Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa has opened its second Singapore outlet at Raffles City, expanding from its Shaw Centre debut with more than 90 years of experience in sourcing and preparing Japanese eel. The Michelin-approved brand is led by fourth-generation unagi master Kikukawa Yuhei and traces its roots to 1932, when it began as a direct-to-consumer eel wholesaler. Known for selecting larger, thicker eels for their freshness, texture and natural flavour, the restaurant prepares each eel to order before grilling it over binchotan charcoal for crisp skin and tender, richly flavoured meat.
The Kabayaki Ippon Unagi Set ($48++) is the classic choice, featuring a whole grilled eel served over rice with nori, cabbage, pickled ginger and eel liver soup. For a more understated option, the Shirayaki Ippon Unagi Set ($48++) is seasoned simply with salt, allowing the natural flavour and charcoal-grilled aroma of the eel to come through. The restaurant’s signature preparation focuses on achieving a crisp, caramelised exterior while retaining the eel’s soft, fatty flesh and umami-rich flavour, with its traditional tare sauce passed down through generations.
The Raffles City outlet continues Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa’s emphasis on hands-on craftsmanship, with skilled cooks carefully filleting and grilling each eel to order. The brand says selecting the right eel remains central to the process, with freshness, size, thickness and texture determining how it is cooked. Its long-standing expertise, from wholesale sourcing to traditional charcoal grilling, now comes to a second Singapore location for diners looking for a more focused take on unagi.
