Unagi don ($9.80)!
Thursday lunch — unagi don $9.80. Grilled freshwater eel over rice. Affordable Japanese unagi format.
Thursday lunch — unagi don at $9.80. The grilled freshwater eel over rice at the affordable Japanese chain pricing.
We ordered:
- Unagi don — $9.80
Unagi don (鰻丼) is the Japanese rice bowl topped with grilled freshwater eel (unagi). The eel is typically prepared kabayaki-style — split, butterflied, skewered, and grilled while being repeatedly brushed with a sweet-soy tare sauce until the surface develops a lacquered glaze.
The unagi was the headline. Grilled with the proper kabayaki technique — crispy lacquered top with the dark amber sauce coating, tender white flesh underneath, sliced into bite-sized pieces and arranged over the rice. The smoky-sweet aroma comes off the bowl from the grilled sauce.
At $9.80 this is the budget-tier unagi don pricing. Premium unagi don at sit-down Japanese restaurants runs $25-40 (the higher prices reflecting the rising cost of Japanese-sourced unagi). The $9.80 tier suggests a Chinese-farmed or Vietnamese-farmed unagi rather than the premium Japanese-sourced version.
The Chinese/Vietnamese-farmed unagi differs from the Japanese-sourced premium in flavour profile — slightly less complex, less concentrated fat layer, but still recognisable as unagi. For the price point, the farmed unagi delivers most of the unagi-don eating experience at a fraction of the cost.
Short-grain rice underneath. The kabayaki sauce drizzle from the unagi soaks into the top layer of the rice, giving it the signature glaze that defines unagi don.
A small ramekin of additional kabayaki sauce came on the side, for drizzling over the rice as you eat.
Standard accompaniments: chopped scallion, sometimes a small wedge of pickled ginger, a sheet of nori. Wasabi optional.
A small bowl of miso soup or clear soup might have come with the set.
At $9.80 for the unagi don this is the budget-tier pricing. Substantial enough for a lunch slot, with the unagi providing enough flavour to satisfy without committing to the higher-tier Japanese restaurant pricing.
The unagi don is the right Japanese lunch option when you want the unagi experience without the premium-tier cost. The budget unagi don format at $9-12 has expanded across Singapore food courts and casual restaurants through 2020.
Overall: 4 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Solid budget unagi don — would re-order at this price point.
