Una Una: Cheapest authentic Unagi Hitsumabushi at only $9.80
About this promotion
There aren’t many places in Singapore where you can get solid and authentic Japanese food without breaking the bank in Singapore. Sure there are tons of popular chirashidon spots all around but not many places can beat the value of Una Una.
Singapore has plenty of great Japanese food, ranging from your typical ramen stalls to high-class sushi omakase restaurants. But there’s one particular dish that is surprisingly popular — Japanese eel. We’ve even got unagi specialists like Man Man getting on the Michelin Guide.
One thing about unagi in Singapore however, is that it’s rather expensive. It costs around S$30 and above to get a set of unagi histumabushi at restaurants like Man Man. But at Una Una? You can get a set for an eye-popping S$9.80.
Yes, that’s way below the market rate. Granted, S$9.80 gets you Una Una’s small serving of the histumabushi but their regular bowl just costs S$14.80 too. Not to mention you can load up on the eel with a double portion at just S$19.80.
If Una Una is your first time trying an unagi histumabushi, it differs from your regular unagi don in some ways. You get condiments like spring onions, wasabi, and a jug of dashi broth, along with a separate bowl that you can use to portion out rice and eel to mix with the condiments however you like.
Una Una’s unagi is nicely grilled — it’s succulent and tender with a nice char and a glistening layer of glaze over the entire slab of eel. It’s just right and not too sweet and while it can’t compare to the top-range unagi, it’s worth it for the price.
You can also mix some dashi broth inside if you’re not a fan of the glaze to wash it off and give it a crisper and lighter profile, while also adding some spring onions crunch or wasabi sharpness to your liking.
Besides the signature unagi histumabushi, you can also get a nice variety of other affordable Japanese dishes at Una Una ranging from Salmon Sashimi (S$10.80/5pcs) to Grilled Salmon With Mentaiko (S$15.80) and the smoky Hokkaido Grilled Squid (S$15.80).
If you like grilled squid, you can’t go wrong with their bouncy and juicy rendition while there’s also ginger and mayo to help soften the heavy flavours a notch.