Continuing our shabu-shabu tour, here now is Ganso Shabuway (in Greenbelt 5). Back in the day, we always just passed by this place wondering what the food was like (then ending up getting drawn into the Pepper Lunch nearby). When we finally got the chance, I had a cold; had to wait for another visit to do a proper review :)
Think of the place as a more "high brow" version of Tong Yang, minus the buffet. You've got your soup base in the middle, and then you can order the stuff you dunk into said soup. You can choose between a spicy or a more plain soup, or both like we did. The plain flavor (I think it was seaweed based?) had a very light flavor to it. A little too light for us, which is why we preferred the spicier soup. It had a nice blend of chili and garlic flavor in it that really warms you up. I remember the first time we were here, even if I couldn't really taste the soup, I could feel some chili-induced pain on my tongue :D. Ganso Shabuway also has some chopped leeks, chopped garlic and chili sauce on the side, as well some Ponzu sauce (fancy Japanese word for toyo-mansi) and a creamy, almost peanut-buttery tasting sauce. A nice contrast between the two meat dipping sauces.
They've got different kinds of meat (beef and pork, mostly imported I think), and all manner of vegetables (from leafy greens to little mushrooms). We had their USDA Choice Angus Set for 2, so it had a pretty big variety of soup ingredients. The set comes with enoki mushrooms, carrots, cabbage, tofu and spinach. The vegetables were nice and crispy, and had that fresh taste to them after they cooked. It's always great to have that veggie crunch as you eat. And it's good for you too.
Oh yeah and a quarter-kilo of sukiyaki cut beef. USDA Choice is actually the second rank of meat quality, coming after USDA Prime and before USDA Select. Nothing bad about being second place, this meat tasted fantastic. Especially with the dipping sauces. Plenty enough of the stuff for two people, according to the menu. But yeah, we got 180 more grams. We were feeling carnivorous that day :D.
It's a little bit pricey at over 1200Php for two, but if you're hankering for a classy shabu-shabu experience, this is a good place to try. And also, be prepared to spend more on the meat if you find yourself wanting more (like we did :D).
Ganso-Shabuway
Greenbelt
Ayala Center, Makati, Philippines
