, I’m a SHC loyalist and even willing to eat dinner at 4:30 some nights.
Overall, quote of the night sums it up: «If I were in the mood for hot pot, and this was the only option, I’d go get a hamburger.»

Not my favorite place to eat… the waiters were nice enough, but at the end of the meal, we waited about 15 mins for our bill because the manager was «probably in the restroom»…so no one else can give us the bill but the manager?
Other things I don’t like:
1) there is almost no parking. 2) hot pot is better at sweet home café. 3) if you skip the hot pot and get thai food instead, youre better off going to a legit thai place… the prices are high and they don’t even ask how spicy you want it, they just serve it mild.

*Tom yum broth, curry broth, 2 rice, meat combo, veggie combo, won bok, glass noodles, Pad Thai, Banana spring roll w/​ube ice cream = $ 68*
Dear Shabu Shabu Bangkok,
I liked you. I thought your Tom Yum broth was different and good, I enjoyed your sauces, loved the dessert (though it was a bit overpriced), and was glad to have Pad Thai leftovers waiting for me the next day. You were tasty, not «blow your mind» awesome but I would return. Especially since the service was great, the ambience lovely, AND you let me order dessert after closing time.
However, you have caused a marital rift.
After the addition of fresh chili and lime to his curry broth, my husband declared it the best hot pot he’s ever had. He continued to rave about it on the ride home, carry on about it the next day, and continue his incessant opinion the day after that. When he finally ate his leftovers he continued to trumpet his high praises and said something extremely offensive: «This is WAY BETTER than _​_​_​_​» (rhymes with chichi tiki).
I can tolerate many things, but that he DARED to utter such a sacrilegious statement is beyond my capacity to forgive. Yes you were pretty good, but for him to boldly insult my first love? Foolish, foolish decision.
«You have chosen… poorly».
Is this relationship issue relevant to your establishment? No, not really.
Will we be back? Definitely. Though I will refuse to enjoy myself.
I wanted to give you 3.5 stars, but my husband insists you deserve 5 stars. So you get 4.
See you soon. If I’m scowling it doesn’t mean your food is bad.
From,
Angela

The rough translation of Shabu Shabu is Yum Yum. Well, at least it should be.
This was our first encounter with hot-​pot style dining and MAN was it delicious. It’s the same idea as Korean bbq, but with soup. You order your broth, then your components, and the waitress brings a steaming pot to your table, attaches it to a heating device, and the rest is up to you, your ladle, and your 5 tasty dipping sauces.
It was so good we ate dinner there 2 nights in a row while in Honolulu. The first night we did a veggie platter (tons of greens, generous amounts of mushrooms, a bit of pumpkin and zucchini), raw ramen noodles, scallops and shrimp wonton. Scallops were fresh and tender, wontons just so-​so. Second night my husband wanted meat, which came out a little dry because we added it too soon. We ordered a papaya salad off the thai menu that was generous but a bit bland. The highlight for me was really the broth, sauces and veggies. We filled up $ 32– not bad in Hawaii!
Now I’m on a mission to find a hot-​pot spot back home!

My ex girlfriend and I were visiting Hawai’i for a friends wedding, so we made a vacation out our trip. We stumbled upon Shabu Shabu Bangkok after a quick stop at the famous Leonards Bakery (a few doors down on Kapahulu). We returned that evening for dinner.
I have eaten Shabu in many cities. This was by far my favorite. For those of you not familiar with it, here is a breakdown. It’s a place where you order raw meats, seafood and vegetables and cook them in a hot pot with a seasoned broth of your choice. Each table is equipped with a built in hot plate and the wait staff will bring over a pot full of the broth and attaches it to the hot plate. As it simmers you add your raw food and cook it yourself.
There are 4 broth choices beef, chicken, vegatable and spicy tom yum. We opted for the spicy tom yum. so good. The waiter gives each diner 5 house made dipping sauces to add addition flavor to every bite.
We ordered the seafood platter ($ 19) and vegetable platter ($ 14). Both come with a variety of ingredients, mussels, shrimp, scallops, baby corn, mushrooms, tofu, bok choy, kei lan, pumpkin, shrimp dumplings. you get the idea. Plenty of food for two.
At the end of our meal the waiter brought us some fresh mango from the owners farm on the north shore. By far the best and ripest mango we’ve ever eaten. We also tried their sherbert, 3 different flavors. A vibrant purple Okinawan potato (Japanese) sherbert, Mango and Coconut. All layered in a sundae glass.
This place was absolutely great. Staff was very attentive and food was excellent.

SSB deserves another star! It looks like it is really starting to catch on as it is busier and busier every time we go. We used to be the only couple in the restaurant and now we are surrounded by other diners. That makes me happy because I want to see them survive. I’m rooting for you SSB!
I can see that if you are expecting a SHC or regular shabu shabu experience this place can be a little disappointing. They don’t exactly have a fridge of goodies or a plethora of unique broths. But I still stand by my original claim that if you love Thai food and hot pot this place is awesome! While it is Hot Pot, they offer a much different experience than the other oh-​so popular spots in Hawaii. So I think it is best to judge them on their own merit and not compare them to SHC of HPH.
Service here is great! The servers are very informative and prompt, constantly refilling your water throughout the meal. They also monitor the broth levels always asking if you would like a little more if it looks like you are running a little low. The restaurant itself is very spacious and has a nice modern décor. They can also accommodate larger groups. They have two private dining areas great for a large dinner party!
They have also extended their menu to offer more Thai dishes. They have your standard dishes like spring rolls, larb, pad thai just in case you come with someone that hasn’t caught on yet to the hot pot phenomenon growing in Hawaii. Off the regular menu I have tried the stuffed Bangkok wings which are absolutely delicious! Four pieces of wings deboned and stuffed, deep fried, and then served with a chunky satay sauce. Yummmmyy! They also now have some Thai beers and wine available to order too! mmm Chang beer.

Hot Pot Heaven, is that you?
NOOOOO it’s not.
If you haven’t been to that awesome gem of a hot pot eatery called Hot Pot Heaven in McCully Shopping Center, you’re missing out.
But if you find yourself in Shabu Shabu Bangkok you’re getting second best … though you’ll still leave content and full (and several Jackson’s poorer).
SSB isn’t really in the best location in terms of parking or accessibility. It’s right up the street from Leonard’s Bakery on busy Kapahulu. I walked to the restaurant from my house, but I saw a sign in the bathroom that said something about double-​parking; I’m guessing there’s a small parking lot at the back of the restaurant.
The restaurant wasn’t too busy, so we were sat pretty quickly and the waitress asked whether we’d be eating Thai food or shabu shabu. After telling her we were having shabu shabu, a waiter appeared out of nowhere and placed five ramekins of Thai dipping sauces before us next to the complicated setting of bowl, plate, slotted ladel, solid ladel, spoon, fork and plastic chopsticks. The waiter also took the time to identify and describe all of the sauces and then pointed out their descriptions written clearly in the menu.
The menu is busy and there are too many choices (all the pictures are overwhelming). After reading several reviews on Unilocal I decided that we just order the Vegetable platter and Meat platters since each individual dish was pretty pricey and it would make our job of eating easier.
You can get up to two orders of broth per pot, so we chose BEEF and TOM YUM. The beef broth was way too watery and didn’t have that Phở-​like quality. The tom yum wasn’t as spicy as the waitress made it seem but it was super delicious. I could’ve sipped on the tom yum all night. The selection of meats and vegetables from the mixed platters weren’t anything spectacular. Some highlights were the gyoza/​potstickers and stringy-​bunched thin white mushrooms. Otherwise, the beef slices and chicken came out too dry (and we didn’t even leave it in the broth too long) and the other vegetables were really random (why would you shabu shabu brocolli and cauliflower?). The meats were delicious when drowned in one of the 5 sauces. Ironically, I didn’t like the taste of the Tom Yum dipping sauce … so maybe the Tom Yum broth was made from a different base?
The décor is the real winner in this place. There are fancy figurines lining the walls, cloth draped from the ceiling and the lighting really augments the calming/​Zen paint colors. We sat right by the window looking out onto Kapahulu and the basketball court — this was another negative because drivers and cars stopped at the traffic light were looking into the restaurant like I was a walrus during feeding time at HNL Zoo.
The small rice bowls are marked «Keo’s» and the waitress mentioned that this was the sister restaurant of older sister restaurants Keo’s and Keoni’s (both in Waikiki). If the Thai food at SSB is anything similar to the other two restaurants, I’m not sure if I’d want to come back here for anything other than the Tom Yum broth.

Trendy lookin joint when you pass through Kapahulu, a place I’ve been meaning to visit but just didn’t find time. Then my bro&his wifey wanted to tap it out with me, but I guess they go there hella… idk, anyways.
The décor is just how you picture it. I was suprised how much parking they had in the back of their establishment. its across of Kaimuki High School basketball courts as well as the corner Aloha Gas Station & next to South Shore Glass/Leonard’s Bakery. Perfect location if you ask me, it pops along that corner…
Our waitress was a little loopy bitch, idk she didn’t seem to know what she was talking about.

I think Sweet Home Café has made me biased in all matters of hot pot.
This place is okay, but expensive for what you get. We came here on a Monday evening at 6pm and it was empty. I was surprised by how big the places was– I can’t remember what used to be here. Anyways it’s nicely decorated and well ventilated.
We ordered chicken broth– $ 2 a person, and also 2 orders of the vegetable plate, 2 orders of the seafood plate, and one order of the meat plate. Each plate ranges from $ 17 – 20 each I think? You can also order ala carte, but we didn’t want to bother with ordering individual items.
Our servers were attentive and patient. You get 5 different types of sauces but I forget what they were exactly. I called them shoyu sauce, mushed up ginger, thai cilantro spicy, spicy chili, and tom yum? Idk I didn’t like the 3 thai sauces, I mainly used the shoyu and ginger lol. Is that lame?
Anyways, everything was pretty basic tasting, but our bill came out to $ 115 for 6 people. The last time I went to sweet home café with the same amount of people our bill was $ 70. So there’s quite a big difference… IDK I figure I’ll be biased forevermore. The broth was cleansing but also contained a lot of MSG bc I was dying of thirst after.
The parking lot is very small and located behind the restaurant. The plus for this place was the happy servers, but other than that, I will stick to SHC, where I can have more choice with my broth, toppings and sauces.
I probably won’t be back unless I just don’t want to bear the line for SHC and feel like having «Thai» shabu. They also have a few Thai dishes on their menu but I didn’t really examine them closely.

My mom, brother and I were driving down Kapahulu to pick my dad up from work to eat dinner. I had settled on CPK so we were gonna head to Kahala Mall… that is until I spotted SSB! It looked empty and in the 5 mins we spent to pick up my dad I was able to read the reviews on Unilocal and immediately changed my mind and we headed to SSB.
There is a small parking lot in the back of the restaurant. We were seated promptly and the host explained what they were about. (Didn’t notice any lingering smells of ass. so that’s a good start!) We decided to get the yellow curry and tom yum broth! OMG. both were soooo delicious and nothing I’ve ever tried before. (SHC has that spicy broth. but SSB’s two thai inspired ones was winnahs!). We also ordered the veggie platter, seafood platter, a couple orders of thinly sliced beef as well as more soft tofu. The veggie platter consisted of cabbage, tofu, tofu beancurd, assortment of mushrooms and fungus (ALL YUMMY!), etc. The seafood platter had scallops, mussles, fish balls, calamari, etc.
Prices are a bit higher at SSB compared to SHC. but it also does feel a little more fancier as well. It was about $ 17 – 19 for each platter and about $ 4 or so for the ala carte dishes. For the four of us, our bill came out to about $ 70. You also have to pay for rice which is a couple bucks.
Service in the beginning was good. The server brought us each other sauces and explained each one. I can’t remember them all but my favorite was the ginger/​garlic mixture. They had about 4 or 5 more. They charge $ 2 a person for the broth but you get free refills. Although, they never came around to ask if we would like a refill at all. We were content by that time though. Towards the end, it took a little while for them to clear off our tables and hand us the check.
No free shave ice here, but I really enjoyed the two broths as well as not having to wait hours like at SHC. I also liked the fact that we could eat at our leisure. My family hasn’t been to SHC yet. but I think if they get the craving again, they’d be returning to SSB. The next time I’m back in Hawaii. I am definitely hitting this place up again. The yellow curry and Tom Yum broth is still lingering in my mind. sigh.

1^st time eating Thai style shabu shabu or hot pot soup in general and it was delish!
Ordered the Seafood combination which was good for 2 people and chose Spicy Tom Yum and Thai curry as our broth and had a good variety of sauces to mix with (though I wished the broth was more spicy) pricing is fair and it’s BYOB will def come back again and try their other dishes and make room from dessert — we were too full to try some

I have to admit I was pretty dubious that Shabu Shabu Bangkok could stand up in any way to my beloved Sweet Home Café, (especially after reading these reviews) but it did. It did have its drawbacks, most notably the overwhelmingly strong stench of a$$ we encountered when we first entered. Luckily, it soon passed. Phew!
We ordered the tom yum broth with a meat platter, vegetable platter, and a side of long rice. For drinks, I got a fresh organic mango juice and my friend got a hot oolong tea. Don’t order the mango juice. It was super thick, sweet, and was probably sitting out too long because it had started to ferment. My friend took a sip, started laughing, and said it tasted as it someone in the kitchen had just chewed up a mango and spit it into my glass. Awesome.
Since I’m languishing from a headache today (didn’t realize I had THIS much fun last night =P) I’m breaking this review down into pros and cons for simplicity’s sake.
Pros:
–Broth was tasty, although it could have used some spice. I’ve never had mild tom yum before.
–The house sauce was good, as well as most of the ones we shared
–Nice atmosphere. We sat in the back room, which had goldfish and waterlily paintings on the wall. The ceiling was draped with aqua-​colored fabric so that it seemed as if we were underwater with the goldfish. I noticed some tatami-​style private rooms too that looked comfortable and stylish. If I come back with friends, I’m requesting to sit there.
–No wait. We walked in and were immediately seated. I love SHC, but I never know if I’m going to wait 15 min there, or an hour 15 min.
Cons:
–They say you get broth refills, but we drank it all down to the bottom and was never offered a refill. SHC refills your broth constantly.
–The «long rice» is not long! It’s the flat, wide noodle and it’s not long because they cut it into stubby little pieces. I want my noodles to be in their original long, noodle-​like form. The noodles were so short, you couldn’t pull them out of the pot easily. Or at all. The portion was super tiny as well.
–SHC is cheaper. I think I prefer the a la carte ordering at SHC to SSB’s combination platters because you get a lot more of what you want rather than a hodgepodge of random items thrown together. You can order items a la carte at SSB too, but it’s expensive and you don’t get very much so it adds up.
–Service was weird. We had a young guy and an older woman and both of them were uncomfortable. My friend was convinced our male server was high =P
–What the heck was that awful smell when we first walked in!!!
I’m not sure whether to mete out 3 or 4 stars. I’m giving them the higher rating now and will reassess this when my headache is gone. :)

I finally got around to trying this place. Some friends have been raving about it for weeks. It seems that Shabu Shabu mania is sweeping Honolulu. I’m already a regular to Sweet Home Café, but wanted to try this place and hope that I like it. Avoiding long waits is a good thing!
We arrived in the evening around 6:30PM and were seated immediately. No crowd and no wait. The décor is nice and the small private rooms are cool if you come with friends but make a reservation. They do have limited parking behind the restaurant.
I’m kinda spoiled by Sweet Home Café. It would be nice if you could pick your own veggies, sauces, and noodles from the cooler. By the way, the red bean sauce is great. We got the meat combo latter and some additional veggie sides. The platter was not quite enough for 3 people so we ordered a few more sides later. We got the Tom Yum broth and it was quite good. It would be nice if there was a spicy option for the broth.
The service and staff was friendly. Overall it was a good experience. But, I miss the free dessert from Sweet Home Café and the ability to get your own sauces and veggies from the cooler! But, I’ll be back!

Came here with the foodie crew Thursday and was seated near the windows facing Kapahulu. Great seats for people watching while the broth heats up. SSB definitely has nice ambiance. I’ve driven passed this place many many times before but this was actually the first time I stepped foot inside the building. Stoked.
For just the 6 of us, we ordered the Veggie Combo, Seafood Combo, and Meat Combo and 2 – 3 more additional sides. What stood out the most was the Tom Yum broth. If you come here, that is what to get. Total bill came to about $ 120 with tip.
The only thing that bugged me about SSB was the corkage fee. We didn’t know there was a corkage fee until the bill came out. Although it was only 2 dollars a person, it would have been nice to have at least been warned.
Pros — Nice ambiance, friendly staff, accepts reservations, good broth
Cons — Parking, 2 dollar/​per person corkage fee, rice was a little on the dry side, veggies didn’t seem fresh to me (although others I was with would disagree) and pricey.

There’s a great hot pot battle going on in Honolulu it seems, maybe its because I’ve recently fallen in love with it but I’m noticing more and more shabu and hot-​pot places popping up all over town. I introduced my friends to SHC and since then they’ve been obsessed but couldn’t deal with the wait there. They discovered Shabu Shabu Bangkok and haven’t turned back since. Being the stubborn hard-​head I am, it took weeks of constant dinner invites for me to finally join them here (and drag me screaming and crying from SHC).
SSB is like SHC’s ritzier cousin. Yes, it’s pricier, you order all of your hot pot selections off the menu and are served everything by very attentive and friendly wait-​staff. The broth (we had the tom yum) was more delicate than the strong-​flavored one at SHC, I liked it because the flavor wasn’t so salty or strong so it could actually be enjoyed by itself as a soup. I enjoyed their egg and saimin noodles, not sure if they make them in-​house but they were really good with the broth. It seems they are still expiramenting with different offerings so there are some things that are available which aren’t listed on the menu (some noodle & dessert choices we tried) so be sure to ask the server what is available. Our server let us try an ice cream flavor they just got in — yamaimo … It was SO GOOD! (If you’re reading this SSB management… it’s a keeper!)
In a nutshell, if I was short on time or was planning a group/​party dinner, I’d choose SSB — no wait, lots of room, private tables, good ambiance and décor and GREAT service.

The key to a shabu shabu/​hot pot restaurant for me is the broth. At Shabu Shabu Bangkok they have 4. We tried the tom yum and beef broths. The tom yum was spicy (i’m not a spicy fan) and the beef broth was bland.
They provide you 5 sauces, 3 of which are spicy.
The only rice options are white jasmine and brown jasmine.
Over all, I thought everything was very salty, I was thirsty for the rest of the night and the next day. I primarily cooked from the beef broth which I thought was bland. The restaurant was very empty, it makes me wonder how often the food (especially the meats/​seafood) sticks round in their cooler.

At first glance, Shabu Shabu Bangkok seems to be yet another hot pot restaurant that is doting the streets of Honolulu like ABC stores in Waikiki. Yet, after trying their establishment, I found their food to be a delight, the service decent, and the location convenient.
The food is a little pricier than the other hot pot establishments, however their Tom Yum broth is simply full of flavor that excites your taste buds with just a little heat to tell you that its there. The beef broth also was a great selection, although I would venture a guess that there was some MSG in there… but whoever complained about that! Their ice creams and sorbets are a sheer delight and something I’d come back and order again!
The service was nothing to sneer at, yet did not live up to my high standards to be considered great. While the wait staff did not disappoint, my water glass went empty of several occasions which for me is the standard I measure all my restaurants by. I personally believe it is apart of that start-​up growth phase and over time will improve.
The location is decent in the Kapahulu corridor. Parking is available in the back and you can double park, just let the host know which car is yours. Otherwise street parking can be in short supply or you are in for a walk into the nearby residential neighborhood.
All in all, Shabu Shabu Bankgok is a nice place to check out and I’ll be sure to come again for more.
Is it better than Sweet Home Café you ask? It could come close…