What do you get when you mix authentic Taiwanese Cuisine and Shabu Shabu together?
The Balcony Grill & Bar of course! Located at the
Diamond Jamboree Center, I recently had the chance to dine with The Balcony Grill & Bar owner Paul Zhu and Diamond Jamboree's Suzie Won for an afternoon delight in all dishes Taiwanese & Shabu Shabu. Paul ordered the most popular drinks and dishes...my fave dish? Well, I can't just pick one; the fried rice was the best I've eaten at any restaurant, the Asian sausage dish had me reminiscing about summer lunches my grandma used to make for me as a child; the shabu shabu=perfection, there's just something about that broth; and my all-time fave was this semi-crunchy Spicy Garlic Tomato Shrimp dish. The fried stinky tofu wasn't half bad, but you'll have to muster up some courage to try that one, even
Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods could not handle stinky tofu (although he tried it in raw form, so I'm sure it was much more difficult to stomach). I'm so thankful for Asian palate!
Join in on the celebration by taking advantage of 3 great promotions above! And I'm telling you, you do not want to miss out on any offers involving shaved snow, or discounts off your entire meal! Warning: the following food photos may cause hunger pains and a sudden urge to jump in your car and drive to The Balcony!
Promotions valid between 6/15/12-7/20/12
Great Happy Hour, Dim Sum, and Drunk Muchies Menus as well!
Happy Eating,
I usually don't order shrimp dishes unless I'm at a seafood restaurant; maybe because I rarely come across a shrimp dish when eating out, but I was thrilled that Paul ordered this Spicy Garlic Tomato Shrimp. Just enough crunch, sweetness, and a kick of spicyness.
This was an interesting dish, the Oyster Pancake; it has an chewy layer smothered in a tangy sauce that tops lettuce and oyster.
The Asian Sausage is a great side dish to eat with rice. It's sweet, and the sliced garlic adds fresh flavor to it. The Shabu Shabu is unlike any usual shabu shabu at a Japanese restaurant because of the flavored broth (instead of water) used to cook the meat, veggies, and noodles. We had the dinner portion with the Satay flavored broth. Aside from the numerous flavored broths available, another perk of eating shabu shabu here are the lunch and dinner portions as well as the freedom to customize your meat and side dish choices.
I don't think I've ever had a better cocktail, the mango and yogurt nigoritinis are the most perfect blends of nigori, fruit schnapps, fruit juice and soda. I still have to try the Red Apple Nigoritin!
Above: Sizzling Peppercorn Beef
Below: Fried Rice
Below: Fried Stinky Tofu
I have come back twice in a week to have this dessert! The Shaved Snow shown below is the Egg Pudding Creme Brulee Flavor. I also love the Strawberry and Mango Shaved Snow.
Wednesday, May 22 5:23PM
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