A note on the words: unaju is freshwater eel grilled with a sweet-savory tare sauce and served over rice in a lacquered box. Kanto-style eel is steamed before grilling to make it exceptionally tender. Kimosui is a clear dashi soup containing the eel liver, and kabayaki and shirayaki refer to grilled eel prepared with tare glaze or without glaze, respectively.
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Kanda Kikukawa Hibiya on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. The Imperial Theater in Hibiya: the basement connects directly to the subway concourse, and levels B1 and B2 make quite an extensive restaurant corridor! I only noticed it was there recently and had started exploring it. For lunch this time, my choice fell on a well-known unagi spot: “Kanda Kikukawa Hibiya”. It sits on the B2 level, fairly far back. I simply walked in with no reservation whatsoever, but the tatami seating area for walk-ins was pretty crowded. If my timing had been slightly off, I might have had to wait. To see it this busy on an ordinary weekday!
Unaju I — 4,510 yen
Unaju Ro — 5,940 yen
Tokusen don — 5,390 yen
Kabayaki / Shirayaki I — 4,400 yen
Kabayaki / Shirayaki Ro — 5,830 yen
Kiku zen — 5,870 yen
The lineup basically centers around unaju, unadon, and the Kiku zen set, I suppose.
Well, when it comes to eel, you want the largest portion, right! So I went with Unaju Ro — “I” and “Ro” being the first two grades in the Japanese iroha ordering.
I waited for a bit. Still, customers kept arriving one after another.
I tend to think eel is a special-occasion food for almost anyone who is not an outright unagi obsessive, but the place is hugely popular.
After a short wait, the lacquered box arrived. About ten minutes, perhaps? That is on the faster side for an unagi restaurant!
It looks wonderful: a bright red lacquered box with kimosui and pickles, plus a slice of orange.
Time to open it!
Whoa! It looks delicious!
Marvelous! This is the style of unaju where the eel is folded back where it will not fit in the box. Serving it this way gives it real impact!
Opening the box sends up a fragrant aroma that whets your appetite. And the color, that glossy sheen, looks so good.
Taking a bite, it is tender and delicious! I really do love the Kanto style, steamed before grilling.
Overall, the flavor is on the gentle side. A crisp tare that holds back on the sweetness. They might keep the sauce light so that you can taste the flavor of the eel directly. There is a container of extra tare on the table if you need it, so you can add more if you like.
Well, it felt like a neatly, beautifully put-together unaju overall.
They asked if I wanted extra rice, but I stuck with the regular portion. Having an extra-large serving of rice on top of an eel and a half would be too filling.
With one and a half eels and a regular bowl of rice, I was completely full and thoroughly satisfied.
I wonder if Kikukawa has its main branch in Kanda; having unagi for lunch in a relaxed setting under the Imperial Theater is lovely.
I imagine a lot of people stop by after seeing a show at the Imperial Theater, or eat before watching something. It is delicious, and the prices are not completely over the top, so I would certainly recommend it just for lunch as well!
Kanda Kikukawa Hibiya (Unagi (Eel) / Hibiya Station, Yurakucho Station, Nijubashimae Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.7
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
