Shabu-Ya
Harvard Square
57 JFK St
Cambridge, MA 02138
www.shabuyarestaurant.com
Types of Food: Shabu-shabu, sushi, Japanese
Ratings (out of 5 stars):
Food: 
(2.5/5)
Service: (3/5)
Decor: (4/5)
Price: $20-25 per person for dinner
Price/Value: (1.5/5)
Katherine and I tried out Shabu-Ya today, the new Shabu-shabu restaurant above Wagamama/Staples. It replaced Rendang, a Malaysian restaurant. We tried out the sea urchin from the sushi bar ($6), and got the chicken ($14) and beef sirloin ($15) for the hot pot. I was rather disappointed with this restaurant, and as I sit here writing this review, I can’t really think of much that was good about it. The vegetables were scarce, lifeless, and uninspiring; and the meat was average and in minimal quantities. Carrots and broccoli, by the way, are not traditional shabu-shabu vegetables. To top it off, the normal broth was unremarkable.
Shabu-Ya’s service is acceptable, and probably depends on the specific waiter or waitress – they appear to have been told to be polite, but without special training. The decor is hip and trendy, and would make for a decent late-night bar. However, their prices are high for both the quality and quantity of food given. There’s a lot more expensive restaurants out there, so it says a lot when I received the ~$40 check and felt discontent, hungry, and unhappy.
If you’re hungry, don’t come here. If you want to try out shabu-shabu for the first time, I’d pick a different restaurant, such as Kaze or Shabu-zen in Chinatown.
Not recommended. At all.
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Lamps, Part I
I went through first semester of my senior year without a lamp – my previous one was broken and I’ve long given up on building management’s ability to fulfill my needs. (Missing standing lamp, creaking pipes, wheezing heating, etc.). Instead, I’ve been either using my computer – as both a light source as well as a word processor.
The lack of a lamp finally bothered me enough that I began looking for one. Katherine solved this problem by getting me a lamp, image below:
Verilux Modern Deluxe Full Spectrum Lamp, Brushed Steel
I now have the Verilux Modern Deluxe Full Spectrum Lamp in Brushed Steel. Not only is it an attractive, well constructed lamp, but it also provides a full range of visible light that supposedly enhances your wakefulness and ability to see. I was never too much of a lamp snob, but this one works great.
My main question, though, is “why are lamps so expensive?” A lamp is a rather simple piece of technology – a power source connected to a light with a switch. I remember my dad showing me how to make simple electric circuits, and they were as a capable as a lamp, albeit with a smaller power supply and light source. There are even how-to guides for homemade lamps, such as: HowStuffWorks Lamp Guide.
Those people familiar with the Boston area have probably seen the upscale lamp store Neena’s – their brightly lit stores are filled with all shapes and sizes of lamps, generally in the triple-digit dollar range but sometimes in the thousands. An example is the Bolo Table Lamp, shown below.
BOLO table, $590 $470 (on sale)
The most expensive lamp ever sold was the Tiffany Lotus Lamp, which fetched $2.8 million.
Tiffany Lotus Lamp, $2,807,500
It’s not that I don’t understand why the prices are so high – lamps are a functional as well as aesthetic piece of furniture art, and for the same reason that handbags and shoes fetch thousands of dollars, lamps cost as much or more. They probably last longer and stay fashionable for longer than clothing and accessories as well. But as a student who just needs a table lamp for light…geez.
Best of all, however, is the rip-off Tiffany Lotus Lamp, available at your local Sam’s Club for under $130:
Sam's Club Tiffany Style Lotus Lamp, $127.72