Shabu & Mein (Kendall Square, Cambridge)

Word of mouth is the most powerful form marketing.

It's definitely stronger than an advertisement, and still stronger than reviews from the masses on sites like Yelp and Chowhound. After all, it's harder to trust the opinion of a person you don't know versus someone you know.

About a month ago, one of Bryan's coworkers who is really into food told Bryan that he had recently tried the ramen at Shabu & Mein and thought it was really, really good.

 

"I think it's the best ramen in Boston right now."

That's a pretty bold statement to make, especially in light of the fact that we have places like Totto Ramen (recently transplant of a very popular place in New York), Yume Wo Katare, and several late night seasonal ramen options (Midnight Ramen at Uni Sashimi Bar, the on again, off again late night ramen at Sycamore, and Guchi's Midnight Ramen, just to name a few). Yet word-of-mouth is pretty powerful, and we trusted this coworker, so we decided to visit during Bryan's birthday weekend (a weekend filled with all types of restaurant adventures).

The restaurant offers both shabu and ramen, as well as a globally inspired assortment of appetizers like kim chi, octopus salad, spicy fried chicken nuggets, and various types of dumplings. I haven't tried any of the appetizers. One trusted friend who visited told me he wasn't crazy about them.  "Stick with the ramen and shabu" he said.

The menu straddles many Asian cuisines, most evidenced by its wide variety of broths, like Spicy Szechuan, Kim Chi, Tom Yum, Miso, or Vietnamese Pho. We were intrigued by the Tonkotsu broth, a milky bone broth that results from pork bones being cooked for many, many hours. It's the same broth they use in their tonkotsu ramen (check out how milky it looks in the photos above!).

You can order a la carte. However, the more economical way of doing it is probably to get at least one combo and then supplement with other things you want. The combos are priced according to meat type. Each one comes with an assortment of vegetables (pictured above), and your choice of noodles. The vegetable quality was comparable to other hot pot places in Boston: not exactly gourmet market quality, but decent . . . maybe more like Chinese supermarket quality.

There are many different grades of beef, from the cheapest Beef Combo ($16), up through Sirloin ($18), Short Ribs ($21), Angus ($21), and Prime ($22.75), all the way to Wagyu ($43.50) and Kobe, at a whopping $79. There are also seafood, vegetarian, and "Surf & Turf" combos.

 We ended up ordering a special that we saw on the blackboard. It was a luxury combo that included Tontoro (pork belly), Prime Beef, and Kobe beef. Priced at around $50. It was expensive but a slightly cheaper way to try the Kobe (which came in generously large slices!).

Check out that marbling! Isn't it gorgeous?

 Usually you are not supposed to cook shabu for very long - 5-10 seconds is probably plenty. We learned in Japan to say "shabu shabu, shabu shabu" while swishing the thinly sliced meat around in the pot. The term "shabu" means "swish" in Japanese. Typically, swishing it just a few times is plenty. Above is the Kobe, after just a couple swishes. It was fantastic - melt in your mouth buttery, flavorful, super soft, and all around incredibly decadent.

   
The Prime Ribeye was also excellent, though it was overshadowed a bit by the Kobe.

We also shared a Tonkotsu Ramen, which they were nice enough to split into two bowls. Frankly, the portion size of the half was plenty, and I was glad we shared one bowl between us. The second time I went back, they had actually changed the menu to offer a half bowl size and a full bowl size. I guess a lot of people felt that the original size was too large!

"Do you want al dente or well done noodles?"

I've never been asked this particular question at a restaurant, but I was thrilled they cared. I often think ramen noodles are too soft. It was a no brainer.

"Al dente" Bryan and I both replied.

The texture of the noodles turned out GREAT. Nice and chewy, al dente, just as promised. Another friend revisited a few days later and said she wasn't asked the same question. As a result, her noodles were "fine", but nothing special. If they don't ask, make sure to tell them you want al dente. It makes a difference.

The tonkotsu broth was very flavorful and overall the ramen was very good. I liked the egg, which I thought was marinated and cooked properly.

I'm thrilled there's a new Japanese restaurant that serves very good ramen at a location that's not too far from me. It's a great option for a weeknight meal if we feel like something fast, reasonably healthy, and not too far away.

Shabu & Mein is located very close to the Galleria Mall in East Cambridge. They have free valet parking (I know, isn't that crazy?), which is a bit of a relief considering how difficult it can be to find parking sometimes amidst all the crazy construction that's going on in Kendall Square right now. The restaurant is owned by a restaurant group that also owns Fuji (1546, Kendall, Assembly), Bistro Chi, B Cafe, Yocha, and Kama Lounge. 

The space is modern, bright, and comfortable with wide tables (meant to accommodate shabu pots) and lots of sunlight. It can get crowded during mealtimes, and we had to wait briefly for a table the first time we came. I haven't really had a chance to try many of the appetizers yet, but I can at least say that the ramen is very good and the shabu is enjoyable as well.

Welcome to the neighborhood Shabu & Mein!

Shabu & Mein
148 1st Street
Cambridge MA 02142