SWISH FOR MY SWISH

Thousand Cranes is a "quasi-new" Shabu-Shabu place over at the second level of Greenbelt 3. The place is cozy and clean and littered with paper crane ornaments, thus its name. “Shabu-Shabu” is a Japanese delicacy which actually means swish-swish, because you "swish" the ingredients--your choice of meat, chicken, seafood or veggies, or a combo of your liking, on soup stock which simmers to a boil right before your eyes using sophisticated table-top burners.For our party of four and a half, we ordered two sets of seafood and beef (had pork overload during the holidays). Bowls of Japanes rice were the perfect complement to our soupy meal.There is indeed a lot of room for creativity here because you're free to mix and match the wide array of veggies and meats to your liking. The secret, they say, is in the soup too, a choice between adding the chilly garlicky sauce (a lot similar to the Pinoy alamang) or the mix of ginger, chives and red chilis.
Patience is a virtue when eating the shabu-shabu meal because it can take anywhere between an hour or so much more. But I didn't really mind because it gave me more time to spend my 35th birthday meal with the ones I love.While I haven't been to a whole lot of Shabu-Shabu places in the metropolis (I've been to three I think, including one in Binondo), I'd have to say that my birthday meal at Thousand Cranes was a satisfactory one. The peso range was quite reasonable given that soup refills were unlimited, plus the quality of the ingredients was fresh and superior. Service could've afforded a few more smiles though, but the poker faces of the crew weren't really that bad to dampen my birthday spirit.

But whatever the price may be, nothing beats hot soup on a chilly night, especially when taken with the ones you hold dear.

Thousand Cranes
2nd Floor, Greenbelt 3
Ayala Center, Makati
Tel. Nos. +632.7298640 / +632.7298641
Email thousandcranesgb3@yahoo.com