There are many omakase styles now,
such as sushi, tempura, and kaiseki,
but there was no shabu-shabu omakase yet.
So, we wanted to create one.
Shabu-shabu is a kind of Japanese hot pot
with meat and vegetables lightly boiled in a subtle broth
and served with sauces such as ponzu and sesame
to enhance the ingredient flavor.
Shabu-shabu is the onomatopoeia for this action,
which is the English "swish-swish."
In Japan, shabu-shabu is commonly enjoyed at home
for family or friend gatherings.
At Macoron, we've created a different style
to enjoy shabu-shabu in a style which feels a bit more special.
In shabu-shabu the ingredients aren't boiled thoroughly, but rather, briefly,
careful to not overcook it and to maintain the ingredient's flavor.
In general when I make the menu, I consider the balance of
umami, sweetness, saltiness, and spiciness.
Yuba is commonly mistaken as a kind of tofu.
But yuba doesn't have the nigari coagulant yet.
It's the thin layer produced when boiling soymilk.
Tofu is made when you add the coagulant
nigari to that. So yuba isn't tofu yet.
Yuba has sweetness, uni has umami, and soy sauce has saltiness.
We use ponzu, sesame, soba soup, watercress,
tomato, olive oil, white soy, and gravy sauces.
The most important sauce in shabu-shabu is ponzu.
The meat used in shabu-shabu, unlike steak,
is sliced thinly so it can be cooked briefly.
That's why they're thinly sliced.
Both meats we use are Wagyu.
The criteria for ranking beef A4 or A5
is based on how well-balanced the ratio of red meat to fat is.
One is Kagoshima brand and the other is Miyazaki brand beef.
Just because it's good quality meat doesn't mean
whatever you do to it will taste good.
The cooking temperature, the thinness of the slice...
Creating the soft texture of one bite of the meat in your mouth
depends on how thick you slice it and the temperature you cook it at,
which I gauge with my own eyes
and learned with my own experience.
The difference between our omakase
and other omakase styles is that
every dish on the menu is unified by the term "shabu-shabu."
Before the main shabu-shabu, there are four appetizers.
So it's dashi maki with bonito broth
and scallop in egg.
The second abalone dish, and the third yuba dish,
are all served as shabu-shabu.
That's how the menu is unified.
This is an uni soup.
Uni and seaweed broth.
It's abalone.
This is seaweed and yuzu pepper. A little bit spicy
and it's abalone liver sauce.
So next, yuba shabu. This is soy milk
and this is yuba.
Yuba and Hokkaido uni, and fresh wasabi on the top.
One bite.
I didn't necessarily learn from anyone in Japan,
but my parents cooked a lot.
I began cooking myself,
then came to New York and learned more about cooking here.
The owners of Cocoron taught me.
Tofu with avocado oil and smoked salt.
So next shabu-shabu.
This is ponzu and this is a little bit of sweet soy sauce.
What I like about shabu-shabu is
that boiling the meat gets rid of extra fat
and when you finish eating it,
it doesn't burden your stomach too much.
It's not too heavy.
So it's Kagoshima beef, A4.
Try with ponzu.
So next, same beef with a different sauce.
You can mix with the egg.
The texture of shabu-shabu meat melts in your mouth.
Next, vegetables.
Mushroom. Try with soy sauce.
Mochi dumpling. It has mochi and seaweed inside.
Try with ponzu.
I originally wanted a restaurant of my own,
so when it was decided that I'd run this place,
my feelings and resolve didn't change.
And next, Miyazaki beef, A5.
The A5 is the highest grade.
Because I previously worked at a soba restaurant,
at the end of the shabu-shabu meal, instead of soup or udon, I serve soba.
Green tea soba. You can dip it in the sauce.
I learned how healthy and good for you soba is where I worked before,
so I wanted to pair it with shabu-shabu.