berlin dinner club | past events

 

Shabu! Japanese Dinner, 8th November 2003

Have you ever wondered why the Japanese always say "mushi, mushi" so quickly and so often? Well, it's simple. It all started because Japanese people like eating shabu and "mushi, mushi" is just a noise they make while they try to cool the food in their mouths.

So what's shabu? Um, firstly, it's nothing to do with fish at all, raw or otherwise. In fact, it's the name of a a wonderful soup-based dish which everyone cooks for themselves. Yep. YOU make YOUR own dinner. And on top of that, it comes with as much free soba noodles or rice as you want. So be prepared to bring some spare napkins and clothing if your hand and mouth co-ordination leaves something to be desired. And the food tastes great, with lovely dips and sauces, and if enough people want to, then we can also order several different courses and mix the dinner with some sukiyaki and yet another type of Japanese grill (I forgot the name), all of which involves YOU making your own dinner! I personally really, really (really) liked the food and atmosphere of this place and I thought the whole experience was very aesthetically pleasing, in a very functional, minimalistic, Japanese sort of way. And just in case you think my taste is a little lacking, I've managed to cut down the cost of finding out, as the owner of the restaurant, Mr Joden, has graciously offered a 25% discount on the price of the food (excluding drinks). So you can find out what a shabu is for around 15 EUR per person, and also understand why the Japanese go around saying "mushi, mushi" so much.

This dinner event is planned for the evening of Saturday, 8th November, and the restaurant is called Shabu-Jo in Kronenstrasse 55-58. I really would recommend this event to everyone who likes good food, and also likes a little bit of difference with it. After dinner, well, there are a few bars nearby and maybe we can even mosey over to Potsdamer Platz as we will really need to walk off the dinner afterwards. Like I said, you get as much soba noodles or rice as you want to cook with your dinner and you will NOT leave the place even remotely hungry. That I can promise.

As usual, emails asap to chris@berlindinnerclub.com and those that make the list will get a confirmation email and map letting them know where and when we'll meet for a pre-dinner cocktail or two. Shabu-Jo is not huge but not small either, so maybe we can accomodate 15+ persons and it's a great excuse for an interesting night out so why are you still reading this and not sending me an email already?

Chris

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Comments about Shabu-Jo

Well, the food was different, but not so different that it's strange. Actually, I lied. For a lot of people, it was really weird and unusual and those that can't use chopsticks also lost out a bit, I'm afraid. But nevertheless, it was all rather good stuff, and the starters were all brilliant as well. Then, lots of meat and vegetable and noodles swirling around in tubs of hot, boiling seaweed-flavoured water everywhere! The house wine was rather cheap and tempting (but still drinkable), and we availed ourselves to rather a lot of the red, especially after Oliver knocked over a carafe on top of Fabrice. And that was before Olly started drinking. Some strange discussions were overheard, and it appears that certain persons are still skeptical about the Americans putting a man on the moon, and that September 11 never really happened as it was all staged. Maybe I should start screening the members of the Dinner Club a little more carefully. 

On the stroll back home, after a stopover at the Newton Bar with some of the die-hard crowd, it was possible to see the eclipse of the moon just beginning, despite some heavy cloud cover. A nice evening all round. By the way, the Newton Bar (upstairs) can do a caipirinha the real Brazilian way. You have to go there and ask the barman there for it to be made the Brazilian way and you'll see what I mean. It's worth the liver transplant to find out.

 

925 Loungebar	925 Loungebar	Joshi & Katrin	Another table	Choosing	More choices
Chatting	Shabu!	More shabuing	And more	And more	Pia & Daniella
Martina (cool)	Fabrice & Christine	Verena & Jessice	Newton Bar	Andreas	Daniella
Sylvia & Kuti	Some girls	Verena & Pati	Oh-oh..	Him again	More girls
Oops...	Her again	Pati & Daniella	Chat	Silly picture