Gom Shabu Shabu
3131 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road, Suwanee, GA 30024
3502 Satellite Blvd., Duluth, GA 30096
10900 Medlock Bridge Road #306, Johns Creek, GA 30097
(678) 765-8083
www.facebook.com/gomshabu/
It’s a new year and we wanted to expand our palate by trying something new on the food scene. Gom Shabu Shabu isn’t new on the food scene in Gwinnett, but it’s one that many haven’t tried before, including us! The restaurant is a delightful mash up of Japanese style hotpot (thinly sliced meat cooked in boiling water) with a Korean twist.
The restaurant is a COVID safety protocol’s dream; They have an auto thermometer upon entry, drapes between tables (pre-covid design), individual hot pots at each table of four and you cook the food yourself in front of you. If you do not go with an “experienced conseur,” it can be a little intimidating; but there are screens giving directions and examples of how to enjoy this unique dining experience. Lucky for us, we dined with a regular who guided us through the entire process.
The Order:
Lunch beef and chicken with a side of korean noodles and a sample of each sauce. Simple but so much more than we imagined! This includes a platter of vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, mushroom, bok choy, corn, etc.), half of a hot dog, fish cakes, krab, tofu, rice cake, raw egg and glass noodles and thinly sliced chicken and beef (raw) platter for you to drop into your pot to cook. The broth that you cook the meat and veggies in is nice, but improves while the flavors of everything mix in the hot pot. The broth itself is MSG free and a special homemade recipe from Gom’s (the nickname of the owner) Korean kitchen.
The Experience:
We sat down and broth was immediately poured into our pots. We were instructed to heat our pot to our desired temperature; 800 is a good starting point. Then food started piling up on our table, then the sauces named one-five arrived; each one unique and increased on the spice scale for us to try each one (we liked number three). We cooked and ate all we wanted from the veggies and meat before adding the noodles into the pot. The starch thickens the broth to become a lovely soup or noodle dish with your choice of sauce. The service was excellent, the owner and our waitress were constantly checking in on us to bring us more of WHATEVER we wanted. More broccoli, more mushrooms, more broth, extra eggs, refill sauce… And when they weren’t popping in to check on us, there is a convenient red button you can push to notify the server when you need something!
True to most Asian dining, the food is colorful, flavorful, healthy, meant to be slowly savored and enjoyed while socializing. We liked the ability to customize each bite to your liking, while trying something new and outside the “norm.” It was so much more than a meal, it was an experience into a new culture and new tastes. Definitely go when you don’t need to rush so you can take your time trying everything. We promise you will feel full, but not uncomfortable. It is the perfect meal on a cold winter day to warm you up, from both the hot pot steam and the spice of the sauces!