Unagiya Ichinoji's Eel Cheaper Than Man Man's And Uya's, But More Forgettable

The Nagoya style of charcoal-roasting the eel and serving it chopped on rice, with condiments like seaweed, wasabi, dashi, spring onions. The fish is reasonably tender and fresh-tasting, with a distinctive char. However, like its rival Uya’s, the eel is too lean — we’d like more flesh to balance out all that smoky skin. Are the creatures imported to Singapore lower-grade than the plump specimens we often eat in Japan? Or do they lose weight in our warmer climate? Despite the lacklustre mouthfeel, the overall flavours are quite moreish, especially when the eel and deliciously chewy Hokkaido rice are drizzled with the restaurant’s signature spicy tare sauce, an addictive soy and mirin concoction stung with a bit of heat.

There are four sizes for this dish, including an extra-large number for $77.80, which feeds two to three pax. We think this medium one (pictured) is sufficient, since we aren’t terribly hungry. Price-wise, the medium and large bowls here cost $26.80 and $32.80, while Uya's is priced at $35 and $48; and Man Man's $26.80 and $35.80.

This is done Osaka-style. The same lightly sauced rice found in the Seiro Mushi is served with a modest amount of chopped eel, plus a dollop of viscous Japanese yam puree, an onsen egg, mentaiko (spicy cod roe), and more of that papery omelette. The main takeaway from this dish is its slimy texture; the briny cod roe the only bright spot in this rather bland bowl. While the chawanmushi garnished with a chunk of grilled eel is pleasantly smooth and quite tasty, it ain’t worth the extra five bucks.

You're supposed to pour in the oozy-yolked onsen egg into your Mamushi Donburi and mix everything up till it's a gooey mess.

Fairly silky, wobbly and tasty steamed egg topped with a tiny chunk of grilled eel. Pleasant, but not a must-order.

Chunks of what tastes like leftover eel thrown atop cheap iceberg lettuce and bland tomatoes doesn't hide the fact that this is practically a MOS Burger salad with delusions of grandeur.

Dessert is simple: a choice of an earthy and unfortunately grainy green tea ice cream, or a refreshingly zesty and smooth yuzu sherbet.

The eel pairs wonderfully with the spicy sauce, which is strangely more well-balanced and complex than the saltier original version. We also love the slightly floral notes in the kuro shichimi chilli powder.

Thankfully, the gruesome task of slaughtering the live eels ­— this particular breed is called Ichinoji, hence the eatery’s name — imported from a farm in, um, Indonesia (but owned by Japanese farmers), isn’t done in full view of diners, but off-site in a central kitchen each morning.

Oriental tiled roof fixtures frame the glass-walled kitchen, where lugubrious chefs roast eels over glowing binchotan coals. We almost expect a bored stunt ninja to tumble out of a false wall at any second.

The kitchen here is helmed by a Japanese chef who trained for three months in a sister unagi restaurant called Mita Miyagawa at Tokyo. Prior to this, he worked at other Japanese restaurants in Japan.

Decent live eel at a reasonable price point if you stick to the Hitsumabushi bowls (which are slightly cheaper than Man Man’s and Uya’s). It’s less memorable than the food served by its rivals, though. And there’s a synthetic vibe about the place that’s somewhat unsettling.

The one-week-old restaurant was almost full on the Monday night we visited, but there wasn't any queue outside. Perhaps it's a different story on weekends.


Unagiya Ichinoji is at #01-05 Riverside View, Robertson Quay, S238251. Tel: 6732-1970. Open daily. 11.30am-3pm; 5.30pm to 10pm. Last orders 30 mins before closing. No reservations allowed.