Una Una

After tasting Man Man when they opened here a couple of years ago, my expectations of grilled unagi rice have gone up a notch and I no longer enjoy those normal Unadon in regular Japanese restaurants where the eel is coated heavily with sweet soy sauce

Since 2019, Una Una has been famed for offering cheap and good Hitsumabushi to unagi lovers from their first outlet in Bugis+. With their newest and 3rd outlet at Vivocity, the restaurant is definitely gaining a foothold in the Unagi Hitsumabushi competition against big names like Man Man, Unagiya Ichinoshi and Uya

The outlet at Vivocity is smaller than the other outlets and longish in layout. With a semi-open concept, shoppers can peer into the restaurant and see the delicious unagi served to their diners. The grill is placed in the restaurant’s centre with a glass window so diners can view their ell being cooked. Even with the extensive grilling, there was hardly any smoke so the environment was pleasant to dine in comfort

A Nagoya speciality cuisine, Hitsumabushi is different from the usual unadon as the eel in Hitsumabushi is sliced up finely and served with wasabi, chopped seaweed, chopped green onions, and tea. The eel in Hitsumabushi is also grilled till crispy so there is a nice charred flavour in the eel in contrast to the softer eel served in a Unadon

After placing my order, I went to the grill station to look at how the eel was being prepared. The eels at Una Una are grilled twice and doubled dipped into the sauce to ensure the end result is crispy on the outside while remaining soft and flaky on the inside. This also allows a nice charred flavour to permeate the skin of the eel which is perfect with the sauce

With prices starting from SGD 9.80 ( XS size) to SGD 25.80 ( Large size), there is a choice for all kinds of appetites. I opted for the medium size at SGD 19.80 which is quite decent for a single diner. The number of eel slices was also very generous as it fully covered the entire bowl of rice. As with any Hitsumabushi sets, the one at Una Una came with pickles, chopped spring onions, wasabi, miso soup as well as a dashi broth in a small teapot container

There are 3 ways to enjoy the Hitsumabushi; first on its own with a scoop of rice topped with a piece of eel. The eel did not disappoint as you can taste the heavenly charred flavours from the crispy skin and the soft juicy flesh of the eel. The rice was perfectly cooked with a soft and fluffy texture which picks up the sauce well.

The 2nd method was to top the rice and eel with wasabi and spring onions and mix them well. The wasabi and spring onions added a light spicy punch to the dish which cuts out the sweetness and grease of the grilled eel. It was a very refreshing flavour which is very different from the first method which is more sinful

Lastly, using the eel and rice and bonito broth provide, make your own Ochazuke which is a porridge of some sort. The dashi broth is very light and savoury which watered down the sweet sauce on the eel. The overall result is a bowl of comforting flavourful rice porridge as the dashi was still very hot. This method of eating is the lightest of the 3 as the dashi gave it a balanced flavour which is neither too sweet nor salty. Personally, I like to eat the Hitsumabushi with the dashi as it is extremely flavourful and light at the same time, I will even add in some pickles for an added vinegary flavour

Overall, the Hitsumabushi at Una Una did not disappoint and for the price point, it will definitely be a restaurant to visit whenever I crave grilled unagi. Although I still feel the live eel at Man Man did make a difference to the texture of the eel itself, the value-for-money price point at Una Una is a worthy substitute

Address: 1 HarbourFront Walk, #02 – 94, Singapore 098585

Operating hours: 11 am to 10 pm