Man Man Japanese
Unagi Restaurant was strongly recommended by two foodie friends and i was
actually keen to check it out until i saw the horrifying video
posted by ieatishootipost!
By the time my
nerves were soothed (a few months later), Man Man was already placed under 'Bib
Gourmand' by the highly acclaimed Michelin guide! Although it wasn't equivalent
to a star rating, the news still attracted a lot of attention from food-crazy
Singaporeans.
I arrived at 6.00
pm and the queue was already 50-person long. Half an hour later, our spot moved
just a few feet forward and the line from the restaurant's main door passed more
than the 100-person mark!
We can only thank
our lucky stars that it didn't rain as there's no shelter! The weather that day
was actually pretty good with a light breeze and we didn't have to face the
glare from the setting sun.
Would you want to
guess how long were we in the queue? Two hours; from the daylight to moonlight!
Kudos to both my companions who don't take kindly to queues yet accompanied me
for this eating expedition even though they already had Man Man
before!
First thing to
greet us when we entered - the tanks that housed the high quality freshwater
eels imported from the Mikawa Isshiki region in Japan! Frankly, i don't wish to
see that as it would make me recall the ieatishootipost
video.....
Got seating at a
good location as it would enable me to take a photograph that would allow you to
gauge the size of the restaurant; i didn't count as i was too hungry but from
the picture, i guess it can seat around 40 persons?
Those who wish to
see the 'action' can consider the counter seats; you would see the entire
process from killing, grilling and finally, the finished product. Not for the
faint-hearted.
As mentioned in
the subject, Man Man is brought to us by Chef Teppei Yamashita; the same man who
gave us what's rumoured to be the cheapest omakase in Singapore. We
even bumped into one of their staff members who were from Teppei; the lady in
photo number 4 from here!
Order was taken
before you enter the restaurant and it's now a waiting game while sipping the
free flow ice tea to momentarily fool my hungry tummy! It didn't help the hunger
when the entire atmosphere was enveloped in the smoky aroma of grilled unagi;
smelt like bak kwa in my honest opinion.
Large
Hitsumabushi
It was a short
yet agonizing wait of about five minutes; nevertheless, my large hitsumabushi
was finally here with a high anticipation to reveal the covered
treasures.
There were so
much unagi but my friends advised against ordering the usual hitsumabushi unless
you are a very small eater. I am not considered a small eater even though i
don't like taking a lot of carbohydrates. *eyeing the bed of rice with
suspicion*
A real wasabi
stem that you can grate yourself for the spicy, numbing paste. You might wonder
what's the role for the wasabi stem, the chopped up seaweed and the spring
onions. The answer shall be given soon.
Three ways to
enjoy hitsumabushi (which differs from our typical unagi don) and I share them
in this blog; (1) eat it as it is in the typical unagi don style, (2) eat it
with wasabi, seaweed and spring onion and (3) eat it with dashi
broth.
First
Way - Eat It Normally
Take a quarter
section of the don, place it in the smaller bowl provided and eat it the way you
would for any unagi don. I put in a spoonful into my mouth and it was
mind-boggling delicious; what have i been eating all this while?! The glazed,
caramelised skin featured a lightly charred crisp that's irresistible and the
whole package was literally amazing bakwa in way more tenderer, meatier
format!
Second
Way - Add Wasabi & Others
I couldn't wait
to try the second way in case another surprise was waiting for me. Take another
quarter section, place it in the now-empty bowl and add in the
necessary.
By the way,
please do not be over-confident by dumping everything into the bowl! Do it
according to your own comfort level; for example, if you are not a wasabi lover,
just grate a bit will do.
Mix them up and
be intrigued by the interesting flavors that complemented the unagi; the taste
of the sea from seaweed, the spiciness from the dash of grated wasabi and the
freshness from the spring onions. Pretty good although if i have my way, first
way is still the preferred option.
Third
Way - The Soup Form
Who would have
thought that unagi don can be eaten in such a way?! By itself, the dashi broth
wasn't quite appetising and i thought this method would be a waste of the
exquisite unagi! Oh well, never try, never know; a quarter section into the
small bowl again and this time, pour the dashi broth from the tea pot that was
served together with the rest.
I can fully
understand why my friend likes this way so much; by combining them, there was an
additional sweetness that's freakish addictive! It's like drinking a tasty bowl
of home-cooked soup that's warming to both the tummy, and the
heart!
Three quarters
had been used and the decision to use the last section would be your call. Out
of the three ways that i had shared; which one entices you the
most?
My decision: the
third way of course!
Shirayaki
Unglazed grilled
unagi seasoned with just salt - without the signature sauce, this didn't create
any impact and for the price, we should have ordered the normal
hitsumabushi.
Tried dipping it
in the soy sauce and no, it didn't improve. Since it was quite pricey, we
die-die also must eat up everything! Food waster, we are not; except when it
comes to carbohydrates.
It was only when
we cleaned up everything that i took a closer look at the three tea-pots next to
me; sweet sauce, spicy sauce and unagi sauce. Bloody, i should have poured any
of them onto the shirayaki to enhance its palatability!
=====
Location
1
Keong Saik Road, #01-01,
Singapore
089109
Map
As
above.
Operating
Hours
Mondays
to Saturdays (Lunch) - 11.30 am to 2.30 pm
Mondays
to Saturdays (Dinner) - 6.00 pm to 10.00 pm
Closed
on Sundays
Menu
As
above
Pricing
Large
Hitsumabushi - S$35.80
Shirayaki
- S$24.80
(Subject
to GST, No Service Charge)
Additional
Information
Those
who couldn't wait in line could opt for takeaway. However, i am unsure if you
could still eat it in the three ways as described above.
Want
to know what you have been eating? You may refer to the glass tank that's
opposite the cashier counter. Hm... i thought the eels we had were of a
different colour.
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