A year ago, I wasn't a fan of hotel restaurants. I would have snubbed the snobbish menu that contains what I believe are overpriced bland food. My mind had changed over the past few months because one of my friends was insisting we try hotel restaurants whenever we go out. We're not rich; we just meet each other once in a blue moon that we consider those rare times worth celebrating up a notch. Remember Garden Barbecue? Yup, she was with me during that enjoyable time. We tried avoiding steaks this time around so being Japanese food lovers that we are, we zeroed in on Shogun Restaurant in Radisson Blu.
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| The Sushi Bar |
Radisson Blu's Shogun Restaurant has been receiving raves from upscale foodies. I mean if it were for me, I would have gone to my go-to, tried and tested Japanese restaurants that are nearer my place but the good reviews made this restaurant worth checking out. Hotels can intimidate people; it makes us think that they're so classy and elegant only those who can afford a three-day stay can set foot on it but it's not always the case. We're all allowed to go inside a hotel for the sole purpose of dining in their restaurants. That's perfectly okay.
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| The teppanyaki tables |
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| Warm miso soup for the hungry soul |
Radisson Blu is one the hotels lining up the King Abdulaziz Road. It has four dining places: Shogun, Olivio's (an Italian resto), Brasserie on Four (serves international cuisine that we featured here) and their coffee shop, Cafe Vienna. Shogun is the most popular of all, with its airy yet classic Japanese ambiance. It is known for its fresh sushi and sashimi. We had another popular dish in mind: shabu-shabu, which we saw on the menu for SR 250 a pop. It's good for sharing!
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| Ready for some action! |
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| Now we're dipping! |
Shabu-shabu is a well-known Japanese dish that involves dipping thinly-sliced beef and vegetables into boiling water. Yes, it involves cooking so for those who can't wait, settle for the sushis instead. A pot of dashi (broth) on top of a stove came to our table. The well-marbled meat, glass noodles, and vegetables came on separate platters. We put them into the broth and stirred a few times. The ingredients are very delicate so you should know when to get them based on how you preferred your veggies and meat cooked. I like my meat cooked through and through and the veggies still crisp.
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| Yeah, take your time. We can wait! :P |
At first, we found the broth really mild, almost with no taste. So we asked for a spicier version. Again, the flavour didn't pack a punch to us so we figured maybe our tastebuds weren't cut out for this thing but the chef came by to our table and explained that we need to dip the meat and veggies to the sesame seed sauce it came with. He also took the pot and did his magic and suddenly, the soup was packed with flavor when it came back from the kitchen!
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| Our bubbling mini cauldron, haha! |
Since we considered the shabu-shabu our soup, we still ordered main courses. Excuse our hunger. It's not every day we get to dine in a hotel restaurant. Haha! We had their chicken and seafood teppanyaki. These dishes can be cooked in their teppanyaki tables but since we were only two and we needed the space of an ordinary table for our shabu-shabu set, we had our hot viands cooked in their kitchen. They came out piping and full of bite.
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| Seafood teppanyaki with vegetables |
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| Savory viands perfect with rice |
We also ordered rolls, of course. We chose the classic California maki. These are more expensive than the ones you'll have in stand-alone restos but for some reason, we can't get enough of these rolls! They caressed all the right aspects of a good sushi and we were left wondering what made them so different when they all look the same! Must be the quality of ingredients and preparation.
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| What makes you so good? |
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| Simple presentation, clean consistency |
Now, that was a full table for two! No wonder the waiters offered us a whole pot of tea afterwards! Haha! Their tea went well with our dessert: ice cream with bits of melon. Sweet and tart at the same time! It created a wonderful sensation in our taste buds! Overall, it was a pleasant hotel restaurant experience. It actually sealed the deal for me to try other hotel restaurants in the city.
Have you tried Shogun? What are your favourite dishes there? Domo arigato for reading! ~ Sundrenched
Shogun Restaurant
Radisson Blu Hotel
Al Mubarakiah Plaza,
King Abdulaziz Street
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
T: + 966-11-4791234 (call for reservation)
Opening hours:
Lunch: Noon-3:00PM
Dinner: 7:00PM-11:00PM
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