in tokyo, japan (may’24)

most probably tokyo’s most famous unagi shop, one not for the faint of heart with the full nose-to-tail preparation and dining through the lengthy experience here.

as i came with someone who has visited not so long ago, we were allowed the option to sample a side by side of natural and farmed unagi through the meal. the late lunch began with a series of skewers, from liver to fin and tails. quite a unique experience to get such fresh innards and the whole top to bottom experience of unagi. with some from farmed and some natural, as well as some prepped in kanto style (only grilled) vs kansai style (steam then grilled). these skewers indeed had a rich smokey flavour from the grill but was overall enjoyable.

through the servings of skewers, taisho butchers the fresh and very much alive unagis in front of you, in which he takes the live, beating hearts of each to be served and eaten (or shall i say swallowed) within 10mins of their butchering, to demonstrate the freshness of the unagi when served.

we then got a selection of farmed and fresh unagi shiroyaki (no sauce), then followed by a side by side of the 2 types in kabayaki (with tare) and rice. in which, i found the flavours in the farmed stronger, but enjoyed the soft texture of the natural one more. he also serves the tare pre-grilled to sample the difference the natural ‘oiliness’ brings to the tare.

a truly memorable experience that was worthwhile for all unagi lovers, also a good learning experience on the whole process as well as understanding the difference of farmed/natural, kanto vs kansai.
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うなぎコース (¥18,000)
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would revisit: try once
reservations on omakase
price range pp: ¥10,000-¥30,000
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📍うなぎかぶと
location: 2-53-2 ikebukero, tokyo
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