Shabu Shabu 70 Review

It seems there are always new Japanese restaurants popping up all over the Upper East Side (as well as the rest of Manhattan for that matter). While these places are good enough for every day sushi cravings, very few of them even come close to Shabu Shabu 70.

Located on East 70th Street between First and Second Avenues, Shabu Shabu 70 is for serious lovers of Japanese cuisine and sushi. Adn the prices reflect that. The tables have tiny pots on them, so you can cook your own entree at your table (usually thinly sliced meats, vegetables and seafood). You can also order tempura, teriyaki and sukiyaki dishes.

But all the times I’ve gone there, I’ve focused on the sushi, and different appetizers. And without exceptions, the sushi has always been excellent. It’s not like you really have to ask the sushi chef about which fish is best. They’re all good, all the time. Whenever I go, I sit and the sushi bar. And the chefs usually make me an appetizer consisting of fish in a spicy sauce, similar to what is used in spicy tuna rolls. Or other times the fish is marinated in a soy-vinaigrette dressing.

The salads are made with red and green leaf lettuce, and luckily, they don’t use that sweet ginger dressing. In fact their dressing is a little too salty, even for me, and I have a salty tooth. But, you can always ask for the dressing on the side.

In terms of appetizers, they have an excellent sauteed mushroom dish, which is out of this world. They use shitake and oyster mushrooms, which they prepare in a light buttery soy and garlic sauce. It’s excellent!

So if you are in the mood for a special treat, I would say this is one of the best restaurants on the Upper East Side. Their contact information is as follows:

Shabu Shabu 70
314 East 70th Street
New York, NY 10021
Tel: (212) 861-5635