Basking in the glow of overwhelming success and popularity, Bob, the proprietor of Rockville’s Bob’s Noodle 66, has struck gold again with the opening of his relatively new Bob’s 88 Shabu Shabu. The same casual, bargain-priced fare we have grown to love and appreciate for its authenticity, flavor and unfamiliarity — to say nothing of its affordability — has its partner in this new place, strategically located across the street from the original, in the site of a former Italian restaurant named Paisano’s.
Spotting the new ownership, I nearly drove off the road, exclaiming, “Wow, another Bob’s.” But unlike its parent restaurant, which served truly traditional Taiwanese fare, Bob’s 88 Shabu Shabu puts a different spin on the Asian eatery by offering a different take on the Japanese shabu shabu, one of Japan’s many versions of cook-at-the-table hotpot dishes, with an end result of freshly boiled meats and veggies — and at Bob’s, eggs — which form a luscious and tempting and very drinkable soup at the end of the meal. Since historians suggest that it was the galloping Mongols who created the Mongolian hotpot centuries ago, the shabu shabu technique probably does have Chinese origins.
But anybody indulging at Bob’s won’t be very concerned about history: All that matters here is eating loads for very little. In addition, if the procedure seems a bit puzzling — for example, the seasonings bar is set apart from one of the dining areas — staff obligingly help you figure out what to take and what’s hot or not.
It helps that the paper placemats are really shabu shabu menus (regular menus are alsoavailable), for ordering becomes easier by checking over what’s on the placemat. (Note: By meal’s end, you’ll be lucky to read anything on the menu; it will surely be splotched with cooking broth and seasonings.) But if you still have questions, your waiter will explain all, and then after taking your order, will come and fill your individual cookpot with hot water, and then will turn on the burner to get the liquid bubbling away. We ordered the beef shabu shabu ($8.50), the pork shabu shabu ($8.75), and the lamb shabu shabu ($9.50), and were set to order extras as noted on the menu. But the staff wisely suggested we focus on what came with each order, served in large individual platters heaped with veggies, tofu, fish balls, meat, and an egg. Good advice, for none of us were able to clean off our platters, and extras would have been wasted.
Bob’s 88 Shabu Shabu
316 N. Washington St., Rockville
» Hours: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday
» Credit cards: Major cards
» More info: 301-294-5888.
