It’s like getting 3 meals for the price of 1.

A bit of background. Prior to trying this unagi (eel) outlet in Nihonbashi for lunch, I had a bowl of maguronegitorodon and gyudon at Tsukiji in the morning and was full to the brim. After that, I headed to Tokyo Tower before lunch.

About 10 mins from Tokyo Tower is a relatively classy unagi restaurant, Honmaru (本丸), located in Nishishinbashi.

Reaching there around 1150am on a Thursday, there was already a queue with 5 people ahead of me. Any later and it would have been more crowded given that there were about 6 others behind me by noon.

After being seated and asking for the english menu (you will realise how important “eigo no menu onegaishimasu” is when travelling in Japan), chose the Nobunaga-don which cost ¥2,500. This is actually the same as the Hitsumabushi which cost ¥4,000, just that you get less unagi.

I actually asked my Japanese friend what the difference between both is, but he was also confused. We settled on the difference being the amount of unagi.

Before going further, to introduce Nagoya style hitsumabushi, eating it is a 3 step process akin to 3 different dishes.

1. Mix the sauce and sansho pepper with the eel and taste the freshness of the eel
2. Add green onions and the seaweed, mix it with the rice to bring out the combined flavour of the eel with the seasonings
3. Pour the broth into the bowl and mix with whatever that is remaining, eating it ochazuke style, similar to rice in soup.

Have to say that the unagi at Honmaru did not disappoint. The freshness of the eel covered with the sauce highlighted the key parts of the meal, so if you would prefer the typical unagi-don, rest assured that this restaurant does it well.

If you order the hitsumabushi, note that the broth for step 3 is served later, and you may need to ask for it. This ensures that the broth is hot which further enhances the flavours of the meal. Plus, having eaten so much before heading there, the ochazuke style really helped to ease the stomach for more food.

Would definitely go back again, but meanwhile, you can also try hitsumabushi in Singapore at these recommended locations.

• Una Una (value for money and decent quality) with outlets at Bugis, Suntec, and Vivocity. Small at S$14.80++ at Bugis and Sunctec / S$16.80++ at Vivocity. Medium at S$ 19.80++ .
• Unagiya Ichinoji (brace for queues but good quality), for S$36.80++
• Kuriya Dining (price is more expensive but quality is there, plus there is a wide variety of other Japanese food options on their menu). Hitsumabushi set is available at S$42.80++ for lunch and S$58.80++ for dinner

Besides unagi, I would recommend conger eel (anago) as well if you see it on your travels, to have something different!