Mid-summer is customarily the time to eat Unagi, or freshwater eel, thanks to the tradition of “Doyo no Ushi no Hi” day which falls in late July this year, so the other day we made a quick stop at Sumiya on Gough Street to enjoy a bowl of Unagi-don at this restaurant specialized in this classic Japanese dish.
This small eatery, with the name literally meant “charcoal house”, sat on a quiet street filled with restaurants and bars, with just a few tables plus a tiny bar area near the entrance. For a restaurant of this size, they actually had a pretty wide menu. Their signature unagi came in the form of two different set menus – either the unagi donburi (which was served in the classic lacquer bowl with rice) or the more elaborate unagi zen, essentially their “tasting menu” with the whole eel served along with a few other dishes. And one could choose either the kabayaki or shirayaki cooking style. And on top of that, there were a few more eel dishes on their a la carte menu, plus other izakaya dishes such as yakitori, kakuni stew or grilled onigiri.
Of course it’s their signature dish we went after. We began with Umaki, the Japanese rolled egg omelette filled with grilled eel, from their a la carte menu, which was perfectly done with a slight brush of soy sauce on top and garnished with the aromatic shiso flower. Then it was the Unagi Kushi with chunks of eels grilled Shirayaki-style, done with just a gentle sprinkle of salt and seasonings and without the sauce. I love the clean flavor, the slightly crisped skin and just the pure hint of smokiness from the charcoal fire.
Next was the unagi-don done kabayaki style, the highlight of the evening. Unlike other ordinary restaurants which smothered the ready-made grilled eel with the overwhelming sweet tare-sauce just before serving. chef here carefully prepared the dish by grilling the fresh freshwater eel on top of charcoal fire with constant basting of the well-balanced tare sauce, so the flavor actually infused into the meat with a hint of smokiness. And I love the bouncy texture of the eel itself too – apparently the ingredients were shipped fresh regularly from Japan – and it was served with generous portion. My only complaint was the eel wasn’t as fatty as I have expected, which is not atypical since eel was probably at its best during autumn/winter, despite the custom habit of this being a summer dish. The presentation was impressive though, with the rice served in the nice traditional lacquer box with ribbons of fried eggs, and on the side, the clear eel liver soup and pickles.
While the menu was on the pricier side and it’s probably not fair to compare to some of the better ones we had in Japan, but with the travel restrictions and all, that’s one of the best we could get in town.
When? August 2 2021
Where? Sumiya, 24 Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Unagi-don Kabayaki Style
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