Just a mere mention of grilled unagi (freshwater eels) and most minds would naturally gravitate towards the colossally popular, Michelin Bib Gourmand winner, Man Man Unagi Japanese Restaurant. But that is soon to change especially with the opening of Uya at Wheelock Place.

Striving to keep prices affordable and the quality of their food as true to Japanese traditional unagi cuisine as possible, all of Uya’s eels are meticulously selected to ensure the ideal quality that best matches their house-made tare (sauce) and fresh shipments from both Taiwan and Japan are flown in weekly.

Smoky, sticky and grilled to utmost perfection, grilled unagi is a hard dish to dislike, and we are all extremely stoked to try Uya’s prized dish to see if this new Unagi restaurant truly walks the talk and can prove itself to be a worthy competitor to it’s Michelin Bib Gourmand-winning counterpart.

Uya was set up in partnership with the fourth-generation owner of an eel wholesaler in Japan and is set to make waves in Singapore. The restaurant is helmed by a Japanese head chef that boasts more than a decade’s worth of experience cooking in unagi restaurants in Nagoya.

The excellent quality of their unagi is evident from the creamy and delicate flesh and as such, the fish is given the respect it deserves, that is, a simple application of their tare and masterfully grilled over a charcoal grill.

Their tare is made using a sauce base that carries with it, a family secret that has been passed down from over 4 generations.

There are a few ways the chefs at Uya prepare their unagi. You can opt to experience their unagi in the form of the traditional Hitsumabushi that comprises chopped up unagi eaten 4 ways or the Healthy Unadon that comprises chopped up unagi, assorted vegetables, pickles and sous vide egg.

Once you decide on your order, the live eels undergo cutting, skewering, an initial grilling process without sauce known as shirayaki and a final grilling known as kabayaki where the sauce is applied.

Uya
501 Orchard Road, #02-15/16
Wheelock Place
Singapore 238880
Tel: +65 6732 1096
Sun to Thu: 12pm – 2.30pm, 6pm – 9.30pm
Fri & Sat: 12pm – 2.30pm, 6pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

*All photos are credited to Uya Singapore.

Much has been said about Chikuwa Tei at Mohamed Sultan road, the Japanese restaurant opened by the former Chef of Wasabi Tei at Far East Plaza.

From what I heard, the chef used to be a food nazi when he was at the previous Japanese restaurant. Although he had a nasty reputation, the place was extremely popular and there were always long queues. That said, I did not visit Wasabei Tei when he was there, so I wouldn’t know how it was like. I can assure you though, the chef was perfectly fine when we went there for dinner a few weeks ago.

Chikuwa Tei has 18 bento sets on the menu to choose from, and the price range from $12 for the more affordable Mackerel set to $25 for their popular Chirashi Sushi set.

My dining companion went for her favourite Grilled Eel set ($20) and it was wonderful. The sight of the huge slice of grilled unagi was enough to get a ‘wow‘ from us.

I like the Ten Cha Soba set ($12) – which you see in the first picture. Deep-fried tempura with cold green noodles, very simple yet so satisfying.

Salmon Sashimi ($10 for 5 slices). Om nom nom nom.

From the Makimono menu, we eyed the Avocado & Crab Maki ($8) and Deep-fried prawn ($12), but in the end we decided to share the Tuna Belly & Spring Onion ($12).

Dessert is probably Chikuwa Tei’s weakest link as they only have green tea and matcha ice cream. It doesn’t really matter as we were full anyway. I wouldn’t say no to another serving of salmon sashimi though.

Chikuwa Tei is a place that I will go back again when I am craving for Japanese food. The offerings are generally good, and the prices for the bento set and ala carte menu are very reasonable. For those of you who have been to Chikuwa Tei, En Japanese Dining Bar across the street, has a 50% promotion off Sushi and Sashimi from 6pm – 8pm daily.

For more recommendations, please read my list of best Japanese restaurants in Singapore

Singapore Food Blog Review
Chikuwa Tei
9 Mohamed Sultan Road #01-01
Tel: +65 6738 9395
Daily: 11.30am – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm

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