Shabu-shabu means “swish-swish” in Japanese, and that’s what you do at Swish with your meat, seafood or vegetables as you move them around in the small caldron placed before you – containing either seaweed-scented water (for shabu-shabu) or a sukiyaki* broth for cooking your meat and veggies.

 Cooking one’s own food might not seem like a reason to go out to dinner, but the fun is in crafting your own heart-healthy meal, and the staff is more than helpful in instructing you on the techniques to use….including dipping your finished items in raw egg for “smoothness” according to Japanese tradition and the menu.

Menu items are divided between poaching your thinly-sliced prime rib-eye (the best deal), or cooking them in sukiyaki style in mirin, soy, sugar, and sake. You can spend $40 on a “Hungry” portion of Kobe rib-eye, but the sensations are the same with the prime rib, at half the price.

Carnivores love all that meat, but for our money, it’s the chicken, mushroom and vegetarian plates that bring the most flavor. And not to be missed are the spicy salmon salad, seaweed salad, and Tako Wasabi. Tako Wasabi looks like something you cough up after a bout with bronchitis, but it’s a unique and healthy way to satisfy that octopus jones you’ve been having

Just ask the staff for some help as soon as you get the menu, and they’ll explain everything and have you swish-swishing like a pro in no time.

Click here to hear my review of Swish on KNPR – Nevada Public Radio.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

* Not to be confused with the song: “Sukiyaki,” recorded in 1963 by Japanese crooner Kyu Sakamoto. The Japanese title of the song roughly translates into: “I Walk With My Head Looking Up.” It is a love song that has nothing to do with food. A Newsweek article at the time compared the title change to the Japanese re-naming “Moon River” as “Beef Stew.”

 SWISH

7875 W. Sahara Ave.

Las Vegas, NV 89117

702.870.7947