Jazz Cat - San Gabriel

I always frequent this place because their lunch menu is such a good deal. I love the name of the restaurant, the vibes inside the little kitty pots the shabu shabu comes out in! I'm also addicted to their golden fish balls, I highly recommend everyone to try it if you haven't tried it yet : My usual is the spicy miso but sometimes I'll order the seafood essence. My go to for protein is beef sometimes I'll order T-Rex which is more meat less veggies. Oh can't forget side of instant noodles! The service is pretty efficient as long as they're not in a lunch or dinner rush but that's for every restaurant lol I will continue to frequent this establishment come for my usual girls dinner too

I've been going to Jazz Cat for over 12 years. I have no complaints about the food, but I'm sad that they no longer honor the stamp cards. My passion lies in the realm of gastro-gamification and since childhood, I've meticulously collected the Jazz Cat stamp cards, with the thrill of a completed card being one of my life goals. Sadly, a free T-rex hot pot, once a mere two stamps away, now remains ano impossible dream.

My boyfriend and I were looking for a lunch spot, and I suggested shabu since it's relatively healthy enough. We weren't too hungry to get AYCE, so we decided on Jazz Cat for the individual size shabu shabu sets. This location almost died out during the pandemic, but they made a come back and they seem to be staying strong. Their parking lot has a narrow entrance and the limited parking spots are tight. Bring your skinny compact car if you have one. Service was pretty absentee, but when we finally got their attention my boyfriend ordered their Premium Lamb $23.98) T-Rex style meaning 50% more meat, and less veggies. He had it with their Premium Kelp and Miso soup base and the Japanese Sesame sauce. I had their Premium Pork $22.98) regular, which has more veggies. I went with the Creamy Milk and Corn soup base and the Japanese Sesame sauce. All meals come with the white rice, you have the option to upgrade to brown rice or vermicelli for $1. We also shared a side order of the Golden Fish Balls $10.95) which has the masago filling. Super cute pots with the cat ears and paws on the edge of the pot. The meal was very filling. I gave my boyfriend most of my rice and still didn't finish the amount I had left. I probably didn't need any rice at all and I would have still been full. I really like this creamy milk and corn soup base, cause it goes really well with the pork and veggies. I barely needed my dipping sauce since the food was already flavorful. Staff was lagging down to the end. They were watching something on their tablets and being absentee, as we basically had to flag them down for the check. I would consider coming back the next time I want a healthy-enough filling meal, but the parking and poor service are deterrents.

I got really stupid for trying their ayce with my 3 years old baby. $75 for both! Only ate whatever on the picture with a popcorn chicken and 2 drinks : For anyone that trying to get ayce just do regular maybe cheaper.

Wait time: I went on a Thursday night and there was no wait. They were able to accommodate 8 people with no issues. Service: the servers were really nice and constantly checked up on us. The food came out very quickly as well. Food: I ordered the Black Angus beef T-rex with Taiwanese Satay broth and Japanese sesame sauce. Fried golden fishballs and popcorn chicken. -This is my go to order when I come here. Overall the food was okay. I think the beef needed to be sliced alittle thinner because it was kind of tough. The broth wasn't super flavorful but I wouldn't say it is bland either. Once i dipped everything in the sauce it wasn't something to complain about. The Japanese sesame sauce is definitely worth trying, i think it's my favorite sesame sauce I have tried. -Golden Fishball: this was very flavorful and delicious. I definitely recommend ordering it on the side to enjoy with everyone. -Popcorn Chicken: very flavorful, crispy and heavy on the five spice powder. Also a nice side to share with others. Overall: Jazz cat is not what it used to be, I remember it used to be very packed and busy especially for dinner. I think their broth isn't as flavorful as it used to be and the beef is tougher now too. However I would still come back because I do like the overall experience.