Freshly Grilled Unagi - A Great Find in Kyoto

Up until now, I have not been to Japan for a holiday so when the timing was right, our family planned to visit Tokyo and Kyoto. When we visited the Fushimi-inari Shrine in Kyoto, we were pleasantly surprised when we saw a restaurant serving unagi - sea eel.

We were actually looking for a place for breakfast when we chanced upon this restaurant just outside the entrance to the shrine. As we walked towards the restaurant, there was no mistaking the smell of grilled unagi… what a smell! And lo and behold, I saw the chef grilling the eel over an open grill.

Firstly, we found our breakfast place and secondly, I found an authentic unagi restaurant! The restaurant has rules! Yes, rules! Firstly, they do not do take out…

Secondly, they do not encourage sharing of food…

I guess the fact that they are a small restaurant means they cannot afford to have a group come in and order one bowl to share. This is the restaurant - although there is a second level (we did not make it to the top).

So order one for each we did…

While the family was having their breakfast, I was busy finding out how they do it. The chef was behind his grill, preparing the eels to be skewered. First he has a bucket full of eels pre-cleaned.

There was a bucket of eel on the side and he would place three eels on the wooden block and with his deft hands measure and skewer the eels from head to tail.

The first skewers start from the head…

Completed skewers are placed into a plastic tray and I suppose to be stored in the refrigerator. But this was early March in Kyoto and the day time temperature was around 2-4 degrees celsius - natural fridge!

Then onto the grill it goes! Some other restaurants steam the unagi before grilling them to rid the eel of the fats. But this one was straight unto the grill.

You wait for the unagi to be grilled and the aroma is just wonderful!

We were there on two separate occasions and witnesses how they were grilling the eel. After having grilled it for awhile, the blanch the unagi with the sauce…

Then back onto the grill…

And soon enough, the unagi was ready…

And this was our reward for waiting! The unagi fresh from the grill! From head to tail.

My son Timothy remarked as he took the first bite - nothing like what we have in Singapore. This has quality written all over it! Soft but firm to the bite and the sauce is not overpowering. Not too sweet that it masks the unagi flesh but just right to compliment the eel. What a meal!

It was pure bliss - to say the least. Freshly grilled unagi - so it was really justified that we went there twice. Outside the restaurant, there was a globe where one can pin the country where they come from.

The freshly grilled unagi are displayed and sold as is - sauce and all. And it was brisk business too.

What I understand from my Japanese friend is that it is rather unusual to serve unagi with the head on - “high class” unagi restaurants typically remove the head before they serve the eel. But high class or not, this was one good unagi meal!

Another look at the restaurant.