Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Eating Japan: Unagi Donburi, Narita


The chef mutters something to me in Japanese. Looking at my puzzled face, he repeats the same. This time, however, he also points the sharp knife in his hand at a bowl of innards in front of him. I look at the bowl and nod with amazement.

The Hearts. They are still beating.

It does not get fresher than this and you can just tell that the chef has been doing this for years. Live freshwater eels, a slit in the head, then pinned to a chopping board, gutted, deboned and then cut. He moves from one eel to another as natural as breathing, stopping only to show tourists like me how fresh the eels are.

It then gets even better. The eels are drenched in a kabayaki sauce and charcoal grilled. Then more sauce, followed by more grilling. Slowly and repeatedly, burning off excess fat which drips onto the hot charcoal.

The taste is perfection. The flesh is moist, tender and melts in my mouth - a perfect contrast to the skin, which is crispy and slightly charred. The kabayaki sauce, having the right level of sweetness and a mild hint of bitterness, is just the way I like it. And, the innards? I think I spotted them in a bowl of soup accompanying the donburi.

A wave of sadness hits me as I leave the restaurant. I will never find anything like this in Sydney.

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4 comment(s):

joey@forkingaroundsydney January 21, 2010 at 8:06 AM  

That is a unique Japanese experience isn't it? I'm not sure I could stand to watch the butchering though. I don't like slimy, slippery things. *Shivers*

Cotton Socks January 21, 2010 at 7:49 PM  

im loving your blog!
i dont eat meat but its still interesting to read.

very cool post about tetsuyas.
sorry that your partner vommited !!
congratulations on your 10th anniversary! that is amazing!
the presentation at tetsuyas looks impressive.
i heard they do a vegetarian degustation. i was thinking of coming up to sydney to try it one day.
thanks for the review!

foodwink January 21, 2010 at 9:35 PM  

Hi joey@FoodiePop - yes, it's a little gruesome but all is forgiven when you have the end product. Ooo .. my love for food extends to slimy, slippery things!

Hi Cotton Socks, thanks so much for your lovely comments. You should definitely Tetsuya's - they do offer vegetarian degustation (see here for review: http://www.theunbearablelightnessofbeinghungry.com/2009/03/tetsuyas-sydney.html)

It'd be a perfect way to celebrate your engagement :) congrats again.

Anonymous August 30, 2011 at 1:05 AM  

hi I'm just wondering whether you still have the name/ address of this unagi place?

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