Choose Your Own Taiwanese Hot Pot Adventure at Simply Shabu

One of the many great things about dining out is being able to sit back and let someone tend to your every hungry need. But sometimes it's more fun to take an active role in the experience. You can experiment with different combinations of flavors, rarely end up eating too quickly and in general have something to do besides just eat and talk.

That's why I liked Simply Shabu. Not only was the food good and cheap ($15 a person. Total!) but it was as engaging as an art class, where you can focus on your own creation and forget about the outside world while also enjoying the company of others. 

Tucked away from the Chinatown rush at 10th and Cherry Streets, Simply Shabu is a Taiwanese-style hot pot restaurant where customers choose their meats, seafood and veggies, cook them in private pot of boiling both, and make their own sauces for dipping. "Shabu shabu," the term for "hot pot," is a centuries-old tradition but varies a little by Asian culture. The majority of Simply Shabu's ingredients come from regional farms and its broths are made without MSG or gluten. 

Here's how it works:

Ramen Take Over

In the past year, a new type of noodles n' broth has taken over our city: ramen. And it's not the cheap stuff you used to heat up in your college microwave. It's restaurant-quality Japanese noodle soup with intricate flavors and textures. Real and self-proclaimed ramen aficionados have had plenty of time to debate what's authentic, but to the average local eater like us, the two ramen houses we've tried so far - Nom Nom Ramen and Terakawa Ramen - were both very good.

If you haven't explored Philadelphia's ramen scene yet, we highly encourage you to give it a try, especially on a rainy day. For more in the history of ramen and the start of Philly's ramen explosion, read this City Paper article from Drew Lazor from last year.

Nom Nom Ramen

Nom Nom Pork Buns

Nom Nom Ramen on 18th Street between Market and Chestnut is the ideal escape from the Center City bustle. We have been couple times, usually around 2pm when there is still barely a seat available. The simple wipe-off board menu only offers 3-4 ramen options, plus pork buns and crab buns. We usually get the most traditional Shio ramen, which is broth seasoned with salt and white soy sauce and pork, kikurage mushrooms, naruto, bamboo, scallions and pickled ginger, and the soy-based Shoyu with mostly the same stuff added in. The pork buns serve as a fine appetizer but don't think ramen, won't fill you up. It's not a heavy meal but you are consuming a lot of liquid and noodles, after all.