https://www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg/gourmet-travel/best-restaurants-singapore-unagi/
Unagi
image
Photo: Priyanka C. Agarwal
Man Man Unagi By Teppei
Those familiar with Chef Teppei Yamashita’s mini-empire know that all of his restaurants open to snaking queues; years on, Man Man two outlets are still running to packed houses. With a succinct menu of eel-centric dishes, they focus on one thing and do it well. Here, freshwater eels are grilled over a charcoal fire and brushed multiple times with a sweet-smoky tare BBQ sauce. The eels are so fresh that you spot them ‘live’ in custom-built tanks around the restaurant before they’re cleaned, gutted, sliced and cooked in the glass-fronted kitchen. The resultant eel is nicely charred, the sauce is deliciously smokey and the texture itself is flaky and rich. Served as donburi sets over Japanese rice, in a variety of sizes.
#01-01, 1 Keong Saik Rd. Tel: 6222-0678.
image
Photo: Facebook (Uya)
Uya
When Japan import Uya opened at Level 2 of Wheelock Place, immediate comparisons were drawn to Man Man. While it does boast a more varied menu, it is still the grilled eel that is the top draw here. A more upscale dining experience (no tanks of live fish, and visible gutting of fish–all that happens behind-the-scenes), they use Japan imported eels grilled with a tare sauce that has been a family secret for generations. The grilled eels get a crisp exterior and a soft, fluffy interior all accented with a delicious umami-rich sauce. For the Hitsumabushi set, chopped up eel is served over koshihikari rice alongside wasabi, nori, spring onions and dashi broth. You can mix it up, have it straight up or in any combination you like. Grilled eel can also be had as an ala carte, or in sets with more variety.
#02-15/16, Wheelock Place, 501 Orchard Road. Tel: 6732-1096.
image
Photo: Facebook (SBCD Korean Tofu House)
SBCD Korean Tofu House
While most of the options on this list are of Japanese restaurants, this Korean spot serves an unagi rice bowl and a grilled unagi dish that has a regular fan base. They use freshwater eels imported from Korea and are served sliced and grilled on a sizzling hot plate, accompanied by a sticky-sweet sauce. The same eel can also be had in a bibimbap-like stone bowl with rice and strips of omelette. Unlike Japanese unagi, the sauce here is sweeter and more viscous. It’s a delicious pairing served with typical Korean pickles such as kimchi.
#B1-01/02, 7 Wallich Street. Tel: 6386-6441.
image
Photo: Facebook (Chikuyotei)
Chikuyotei
Here you can expect a finer Japanese meal experience, and while they have a varied menu, Chikuyotei still takes pains to grill their unagi over a charcoal flame for a smokey finish. The freshwater eels are grilled, steamed and then broiled again with a homemade tare sauce, which gives them a softer, more toothsome texture. The eel is also served in larger slices or chopped up if you opt for the Hitsumabushi set. Only top-notch quality ingredients are used and this is apparent in the taste. Their unagi lunch course comes in a variety of options and sets, complete with rice, salad, pickles and more. Eel also features in their omakase lunch and dinner sets and in a more adventurous variety such as eel liver.
80 Middle Road. Tel: 6338-7600.
image
Photo: Unagiya Ichinoji
Unagiya Ichinoji
Japan’s Unagi Speciality Restaurant chain, Miyagawa Honten’s Singapore outpost is called Unagiya Ichinoji, and naturally, comparisons to Uya and Man Man will be drawn. Like its competitors, Unagiya specialises in charcoal-grilled eel basted in a special recipe tare sauce. They have two outlets (Suntec City and the first one at Robertson Quay) and it is their Suntec outlet that first introduced novel touches to the dishes. You could opt for either regular or multigrain rice with your set meals, and they even serve an Unagi Bara Chirashi (charcoal grilled eel, served with cubed sashimi over rice) and Unagi Sushi. At the more traditional Robertson Quay outlet, unagi can be had typical Hitsumabushi style or as a Fukuoka-style Seiro Mushi where the eel is grilled and then steamed in a bamboo box along with kinshi-style eggs (shredded egg crepes) and tare sauce mixed with Hokkaido rice.
#01-05, Riverside Village Residences, 30 Robertson Quay. Tel: 6732-1970.
image
Photo: Mikuni
Mikuni
At this Japanese fine dining restaurant, you are spoilt for choice amidst their sushi, sashimi, teppanyaki and robatayaki options. And, holding their own amongst the myriad luxe choices are the unagi-based dishes. Mikuni’s Dragon Roll is expertly crafted and boasts an exquisite texture. Here, BBQ eel and shrimp tempura are paired with avocado, tempura flakes, tobiko and cucumber and brushed with an unagi sauce. The crunchy savoury elements and the eel’s sweet and smoky sauce pair well together. To enjoy unagi in it’s standalone glory, order the Unagi Kabayaki where a whole, butterflied slab of grilled eel is served with sansho peppers. Excellent, air-flown quality is assured at Mikuni, and it is worth every dollar.
Level 3, Fairmont Singapore, 80 Bras Basah Road. Tel: 6431-6156.
image
Photo: Neon Pigeon
Neon Pigeon
Almost everything in this late night modern-day izakaya’s menu is well done. Their small plates are big on flavour, and the cocktails potent. Japanese ingredients, flavours and elements can be seen throughout the menu, and their take on an unagi rice bowl is both novel as well as familiar and comforting. Served paella-style in a pan, the grilled eel is served over stock-cooked rice, crispy tempura seaweed, crunchy sweet pea and a raw egg to mix in and make the rice dish all the more unctuous.
#01-03, 1A Keong Saik Road. Tel: 6222-3623.
image
Photo: Keyaki
Keyaki
The zen-like confines of Pan Pacific’s Keyaki is one of our favourite lunch-time hideaways. For the exceptional quality on offer, the prices for their lunch sets are very reasonable. Unagi features in the hearty Unajyu Sashimi Gozen. Expect a portion of Grilled Eel on Rice, where the tender, flaky unagi is brushed with the sticky-sweet tare sauce and served over Japanese rice, alongside, a selection of sashimi, simmered vegetables, simmered prawn coated with egg yolk, miso soup, pickles and dessert. All of these make it a very balanced and filling lunch. Unagi is also served whole-grilled, kabayaki style and as sushi for dinner.
Pan Pacific Singapore, 7 Raffles Boulevard. Tel: 6336-8111.
RELATED:
Jewel Changi Airport: Shang Social impresses with its take on traditional Chinese cuisine
Exsto is the world’s first Cognac created by a sommelier and a master blender
