Shabu Shabuchin Namba Sennichimae Osaka ☏ +81 6-6643-1129

Shabuchin Namba Sennichimae しゃぶちん難波千日前店 | Japan, 〒542-0075 Osaka, Chuo Ward, Nanbasennichimae, 13−18 難波丸和ビル１階 🚅 Nearest MRT: 5 minute walk from Namba station ☏ +81 6-6643-1129 ⏰ 11am - 4 pm | 5:30pm - 10:30 pm

I haven't been back to Japan for a very long time (transits don't count), and our first meal for this trip was shabu shabu. Which was a nice start as nowadays I like soupy things - sign of getting older 😂

Buddy knows Osaka well - zoopped around a couple of backstreets from Namba subway station, and we were at Shabuchin Namba Sennichimae in some 5 minutes.

It's a semi hidden kind of place.

Typical of Japanese eateries, the long narrow space was compact. Just a long bar counter and a couple of small tables. I always opt for bar counter for front row view of bar and kitchen action 🤭

Shabuchin Namba Sennichimae has been around since 1972.

I kapoh-kapoh (busy body), see people wash dishes.

I mean, if they are so serious with "small" details like washing, they must also be meticulous about their food and cooking.

Japanese have a culture of doing everything properly, even "minor" tasks and whether anyone is watching or not.

We were here before the lunch peak, so they had some family time before the rush hour ❤️

I don't know lah, I just left everything to buddy who knew Osaka and Shabuchin Namba Sennichimae well.

Iwate Platinum 白金豚 pork loin. The fresh paper thin meat were sliced on order.

Cooked by blanching in bubbling steamy water with mushroom, seaweed, tofu, seasonal vegetables, etc, so soft tender and porcine sweet.

Cooking in plain water allowed us to appreciate the subtle nuances in the fresh premium meat's flavours.

Shabu Shabu means "swish swish", the idea is to merely brush the meat in hot water till it is just cooked, and no more. Leaving the meat to boil in the water would wring out all its flavours and ruin it. (Would make a good soup though 🤷 )

Buddy just ordered Japanese beef 上牛. He is a veteran here and said 上牛 works best with shabu shabu, no need for Wagyu A5 which tend to be too soft for this.

He's absolutely right there. This humble Japanese beef cheaper than Kobe Wagyu by ⅓ was marvellous.

The cut was light, lacey, soft, tender, but had subtle spongy chewiness which I like. Sweet and beefy with a bit of complementary savoury umami tanginess from the ponzu dip ポン酢醤油. Marvellous, I still remember it.

They also have sesame seed sauce but I didn't use it. I thought the best way to enjoy premium meat is to use as little sauce as possible.

After the meat, blanched a clump of ramen to leave filled and satiated. The noodles were nice. Tender springy strands with umami savoury sweet beefy flavours from the soup (yeah, the water was now soup after putting the vegetables and meats through it).

Shabuchin Namba Sennichimae was a great start of our two-week Japan foodie trip. I still remember the small backstreet shop ambiance, family shop atmospherics, warm calm service, delicious no frills food, and quality ingredients. Can't comment on price as I don't know Osaka enough but I didn't feel overcharged.

It was a good, pleasant experience, the type of hyperlocal Japan I was looking to indulge in. Thanks buddy for taking me here.