Uya Review: New Unagi Restaurant In Wheelock Place That Can Rival Man Man

My orders whenever I’m dining at a Japanese restaurants are always the same: a sashimi platter, mixed tempura, and a plate of grilled unagi. And while I’ve always been dying to try the legendary Man Man , I never could muster up the will to stand in line. Which is why Uya , the latest unagi restaurant to open in Singapore, got my attention.

Not only are their eels prepared similarly to the #OG unagi restaurant along Keong Saik, they also do up a selection of standard Japanese fare, meaning I never have to order unagi only. Food at Uya Unagi is, of course, the prized component at Uya, and their signature dish is the Hitsumabushi ($35++ for medium, $48++ for large) .

We got the large to share, and we were served a long bamboo box filled with short-grain Japanese rice and an entire piece of chopped-up eel boasting a lustrous glaze. Now, those new to the unagi scene might not know this, but hitsumabushi is a famous Nagoya speciality, which invites you to enjoy the eel in three different ways – with some seaweed, wasabi and chives, ochazuke-style, or simply on its own.

The taste of the first method reminded me of sushi and was nothing to shout about. While the ochazuke version, which saw us portioning our rice and unagi into a small bowl before pouring some light bonito-rich broth over, evoked a sense of comfort and reminded me of the homey fish porridge my mom used to make when I retreated sick. Unlike most places, where you are asked to try the rice and eel without any toppings, the manager of Uya recommended us to sprinkle some shichimi (Japanese spice mixture) and gaban over.

The latter is a Japanese pepper that’s highlighted by a slight floral aroma, which really mellowed down the robust flavour of the unagi and gave it a delicate touch. Now, I’m also a sucker for quality produce and was pleased to find out that Uya works together with a fourth-generation eel wholesaler in Japan and ships the farm-bred eels over twice a week.

The Healthy Unagi Rice Bowl ($29++) called out to me with its toppings of eel, vegetables, and sous vide egg. Good quality beef is something I can never say no to, so I decided to go wild and give their Rare Wagyu Rice Bowl ($27++) a try instead of settling for my safe choices of Sashimi Rice Bowl ($23++) and Tempura Rice Bowl ($23++) .

Disappointment was not on the menu for this dish, and I would definitely come back here again for the mountain of buttery beef strips. What really pulled the dish together was the velvety poached egg, which added a decadent creaminess to the dish, along with the pieces of fried garlic.

I understand that at Man Man you can watch the entire preparation process, so I really appreciate how I don’t have to face the chefs slaughtering the eels when I’m dining here, as I find it really gruesome. Instead, everything is done at the back of the kitchen, so those with soft hearts won’t have to face the guilt while eating.

Nonetheless, if you still want to see a bit of action, you will be pleased to know you can catch the chef grilling up the eel through a glass window panel; only the gutting of the eel is not for show. Sure, I’ve not tried Man Man, but I daresay the stylish ambience here and the fact that I can make a reservation puts Uya in the lead. The only bummer is that it’s a little on the pricey side, and I don’t see myself forking out more than $30 for a bowl of unagi or beef bowl, even if their rice sets do come with a side of miso soup with yuzu, salad, and pickles.