The LV of shabu-shabu restaurants—Taipei’s beloved long-standing hot pot spot serving premium seafood and meat combos

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Do you share my opinion? Shabu-shabu often feels pretty similar—just a mix of veggie and meat or seafood platters. That’s why it seems like it doesn’t really matter where you go. But I also think, every now and then, it’s nice to splurge a little on a high-end shabu-shabu experience: better ingredients, a nicer dining atmosphere, and top-notch service. When all those elements come together, it’s truly a wonderful thing.

Nestled in an alley along Dajhong Road in Taipei’s East District, this orange-themed shabu-shabu joint is such a choice. With a long history, fresh high-quality ingredients, attentive service, it has won the hearts of many. A university classmate of mine who works in interior design once told me that Orange is truly legendary. When it first opened, its high prices meant business wasn’t great. But in 2004, when the SARS outbreak hit, Orange’s business suddenly boomed—and ever since, it has held a top-tier position in the high-end shabu-shabu category. Later, they opened a second branch on Section 4, Ren’ai Road, and then in mid-2017, they launched Extension 1 in Neihu Technology Park. The interior design of this branch was handled by my classmate, which is exactly why I was so excited to check it out. When my office colleagues were planning a group meal, I suggested we do it here. We all pitched in, about a dozen of us booked the second-floor private room—it felt a bit like throwing our own mini year-end party.

When making the reservation, the colleague organizing the event was informed by Extension 1 that we had to pre-order all our meals in advance to allow them time to prepare. Orange operates on a set-menu system, with the main course determining the price tier. Options include Sea & Meat Combo (NT$3,500–1,080), Meat-Only Combo (NT$850–680), Seafood Combo (NT$1,680–1,550), and Garden Mushroom & Veggie Combo (NT$580). Each set includes either sukiyaki or shabu-shabu (choose one), appetizers, the main course, rice/noodles/congee (choose one), and dessert.

The first-floor seating for walk-ins resembles a circular bar area, with tableside service provided directly by the bartenders.

The cauliflower wall behind the first-floor dining area

But here’s something odd—when we arrived, we learned that the order in which we filled out our order form would determine our seating arrangement (to facilitate serving). As a result, we couldn’t freely choose where or with whom to sit. It was the first time we’d encountered such a dining situation. After some discussion, they finally let us choose our seats and rearranged the serving order. This is something to keep in mind if you’re booking a group private room in the future.

Orange’s dishes may look plain and unassuming, but you’ll realize the quality of the ingredients once you taste them—especially the hot pot items. Ingredients like fish cake, cheese-filled explosion balls, fish tofu, and pearl corn are far tastier than what you’d typically find at average shabu-shabu spots. The portions are small, but just right.

This is the appetizer: hibiscus tofu with crab meat cubes.

Most of us went for the NT$1,280 Sea & Meat Combo. This is the seafood pot that got rave reviews from my colleagues—everyone praised how incredibly fresh it was, including live shrimp, white scallops, clams, squid, fish slices, large oysters, and even live, moving abalone.

This is the sirloin beef I paired with it. The meat portion in the Sea & Meat Combo is smaller, but if you order just the meat platter, the portion is larger. This sirloin was delicious after just a few seconds in the hot pot.

I didn’t do my homework when ordering and chose rice. Orange uses Japanese Koshihikari rice, but personally, I didn’t find this bowl of rice particularly outstanding—the texture was a bit too firm, and it lacked aroma.

My university classmate gave me a crash course the day before I dined here, saying that Orange’s signature dish is their congee. Since I’d already ordered rice, I could only admire everyone else’s bowls. Once most people were nearly done eating, the staff came to our table to help cook the congee. First, they fished out all the ingredients from the broth, added the rice, and then kept the hot pot broth boiling vigorously until it was almost reduced. Then they added a raw egg and chopped scallions, stirring continuously until the liquid thickened into creamy congee. Just before serving, they sprinkled in some seaweed strips, and it was done.

Even though I don’t eat carbs at night, I still asked a colleague for a small spoonful to try. Sprinkled with pepper, whether it was made with the Sea & Meat broth or the pure meat broth, the congee tasted equally sweet and delicious.

The dessert also has a signature item: almond tofu. But I ended up ordering the wrong one and got pudding instead.

The almond tofu looked very plain, but it was actually more memorable than the pudding. The texture was completely different from your usual almond tofu—both in flavor and mouthfeel, it was like pure glutinous rice mochi, with a subtle almond taste and a hint of sticky rice fragrance. It’s no exaggeration to call it a signature dish.

After trying “He Shabu” at Bella Vita previously, I was blown away again at Orange. Orange’s prices are lower than “He,” and the menu is a bit more approachable. If you want to enjoy high-end shabu-shabu with excellent tableside service, Orange is definitely a great choice.

Extension 1 by Orange
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Address: 1F, No. 631, Ruiguang Rd., Neihu District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-26571237
Hours: 11:30 – 22:00

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