Gluten-Free Feast at Shabu Shabu Kagayaki

I can’t stop raving about Shabu Shabu Kagayaki, an easy-to-miss Japanese hotpot restaurant in Montreal’s Chinatown. I don’t even eat beef or pork, the meats that are specially sliced for the nabumono preparation, and I still loved it. It was even better during the MTL à Table event in November because we got a couple appetizers and dessert in addition to the main course (which is a meal itself).

I honestly chose the restaurant because it was one of the only MTL à Table options that had a fully gluten-free and dairy-free option where I’d actually get to make some choices, including a dessert that wasn’t just sorbet or fruit salad. It was $50 and a steal at that price (just the shabu shabu – the Third Service below – is $39 according to their Instagram right now and is what most people get as a meal, I think).

Here was the menu (with optional and very well-chosen sake pairings if desired):

First service (1 choice)

1. Japanese-Style Imo Salad Potatoes, carrots, onions, egg, cucumber, Dijon mustard, Kewpie mayonnaise & yogourt (vegetarian option) (Pairing suggestion: Kajo Kotobuki, Junmai Karakuchi (+$13*))
2. Japanese Garden Salad Baby greens, lotus root chips, daikon & sesame-yuzu vinaigrette ( vegetarian option ) (gluten-free option) ( vegan option ) (Pairing suggestion: Kaiun Iwaizake, Tok Honjozo (+$9*))
3. Classic Matane Shrimp Nikogori Chilled dashi jelly & Matane shrimp from Gaspésie (Pairing suggestion: Dassai 45, Junmai Daiginjo (+$19*))

Second service (1 choice)

1. Pink Crystalline Edamame Edamame & Himalayan Pink Salt ( vegetarian option ) (gluten-free option) ( vegan option ) (Pairing suggestion: Masumi Origarami, Sparkling Junmai Ginjo (+$17*))
2. Niku Dofu-Style Beef Beef fillets braised in a rich, flavourful, sweet dashi & soy broth (Pairing suggestion: Gunma Izumi, Yamahai Honjozo (+$10*))
3. Maple Ume-Zuke Tomatoes Cherry tomatoes infused with ume & Biodélices maple syrup ( vegetarian option ) (gluten-free option) ( vegan option ) (Pairing suggestion: Karaku, Junmai Nigori (+$12*))

Third service (1 choice)

1. Nagano & Hokkaido Delights Shabu-Shabu: Nagano pork belly from Québec, Hokkaido scallop, vegetables, mushrooms, tofu & noodles (gluten-free option) (Pairing suggestion: Kita-no-sho, Junmai Ginjo (+$14*))
2. Umami Ebi & Gyu Shabu-Shabu: Angus Chuck flat, wild Argentinean pink shrimp, vegetables, mushrooms, tofu & noodles (gluten-free option) (Pairing suggestion: Kamoizumi Shusen Honjikomi, Junmai Ginjo (+$15*))
3. Mori no Megumi Shabu Shabu: leafy greens, mushrooms, root vegetables, tofu, konjac & noodles ( vegetarian option ) (gluten-free option) ( vegan option ) (Pairing suggestion: Dewazakura, Yukimegami 48, Junmai Daiginjo (+$18*))

Fourth service (1 choice)

1. Ichigo Matcha Premium Matcha ice cream & Vaudreuil winter strawberries (Pairing suggestion: ZAKU Impression G, Junmai Genshu Légèrement effervescent (+$15*))
2. Yaki Mugwort Mochi Grilled rice cake made from mugwort & filled with red bean paste ( vegetarian option ) (gluten-free option) ( vegan option ) (Pairing suggestion: Saika Umeshu (+$10*))
3. Shun no Kudamono – Seasonal Fruit Gently seared in butter & sprinkled with kinako & drizzle with kuromitsu ( vegetarian option ) (gluten-free option) ( vegan option ) (Pairing suggestion: Komagura Tahito, Kimoto Junmai  (+$14*))

We also got to pick our noodle or rice for the Third Service: ramen, udon, konjac, sweet potato or steamed Japanese rice.

Lotus root and lettuce salad, First Service

Between the four of us, we tried pretty much everything. Since I don’t eat pork or beef, I worried the Mori no Megumi Shabu Shabu (tofu option) would be too light-flavoured, but I got a katsuoboshi (bonito tuna) infused broth, which added a bit more umami, and the fried tofu pieces and all the naturally sweet cabbage and other vegetables made it rich. I barely touched the gluten-free tamari that the very helpful and knowledgeable server brought for me as the only dipping sauce option (the others got a trio of dipping sauces).

What I loved

1. The salad above had flavour and texture. The daikon and sesame-yuzu vinaigrette was a balance of sweet and tart, which the crunchy lotus root chip adding crunch. It was a substantial serving size, too. I didn’t feel left out compared to my friends with their shrimp in dashi jelly. Shrimp in dashi jelly
   
   
   The Shrimp in dashi jelly came with a quality soy sauce and wasabi for pumping up flavour
   
2. While the beef fillet in dashi and soy for the Second Service was the winner among my friends, we all ended up sharing the heaps of edamame, which were perfectly blanched.
   Beef, Second Service; maple tomatoes, far left; raw egg for dipping for third service
   
3. All the options for the hotpot! If you’ve never had shabu shabu or other hotpots, they’re either communal or individual. Shabu Shabu Kagayaki gives you the option to share as a table or to have your individual inset burner in front of your counter seat. (We went individual so not everyone had to get my veggie option.) Everyone got an individual giant platter of vegetables and another giant platter of meats or other protein (mine had tons of big cubes of tofu and yellow fried tofu, as well as daikon, enoki and shiitake and wood ear mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, cabbage, bok choy and more.
4. Most impressive was the quality of the vegetables. There was no wilted bok choy or afterthought dry daikon prepped the day before.
5. There’s no added MSG in the broths. You know when you try a cheap broth and it’s just salty and good but you can’t quite figure out why? Well this place had flavour without adding the secret MSG ingredient as an amplifier. There was plenty of flavour without it.
6. The servers are constantly adjusting the temperature of your individual burner so it’s just the right heat.
7. They tell you exactly how long to cook each meat or vegetable for, so you don’t feel like an idiot.
8. You have all the cutlery you need and space for the DIY meal. Dinner could really be a mess otherwise. If you’re me…
9. The one giant shrimp I stole from the person to my right who got the Angus beef and shrimp option. It was sweet and plump and lovely.
10. The sake pairings! You rarely find so many quality options by the glass in Montreal. I can only think of one other place, but maybe not even. By-the-glass can lead to a lot of waste if your expensive bottle isn’t selling quickly. Like that Zaku, it’s a special bottle. You’ll find the iconic floral ginjo of the Dassai and the respected Dewazakura a number of other places, and sometimes the Kamoizumi, but to see them all together with the sweet sparkling Masumi and a junmai nigori Karaku is a treat for sake-lovers and amateurs. While $15 a glass may seem a lot, the service is the traditional style where the server intentionally overflows a glass set in a wooden box to catch the extra. It’s a gesture of generosity and you don’t see it much here, given the high price of sake. If you don’t know what to do with that extra sake (drink it? Leave it?), your server will be happy to answer.
11. I didn’t take a picture of the mugwort mochi that I had for dessert, but it was almost fist-sized, so more generous than commercial daifuku. The colour made it special. Really, though, dessert was not necessary after the giant hotpot.

Overall, this is my discovery restaurant of the year, and definitely of MTL à Table. I’d go back any time of year. And while they’re on a number of delivery platforms, it’s really about the in-restaurant experience with the burners and service.