SWISH Japanese Hot Pot

FOOD

The food at Swish begins with broth and meat. Four broths set distinct directions: a light shabu-shabu base with vegetables and kombu; sweet-savory sukiyaki with dashi and soy; spicy miso; and the Swish Special, which combines spicy miso with sukiyaki. Because each guest has an individual pot, nobody needs to compromise on the base, and the broth becomes part of the food rather than mere cooking liquid.

For AYCE, Premium B covers beef top sirloin, brisket and chuck with pork loin and marinated chicken. Premium A adds ribeye and New York strip, giving beef a deeper range. The cuts are built for shabu-shabu: thin slices go into simmering broth for brief cooks, then move to the dipping sauces. Ribeye brings more marbling, New York a firmer steak bite, while brisket and chuck vary the beef texture. Pork and chicken keep later rounds from becoming an all-beef exercise.

Mixed vegetables, udon and rice make up the other half of the pot. Vegetables can simmer while another plate of meat cooks; udon can follow after the broth has collected flavor from earlier rounds. Goma and ponzu send finished bites in two directions, one sesame-rich and creamy, the other brighter and sharper. Moving among sauce, broth, protein and vegetables keeps repeat orders from tasting like copies of the first.

Premium A also includes two appetizer choices from edamame, gyoza, miso soup, house salad, seaweed salad, veggie egg roll and veggie tempura. They work as accents rather than another large course to navigate. Gyoza brings a browned dumpling bite, seaweed salad a cool pause, and the fried choices add crunch before the simmering pot takes over.

Sushi forms a second Japanese menu alongside hot pot. California, tuna, salmon and Philadelphia rolls sit beside fried and sauced combinations, with a premium group that turns more elaborate. The Swish Roll is the restaurant-specific one to notice: shrimp tempura, avocado and cucumber topped with seared beef and teriyaki sauce. The Volcano layers spicy crab and avocado under seared salmon with spicy mayo, sriracha and spicy garlic ponzu; the Rainbow carries shrimp, salmon, tuna and avocado over crabmeat and cucumber. AYCE sushi is also available on its own.

Friday is when the two branches meet most directly. The current all-day special combines unlimited premium meats and sushi for $35.99, with appetizers a la carte. On other days, the standard hot-pot tiers center on beef, pork and chicken. Shrimp and salmon remain available in a la carte shabu-shabu and sushi rather than the regular AYCE meat tiers, so seafood-first meals naturally shift toward those parts of the menu.

Dessert stays compact. Mochi ice cream offers a cold finish, while tempura ice cream adds a fried shell around the frozen center. Swish does not try to fold every Japanese dish into the hot-pot package. Its food identity is tighter: broth chosen by the guest, thin-sliced meats ordered in rounds, vegetables and noodles cooked at the seat, and sushi available as a separate or added line of abundance.