A note on the words: unaju is freshwater eel grilled with a savory-sweet tare sauce and laid over rice in a lacquered box. The grades run ume (plum, the entry tier), take (bamboo), matsu (pine), toku (special) and tokujo (top). At most shops the grades differ only in portion; here the proprietress says the tokujo uses eel grown six years. Kimosui is a clear broth made with eel liver, and sansho is an aromatic Japanese pepper with a gentle numbing kick.
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Unagiya on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. Having a bit of free time on my hands, I found out about a famous unagi (eel) restaurant in Higashi-Nagasaki and booked a lunch reservation! Since I was able to reserve for the earliest slot at 11:30, I went right away. An eel specialist where you can make reservations is fantastic! Besides, with the current heat, waiting outside for hours is pretty grueling, ha. Arriving on time and stepping inside…
As soon as I opened the door, a chef with a stern look caught my eye! Oh, I thought, but it turned out he was just keeping a close eye on the grilling, ha.
After that, I was shown to a seat and waited a short while. Apparently they usually butcher and grill the eel only after receiving an order, but with a reservation it seems they time everything to your arrival, so the food was brought out shortly after sitting down. So comfortable!
Unaju ume, the entry grade — 3,000 yen
Unaju take — 3,500 yen
Unaju matsu — 4,000 yen
Unaju toku — 4,500 yen
Unaju tokujo — 6,500 yen
When it comes to unaju, presentation matters, so it just had to be tokujo (special top-grade)! And so I chose tokujo.
Looking back, I realized kimosui (eel liver soup) is a separate order. Maybe I should have gone with that.
To start, the oshinko (pickles) and osuimono (clear soup) made their appearance.
These pickles have a wonderfully mild saltiness and are delicious!
The clear soup had harusame (glass noodles) and kamaboko (fish cake) in it.
At this restaurant, the sansho pepper comes in individual packets, which looks very easy to use.
And then, at last, the unaju made its grand entrance.
Opening the lid!!!
Whoaaa! It looks so good. Unaju really doesn’t have the proper presence unless the eel is laid out so thickly you can’t even see the rice!
Taking an immediate bite…
Whoa, what is this eel? It is thick, plump, and bursting with rich juices.
Yet it is not heavy at all, just delicious. It is thick enough to make me think I might never have had eel this fluffy and thick before.
Look at this thickness. According to what the proprietress told me, sourcing eels of this caliber on a regular basis is extraordinarily difficult. While unaju usually just varies in portion size between regular and tokujo, the tokujo here is said to use six-year-old eels, and eel grown that mature is said to be rarely found anywhere else. Well, I completely agree. In truth, this was the first time I had ever tasted eel so thick and fluffy.
The tare sauce is fairly light, likely intended so that guests can fully enjoy the flavor of the eel itself.
I thought a crisp, light sauce was the perfect match for eel this thick and packed with savor.
Even though it was quite substantial, I finished it in no time.
Honestly, this eel is completely different from anything else. Wonderfully thick and fluffy. And far from turning bland, it was tightly packed with deep flavor and delicious richness. It paired brilliantly with the crisp sauce. Discovering that an unagi specialist like this exists was quite an education. Plus, the staff had that genuine craftsman vibe and looked really cool. Definitely a place I want to visit again!
For days when you can’t make it out to Higashi-Nagasaki, 16 of Tokyo’s finest eel restaurants are rounded up together. If you are looking for a spot to visit on the Midsummer Day of the Ox — when eel is traditionally eaten in Japan — that is the place to look.
Unagiya (Unagi / Higashi-nagasaki Station, Ochiai-minami-nagasaki Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★★☆ 4.0
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
