Ginza Shabu-Shabu KOUBAI brings Tokyo’s most discreet shabu-shabu tradition to Bangkok

Words: Pasuta Phongam, Photos: Chalad Charoenphongpak

Tokyo’s cult shabu-shabu destination, Ginza Shabu-Shabu KOUBAI, has officially landed at Dusit Central Park, debuting its first outpost outside Japan. The grand launch introduced Bangkok’s dining scene to an experience long treasured in Ginza: a quietly exacting approach to shabu-shabu and sukiyaki, led by Executive Chef Masaji Iwahashi, who carries decades of expertise from Tokyo’s most disciplined culinary circles.

At the heart of the celebration was Kumamoto Aka-ushi, a heritage wagyu prized for its deep flavour and elegant restraint. Representing just 0.6% of Japan’s total beef production, Aka-ushi is considered one of the country’s rarest wagyu breeds — and a revelation for diners accustomed to richly marbled cuts.

The afternoon’s most cinematic moment arrived with KOUBAI’s Shiogama Hoba-yaki. In this dramatic preparation, Aka-ushi is wrapped in a Japanese magnolia leaf, sealed in a thick crust of salt, and baked until the aromas intensify beneath the surface. Cracked open tableside, the dish released a billow of fragrance — part forest, part fire — becoming an instant visual and sensory focal point of the launch.

Beyond the marquee dishes, the menu unfolded with a series of elegantly restrained plates designed to frame the purity of the Aka-ushi.

Aka-ushi Salad — fresh greens paired with fine slices of Aka-ushi, delivering a clean contrast of brightness and umami. Beyond the marquee dishes, the menu unfolded with a series of elegantly restrained plates designed to frame the purity of the Aka-ushi.

Seared Aka-ushi Beef Tartare — torched just enough to blur raw and cooked, where a trace of smoke meets the gentle sweetness of Aka-ushi, resulting in a tartare both polished and quietly expressive.

Throughout the tasting sessions, our editorial team moved through KOUBAI’s signature sukiyaki courses, each highlighting the beef’s natural clarity. The slices, served in traditional Ginza style, revealed a profile our editors described as “refreshing, aromatic, and full of umami — a cleaner expression of wagyu with remarkable depth.

Aka-ushi Sukiyaki: Grilled & Simmered Style — three cuts of Aka-ushi arranged like a textural gradient, moving from silky to structured, each responding differently to the interplay of char and slow simmer.

A softly textured matcha mochi in calm, muted green, opening to an earthy, aromatic matcha filling with a gentle sweetness.

With KOUBAI’s arrival, Bangkok gains not only another Japanese dining address, but a rare encounter with a wagyu lineage seldom seen outside Japan — interpreted through a lens of quiet luxury, ritual, and meticulous craft.

KOUBAI

Hours: Daily, 11:00 - 22:00 Hours

Tel: +66 92 636 9459

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Koubai-Bangkok-61579232295323

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/koubaibkk

Location: Central Dusit Park, 5th Floor, Silom, Bangkok