"My girlfriend took me here a couple of months ago and now I come here all the time," smiled Pestana, after finishing a plate of thinly-sliced meats and assorted vegetables. "It's healthy food so it's actually helping me stick to my New Year's resolution."

Since opening two years ago, this Kapiolani Boulevard restaurant has helped popularize the traditional Japanese style of cooking known as shabu shabu.

"It took a while for people to discover this method of preparing food," said co-owner Kenny Ikeguchi, shaking his head in disbelief. "They would ask, 'Cook with water? What's this?' But once they tried it, they were hooked."

Simple and healthy, shabu shabu refers to thin slices of beef and vegetables that are dredged in a light, konbu-infused pot of boiling water and then dipped in one of three sauces: ponzu, which is made with rice vinegar, soy sauce and mirin; goma, a sesame-seed-based sauce; or ginger.

Seated at one of four chairs along the curved bar, chiropractor William Kim treated three of his staff members to a lunch of meats and vegetables this past Monday.

"It's great food," gushed Kim, who, like Pestana, frequents this restaurant at least once a week. "The food and flavors are clean and the service is very friendly."

Smiling and politely nodding her head, Kazuyo Matsuzaki — whose husband Toshimitsu co-owns Shabu Shabu — delivered a mound of paper-thin slices of Black Angus prime rib eye and prime kurobuta pork loin, and a plate filled with Kauai shrimp, clams and scallop to the table. (Cost for each platter is $19.95.)

She promptly returned with a small bowl of rice and another platter piled with bok choy, cabbage, udon noodles, tofu and homemade tsukune (a delicate Chinese-style, chicken-and-pork hash).

And the fun began.

Within a minute of pushing a button to fire up the burner, the pot of water came to a rolling boil, bubbling and waiting for the first slices of meats and leaves of bok choy and cabbage to be steeped and swooshed.

In less than 10 seconds, a slice of rib-eye steak was done, followed by a slice of pork loin and bok choy. Within 30 to 45 minutes, the platter was empty, the vegetables eaten, the water at a standstill and the appetite fully satisfied.

Other available set lunch menus include a combination of beef and pork for $9.95, and a beef or pork and shrimp combination for $16.75. (Larger portions are available for $3 more.)

The same menus are available in the evening, with prices jumping $2 more across the board and an additional $4 for larger portions.