NHK aired a segment on unagi 3-6 months ago. Stocks are critically low. As JL mentioned, not much was known until recently about its life cycle. Seems no one was paying attention because it was always assumed that stocks were plentiful.
I think there was an issue when farming was considered. Either harvesting the eggs was difficult or the fry were extremely difficult to raise - can’t remember.
A chef (I think he was from the UK but working in Japan) was on a segment. He has been working in developing imitation unagi out of soy. Evidently, although the texture isn’t quite the same, the flavor was pretty much spot on.
i like oh-toro, though now that i think about it, when it’s served to me (i have an informal omakase understanding with my favorite chefs), it’s never straight oh-toro - i might get the scrapings off the inside of the skin, mixed with nagaimo, a little bit of shredded nori and a behind-the-counter shoyu mixture as a comped appetizer, or he’ll sear it to cook off some of the fat and adjust the taste and texture, or he’ll slice it across the grain so it has the chewy striations for texture. when he does take the time to cut out those striations, he’ll grill them separately and serve them with a little ponzu. fish bacon for a better way of describing it.
oh-toro is like wagyu beef, really rich, but more than about 6 oz and you hit critical mass. even then, you’re still better off bringing it back to an equilibrium with a bit of salt, acid and spice vs. eating it otherwise unadulterated. like adding yuzu-kosho to seared salmon belly. overall, like asian cuisine in general, sushi is about balance, not just in each plating, but overall as a meal.
as for unagi, i’ve always preferred anago, partly for the smokiness of the sauce which told me that the chef did the cleaning himself since he then had the skeleton to grill to add to sauce, partly because the chef managed to achieve an almost fluffy texture i’ve not had with other chefs.
i liked unagi the movie. same guy who did tampopo and shall we dance.
The Unagi Hitsumabushi is $22. This is in downtown Palo Alto, and prices on the average are on the high side. Tons of foot traffic, so expect a wait unless you make a reservation. Compared to many Japanese restaurants in the area that also do set courses (or try to), Yayoi is much much more solid in execution and remarkable. Some extra ultra thin nori shreds on the side would have been great for this. I forgot to add sansho to my “mix” for the picture, that really does make a world of difference with the citrus and spice notes The combination of eel, rice, egg, scallion, wasabi, sansho, dashi…evokes a killer feeling of comfort on top of the deliciousness, almost like a chazuke but different.
Guessing they used frozen unagi kabayaki packets from China, but the execution overall was solid enough that I deem this fit for Japanese expat tastes (at least the ones living in SF Bay Area ).
Yes they have other set meals that are also quite delicious.
Mitsuwa is selling hitsumabushi eel bowls from 7/29 - 7/31 as part of their Nagoya Fair. They’re also offering regular and premium eel bentos from 7/28 - 7/31.
Mitsuwa - Torrance Store
21515 S. Western Avenue
Torrance, CA 90501
(310) 782-0335
Daily 9:00am – 9:00pm
Errrra… you didn’t mention the Nagoya-style tebasaki!
Might as well grab some wings from Yamachan while visiting the Torrance Mitsuwa.
Same weekend as the eel.
Much like Kyochon/Korean fried chicken wings: second joint and wingtip, no ‘drumstick’, marinated (think karaage), double fried, no batter. The Nagoya version is traditionally sauced with a japanese tare, not the firey Korean version. I think the vendor doing the pop-up at Mitsuwa (Sekai No Yamachan) serves them dry, dusted with salt and pepper.
These vendor demos are a treat. Kudos to Mitsuwa for putting them on every year. (Anyone remember the Sapporo ramen event?)
You’re not going to get the best Nagoya Tebasaki at a pop-up version of a “fast-casual” chain-izakaya but this is about trying something new and having some fun on the weekend.