Shabu Fondue

THE PLACE: Shabu Fondue

3400 W Chandler Blvd Ste 5
Chandler, AZ 85226
Phone: (480) 857-9477

THE RATING: 4 out of 5


THE SKINNY: Trendy sheik Fondue at a slightly more accessible price than "the other place". Great service made the world of difference.

PROS:

• Great service (ask for Brannon) patient, relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
• Decent pricing compared to competition.
• Sleek, hip atmosphere, with a cute little, glassed off nook for the bar.
  

CONS:

• Hostess was a little rude, or simply inexperienced and ambivalent.
  
• No reservations for parties less than 6.
  

THE FAT: So we had our doubts about Shabu Fondue, my pessimism stemming from the reviews I had read and the slightly cheesy (no pun intended) name, Muriel's pessimism based on her previously disappointing experiences with American fondue (Melting Pot). The hostess, who rudely informed me that they didn't accept reservations, and that though they didn't close until 9:30 would not be serving us dinner after 9:00, did not help matters. (I am a firm believer that to close at 9:30 should mean seating until such time.) We were, however very pleasantly surprised. After watching two servers negotiating which one of them would be taking this late-arriving table and consequently (presumably) who would be closing the restaurant down, we were seated by Brannon, who immediately made us feel welcomed and at home. Brannon was patient, informative and very well natured regardless of the fact that we all knew we'd be keeping her well after their official closing time. We began with a glass of the Irony Pinot ($9) for myself and the Rosenblum Zin ($8) for Muriel. Though the Zin was sweet vinegar, upon inquiring when it had been opened, our server was more than happy to check the opening date of the bottle and quick to replace it with a fresh glass. We took as our appetizer the Swiss Fondue for two ($13), the flavor of which we both preferred to the cheese offering at Melting Pot, and upon clearing, was recommended by our server to hold onto the apple bits for the chocolate dessert yet to come. We shared for our dinner entree one order of the Shrimp and Sterling ribeye beef ($18.95), only substituting the Scallops for the shrimp, which Brannon was again very accommodating for. Upon inquiring as to whether the two accompanying sauces we chose (Gomdari, a traditional Shabu sauce, and the Japanese Chili sauce), gave us a good variety, our server recommended a third that she brought out for us complimentary (the Garlic Sesame), which rounded out our selection of sauces nicely. The chili-sauce was a little too strong to use as a solitary sauce on its own and we benefited greatly from the third sauce; I preferred the traditional Gomdari, Muriel the Garlic Sesame. There was a $4. split charge to share the dinner entree, which though was unexpected, is fairly standard in many restaurants, and then we finished with the chocolate fondue ($9.50), which came with a plethora of tasty dippables, including plenty of fruit (bananas, strawberries, maraschino cherries, pineapples), marshmallows and graham crackers. Our total cost including the wine came to $67.51, for which you could add another $19. assuming two dinner entrees. I think the sign of a great restaurant is that in the middle of the dining experience, we were already discussing what we should try the next time we came! (the blue cheese fondue for me..mmn mmn, a "French Martini cocktail" for Muriel.) All in all, i'm glad we didn't listen to the reviews that complained about the sauce portions being two small (they're happy to bring out more, but the little bullets of sauce were more than sufficient for us, or the complaints that the service was so bad, because ours was probably the best we've had since arriving in Phoenix. For the French, it is vital that dinner is not rushed, it is an event with which to cherish the evening, our server, regardless of how late we arrived was more than patient to let us enjoy it as such, afterall what is fondue if not to enjoy the experience?
Still i am curious as to how the entire experience would have been under the hands of a less patient, less amiable server and so until our second experience, i shall reserve the last of the 5 stars...really probably also the hostess' fault :) Otherwise, we were both very happy with Shabu Fondue, and we hope your experience is just as good (ask for Brannon if you can)

P.S, just as an interesting side note, on the reviews page I read, admidst all the poor reviews, I found a very sweet and articulate apology from one of the staff members, admitting to having service issues in the past, and politely addressing the complaints of the sauces and style of the restaurant, though i'm sorry to hear that this server (Amy) is no longer working there, it was in fact this "review/disclaimer/apology that made me decide to give Shabu Fondue the opportunity to prove the reviews wrong, and thank God for that, for we will certainly be back.