Fork & Chopstick

Writing and photography by Jenni & Eric Lee Man Man

Top photo: Hitsumabushi set

Highlighting off the beaten path, heritage, or just plain fun chomping grounds

Japanese Unagi Restaurant

1 Keong Saik Road #01-01, Singapore 089109

One signal that people are really passionate about a cuisine is that restaurants that specialize in a single dish can flourish. Singapore’s embrace of Japanese food means that Sushi restaurants are ubiquitous here. An even more notable standout, Bib Gourmand recipient Man Man Unagi Restaurant features a quintessential Japanese dish, unagi or grilled eel, Nagoya style.

Saturday lunch chomp

To unfamiliar palates, there may be a general squeamishness regarding eel, but when prepared well it is delicious! In the case of Man Man, their eels are imported live from Japan. Man Man’s preparation brings the diner a delicate, juicy and slightly smoky fillet of eel over rice with traditional kabayaki sauce (think barbeque sauce). Traditionally, eel comes served in a bowl or a bento box over rice, aiming for the ideal balance of rice and eel with each bite. The Hitsumabushi set ($35++) is popular. Man Man offers both the traditional route and also the option of serving it ochazuke style by pouring house-brewed dashi broth over the rice and eel and garnishing with fresh wasabi. The fresh wasabi root for each diner is a special touch, and you will appreciate the difference in flavor instead of the stuff in a tube.

Ambience/Decor

You can’t miss seeing a huge tank of eels at the entrance. We relish the counter seats where we can watch the entire process from tank to grill to plate. Some may not appreciate seeing an eel killed and filleted, but its freshness is guaranteed.

Grilling Eel

Rant and Rave

Get there early since the queue can get quite long. The space is small and a dining time limit is set, so no lingering over a meal. Service is efficient and swift, and can feel rushed. Man Man’s outlet at DUO has less ambience and does not feature the display of killing of live eels (Is that a rant or is that a rave?)

What Others Are Saying

4.5 out of 5 stars on Google & rated 9 out of 10 on Eatbook. “Food was great and the experience of having fresh wasabi was very interesting,” “The unagi is really soft and tender!” “the staff was attentive and friendly,”

Post-Meal

Looking for something sweet? Want to walk over to Neil Road for a pandan shake, perhaps? The Cantonment Area is filled with quaint shophouses and historical buildings, all in the shadow of the Pinnacle HDB tower. Shake Shack now occupies what was the first Tiger Balm factory in Singapore, where they’ve managed to fit a modern burger joint into a Neoclassical building. Please do check out the tiger mural inside, which captures the spirit of this heritage building, as you enjoy the local flavor of the pandan shake!

Happy Chomping!

Jenni & Eric Lee live to eat and explore local eateries and bars. Originally from New York, they have lived in Singapore since 2012.

Jenni and Eric Lee