Japanese hot pot warms the soul at Ichi Shabu at Campus Pointe across from Fresno State.
“Ichi has a couple of meanings,” says owner Jason Lin. “In Japanese, it means ‘number one.’ In Chinese, it is ‘Ichi,’ meaning ‘together.'”
Thinly sliced meat, from A5 Wagyu to short rib and ribeye, cooks quickly in your choice of broth.
“For most beef, all the beef only needs about five seconds,” Lin said. “For chicken, about 10. It’s a lot faster than what people think.”
We were mesmerized watching Executive Chef Kevin Vang carefully craft the egg “tornado.” It topped Wagyu fried rice, enhanced with curry sauce and furikake.
Asian cuisine comes with a crunch.
“There’s always fried egg roll,” Lin said.
Lin also showed us the chizu curry katsu, which is a chicken katsu with Havarti cheese.
“We like to add a little pizzazz tableside with the melted cheese at the table,” he said.
He also showed us the sukiyaki donburi, which is a rice bowl.
Mocktails are popular.
“As generations go, we are finding that many people are looking for non-alcoholic options,” says John Ramirez, Ichi Shabu Operating Partner.
“Sometimes I think people are intimidated to cook, but once we educate them one time, they come back and say, ‘I got this.'”Lin said.
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