May be I am the bringer of old news, maybe the menu of Shabu Shabu has changed years ago, but the way I remember it is quite different to what it is now. We went to Shabu Shabu in Amsterdam, so the big one on Rembrandtplein, and it simply was a disappointment to me.

So please do not think that I have turned into this grumpy old lady, I really haven’t (at least, I hope I haven’t), but I used to like Shabu Shabu way more. I still very much love the atmosphere and the way it is set up. The decoration is beautiful, but the menu itself changed and I don’t feel it changed for the better. I do feel the need to tell you that the meat eaters around me were all happy, but every time they tried one of ‘my’ veggie things, they were very glad they did not have my diet, so to speak.

Avocanoooo

So two things on the menu that I truly miss are avocado sushi and the potato cookies. I am not one hundred percent sure if they used to have avocado maki, but I think they did. And they definitely had the potato cookies, instead of the cheese potato-things they have now (that taste like McDonald’s). I also ordered the veggie potato (actually I ordered pumpkin, but I am pretty sure I got the veggie), which tasted like the old vegetable burger of McDonald’s. Lots of McDonald’s-vibes here.

And then there is this new thing, mango sushi, which in my point of view really is the pure representation of evil. I love mango, I love sushi, but those two things simply do not mix. Especially as they use a mango compote which is pretty hard. And then in the middle of the maki there is this crusty stuff. It is just not okay, it does not fit the harty other things and I really have seen many people at the table try it, only to never touch mango sushi ever again.

The lemonade was great

They do have other options for vegetarians, like the mushrooms or the eggplant, which are okay, but there was nothing that I really wanted to order a second round of, except for the edamame. Even the tamago sushi was not that good, it was just a bit bland. I did really love the new (?) drinks, which was this huge glass of sweet lemonade-esque stuff. It was really sweet, so I did not have too much dessert (though the dessert buffet is insane: popcorn, ice cream, mini cakes, candy…

So you can eat and eat and eat at Shabu Shabu and like I said, I think other people had a blast (food wise, cause I also had a blast just being around awesome people), but for vegetarians, it is not something heavenly, I’m afraid.