Unadon double ($14.50++ each)!
Tanjong Pagar Japanese unadon for two: whole grilled unagi glazed in tare over sushi rice, with eggs on the side. $14.50++ each.
Lunch with BB at a Tanjong Pagar Japanese spot: twin unadon, $14.50++ each. π
What was on the table:
- Two red-lacquer bowls of unadon: a grilled unagi fillet (sliced into segments) glazed with the dark tare, over white sushi rice, with the tare drizzled down into the rice
- Eggs on the side
Unadon (ι°»δΈΌ) is the grilled-eel rice bowl, and the kabayaki preparation is the craft: the eel is butterflied, steamed to render fat and soften the flesh, then grilled while being brushed repeatedly with a tare of soy, mirin, sake and sugar, building up the glossy dark lacquer. Done right, the eel is crisp-edged outside, custardy-soft inside, and the tare drips into the rice so even the grains carry the flavour.
The char is the test: a good unadon has the eel grilled until the tare caramelises and the edges take a slight char, adding a smoky depth to the sweet-savoury glaze. The fillets here had that proper char-and-tare balance, the eel soft beneath.
The mid-tier framing: this is not the $30+ specialist unagi restaurant with the live-eel, charcoal-grilled treatment, but a solid, affordable unadon. At $14.50++, it is the everyday version, the kind that lets you have unagi as a regular lunch rather than a once-a-year splurge, and the execution was good for the price.
The sushi rice base (rather than plain rice) is the nicer touch, lightly seasoned, holding the tare drippings, the proper foundation for an eel bowl.
At $14.50++ each for a twin unadon date, this is fair mid-tier Japanese value.
Overall: 4.2 / 5. πππΌ The charred tare-glazed eel over the sushi rice was the standout. Affordable unagi date, would re-order.
