If your idea of comfort food involves smoky grilled unagi, fluffy Japanese rice and plenty of sweet-savoury tare, here’s one new opening worth making room for.
After debuting at Shaw Centre last year, MICHELIN Selected Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa has opened its second Singapore restaurant at Raffles City Singapore (#B1-75).
And there’s an extra reason to visit the new outlet early: a rather impressive Unagi Mountain (S$88++), available exclusively at Raffles City Singapore from 1 to 31 October 2026.
Yes, It Really Is a Mountain of Unagi!
If one whole eel isn’t quite enough, how about two?
Created specially for the Raffles City opening, the Unagi Mountain arrives with two whole kabayaki unagi dramatically stacked over warm rice. It is unapologetically indulgent, wonderfully over-the-top and, importantly, made for sharing.
But once the initial “wow” moment passes, it is the unagi itself that keeps you going back for another piece.
Grilled to order over binchotan charcoal, the eel has that satisfying contrast we want from good unagi: a lightly crisp and beautifully caramelised exterior, with soft, succulent flesh underneath. There’s a gentle smokiness from the charcoal too, while the restaurant’s house tare adds sweetness and savouriness without completely overwhelming the natural richness of the eel.
And don’t overlook the rice underneath. The restaurant uses Koshihikari rice from Uonuma in Niigata Prefecture, prized for its sweetness and aroma. Once it starts soaking up all that tare and the juices from the grilled eel… well, leaving rice behind becomes surprisingly difficult.
At S$88++, the Unagi Mountain isn’t exactly an everyday lunch, but split between a few hungry friends, it makes for a pretty satisfying centrepiece — and one that you can only get at this outlet during October.
For the Purists, Go Straight for the Kabayaki Ippon Jyu
If you would rather give one beautifully grilled eel your full attention, the Kabayaki Ippon Jyu Set (S$48++) remains our pick for experiencing what Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa does best.
A whole premium eel is butterflied and grilled over binchotan charcoal before being brushed with the brand’s closely guarded tare sauce. The result is simple on paper, but a lot is going on in every bite — smoky, sweet, savoury and fatty, with crisp edges giving way to juicy flesh.
Even its presentation feels considered. The eel is served in handcrafted minoyaki tableware from Gifu Prefecture, turning what could simply be “eel and rice” into something that feels a little more special.
This is the kind of dish where you probably won’t feel the need to add much else. A bite of unagi, a mouthful of rice, repeat.
Or Make It Three Meals in One
For something a little more interactive, there’s the Hitsumabushi Set (S$37++), a Nagoya classic and another easy recommendation for first-timers. The fun lies in eating it three different ways.
Start with the grilled unagi and rice on their own to appreciate the smoky richness of the eel. For your second portion, add wasabi, seaweed and spring onion for extra freshness and bite. Then save the final portion for dashi, pouring the warm broth over everything to turn it into comforting ochazuke.
We particularly like how the experience changes as you go. What starts rich and smoky gradually becomes lighter and more soothing, so you never really get tired of the unagi even towards the end of the meal.
There’s a Reason They Take Their Eel So Seriously
Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa may have only been established as a restaurant brand in 2017, but its relationship with eel goes back much further.
The brand traces its roots to Nakasho Shoten, an unagi wholesaler founded in Japan in 1932. Fourth-generation owner Kikukawa Yuhei eventually turned that family expertise into Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa, and the new Raffles City restaurant happens to mark its 50th outlet worldwide.
Live unagi is selected according to qualities such as size and thickness, prepared by skilled chefs and grilled only upon order over intensely hot binchotan charcoal. The technique helps render the fat while crisping the surface, without drying out the delicate flesh inside.
It explains why the best bites here feel simultaneously crisp, smoky and almost melt-in-the-mouth.
Singapore certainly isn’t short of places for unagi, but Unagi Yondaime Kikukawa makes a convincing case for another visit — especially if you love your eel thick, smoky, caramelised and generously portioned.
Click here to discover more delicious food options in Singapore.
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