Manila is currently abuzz with the rival factions of Team Edward and Team Jacob as New Moon enjoys a much anticipated theater run. In the kitchens of Healthy Shabu-shabu though, a different rivalry brews as two new ingredients enter the fray, vying for the title of best Shabu-shabu: Wagyu and King Crab!

Dedicated to providing delightfully luxurious dining experiences to the local scene, Healthy Shabu-shabu has brought in these two prized ingredients to tantalize our taste buds. There’s the highly prized King Crab, a hard-to-catch crustacean that yields succulent white crab meat. And there’s Wagyu, beef from Japan’s prized wagyu cattle that’s unrivaled when it comes to taste and texture.

I love wagyu so I didn’t have to think twice when it came to choosing sides. My excitement was palpable as they brought out the plates of grade 8 wagyu—a high quality one, I was told. The marbling, a prized-characteristic of this beef, can be seen very clearly. A thin layer of fat also lined one side. While I wanted to dig in already, I tried to be patient, setting up my hotpot with veggies and some of the seafood to help flavor the broth.

I normally wouldn’t let go of my wagyu, but I needed to take piccies and I only have two hands.

When the time finally came to try the wagyu, I clasped one piece between my chopsticks and gingerly swirled it through the broth, trying not to let it cook too much. A tidbit I picked up from a J-drama series (Himitsu no Hanazono, for the curious) echoed in my head. “The secret to perfect shabu-shabu is to swish it as you say shabu-shabu three times, then it’s done!”

Still, I think the real secret is just to watch your meat and pull it out as soon as the color changes. This is what I did and I was rewarded with the most delicate, buttery bite of beef. The price difference really is worth it because the natural flavor of unsullied wagyu is beyond compare.

The rest of the meal, while delicious, went by in a blur. Those bites of beef really makes everything pale in comparison. I guess it’s easy to see where my loyalties lie. Where do yours?

For Pride! For Honor! For Free Food!

Now is the time for you to choose sides. Team Wagyu or Team King Crab? Pick a side and get a chance to win a Php 1,000 Gift Certificate from Healthy Shabu-shabu!

We’ll pick three winners using my favorite contest tool of all, random.org. The first winner will be from Team Wagyu. The second one will be from Team King Crab. The last one will be from the winning team! I’ll be tallying all answers and the winning side gets the third winning slot.

Mechanics and all the fine print

1. Contest is exclusive to residents of Metro Manila and its nearby suburbs. (Cavite, Laguna, etc.)
2. To join, post a comment stating which side you choose and why. No, you don’t have to automatically use the prize on what you choose, so if you feel like infiltrating the other team, feel free to do so.
3. Each person may vote only once during the whole contest period. For multiple comments, only the first comment will count.
4. You have until November 30, 11:59 PM, Manila time to post your answers. Winners will be announced the next day, December 1, 2009.

Support your team! Spread the word and encourage your friends to vote!

Healthy Shabu-shabu
Powerplant Mall – 898.3979/895.6300 • The Podium – 914.1028/29 • SM Mall of Asia – 556.0354/55 • Robinsons Galleria – 633.1979/632.1634 • SM North The Block – 442.0036/37 • Alabang Town Cener – 850.6633/850.6979 • Robinsons Midtown – 526.2981/529.3989 • Shangri-La Plaza Mall – 910.3272/632.7532
http://www.healthyshabushabu.com

Thanks to Healthy Shabu-shabu and Geiser Maclang for making this promotion possible.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 3:07 pm and is filed under giveaways, restos & eateries, sponsored events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.