SGV: KBBQ & Hot Pot at Spring Shabu

 

When you can’t decide between hot pot and KBBQ, Spring Shabu Shabu is a good choice to get both. It’s a relatively new spot in El Monte.

First, decide if you want to go all shabu shabu or add on KBBQ for a few bucks more. The first time I went, we opted for both but decided it was A LOT of food (and quite a bit of work!). So we just did shabu shabu next time.

At Spring, the shabu shabu seemed like a hybrid of Japanese shabu shabu  and Chinese hot pot. You have your choice of soups. There are a few that come with your all-you-can-eat price or opt for some premium soups. If you don’t have the soup of the end, it almost doesn’t matter what you pick.

 

 

Everyone has their own personal pot which is helpful when you all want different soups.

Next, head to the buffet to get your ingredients.

 

I’m all about veggies including mushrooms in hot pot. I do like some luncheon meat (spam!) and balls– there’s a huge assortment from fish to shrimp to stuffed balls as well. These are good to throw in every now and then to get a change of pace from sliced meats.

 

I also enjoyed there are a ton of greens. I usually get spinach but also like watercress.

 

 

For the soups, you can grab your own plates. For the grill, you order from the servers. There are some warnings on the seafood not to grill as it might take a while to fully cook. We did grill the shrimp meant for soups and it was fabulous. But hey, you can always throw the food into the soups if you don’t think it’s fully cooked from the grill.

There is also a sauce bar, dessert and a variety of cooked food. I have sampled the dim sum and would skip next time. I didn’t mind the cooked noodles but Spring does have udon and ramen if you want to try your hand at making your own ram-don a la Parasite the movie!

 

Spring Shabu Shabu and Grill

3608 Peck Rd., El Monte, CA 91731  —  (626) 416-5363

 

© 2020 The Minty