KEN HUNTS FOOD: Ryuzen Japanese Shabu Shabu @ Juru Sentral, Bukit Mertajam, Penang.

Monday, May 4, 2020

Ryuzen Japanese Shabu Shabu @ Juru Sentral, Bukit Mertajam, Penang.

It's easy to miss Ryuzen since the restaurant is located on the 3rd floor of the Juru Sentral building but it is a place not to be missed by any hot pot lovers. Ryuzen is a place where you will find Japanese-influenced hot pot with plenty of meat (buffet style). There are different packages that offer different values in return; depending on your choice, the selection of soup bases will affect your bill either. There are 7 different types of soup bases, with 3 soup bases are free of charge while the rest would require additional charges. Each hot pot comes with 2 different types of soup bases. There is a buffet counter right in the middle of the restaurant where diners can pick their hot pot ingredients (as well as sides like Oden, Herbal Egg, Chawanmushi and desserts like Soft Serve and fresh Fruits). The meat and seafood however, are to be ordered separately... though there is no limitation on the number of orders. The fact that the restaurant does not charge any service charge or government tax, we thought the prices listed are very reasonable and worth the value. Even better if you could sign up for the membership (works like a reload card).

Konbu Stock and Sukiyaki Broth

Ryuzen's meat was thinly sliced to suit the Shabu Shabu theme though a little too thin to our liking (speaking in terms of texture). It did not affect us in terms of amount since we were able to ask for unlimited refills. For this round, we had the Konbu broth and Sukiyaki broth; the former one was lightly seasoned and barely registered any Konbu flavor but I guess that's pretty much a norm when it comes to hot pot since the broth will become more flavorful as more ingredients are added in. The Sukiyaki was the highlight of the day since it was meant for Shabu Shabu. The Sukiyaki broth was a little too watered down, probably to suit the local palate. We requested it to be richer and thicker, without asking more, the server actually did what we said. Not only that, the server actually came back again to check if we were okay but when she was told that we still prefer thicker version, she took all the trouble to check with the kitchen and made something for us (such an impeccable service deserves good ranks on Ken Hunts Food). Every table will only be given 100 minutes of dining time but this rule was not strictly enforced on our visit. Given the choices and comfortable dining space, we thought the prices are very fair and worth paying for.