Nabe Takes the Chill out of Winter

By Bruce Rutledge

In the dead of winter, the Japanese fend off the bone-chilling cold with a festive nabe (hotpot) meal. They gather friends and loved ones around the table to cook thinly sliced beef and vegetables, followed by rice and noodles cooked in the broth. Or perhaps they’ll substitute the beef with tofu or seafood. A Japanese-style hotpot meal is restorative, delicious and very social.

In the Pacific Northwest, there are several places where groups can gather to fight off the cold, grey days with a convivial hotpot meal. There are even a few places that will let you cook the meal at your table, the way it’s done in Japan.
Chances are that you’ve heard of sukiyaki and maybe even the razor-thin  slices of meat that make shabu-shabu. Those are both nabe meals and winter favorites in Japan. But hotpots lend themselves to variation, so a curious diner can try all kinds of combinations. Some nabe meals feature monkfish; others called chanko nabe are favorites of sumo wrestlers and contain a hodge-podge of ingredients including chicken and Chinese cabbage;  yose nabe also includes meat, fish, tofu and vegetables.
Because nabe is such a social meal – the ingredients simmer in the hotpot at your table while you talk and drink — it’s a good fit for large parties.
At Miyabi in the Southcenter Mall (Tukwila,. WA), groups can taste nabe as it’s made in Japan. The restaurant offers yose and chanko nabe as well as hotpots with monkfish (called anko nabe in Japanese) and shabu-shabu. For $30 a person, a winter feast is delivered: assorted appetizers, kushi-katsu (deep-fried skewers) or yakitori, a plentiful nabe of your choice, followed by rice soup or udon noodles.
Other options around Seattle include Warabi in North Seattle, where the hearty eater can dine on all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu for under $25 or have the normal portion for $17.99; Shiki Japanese Restaurant in Queen Anne, which has an extensive choice of nabe meals and is one of only 19 restaurants in the US (all of them licensed by the FBI) allowed to serve pufferfish, also known as blowfish; Bush Garden in the International District ($13.95 for sukiyaki or shabu-shabu); Kushibar in Belltown ($28 for two); and Wann Izakaya on 2nd avenue ($27.95 for two)

In Portland, try Bush Garden, Koji Osakaya in Hillsboro, Yuzu Japanese Restaurant and Syun Izakaya.
Nabe is typically a group meal, so if you’re not sure about the restaurant’s policy, it’s a good idea to call ahead for reservations. However, if you’re dining alone and hankering for some sukiyaki, don’t fret: many of Japanese restaurants will serve single portions made in  their kitchens. Again, it’s best to call ahead and ask.
So next time you feel the midwinter blahs coming on, call some friends and loved ones and gather around a hotpot, Japanese style. It’ll warm you up inside and out.