Get ready to engage your senses at Unkai Sushi as it brings you on an intimate epicurean experience steeped in age-old Japanese tradition. Helmed by Chef Eugene Lam, the cozy 30-seater restaurant regales gourmands with omakase, sashimi, and sushi offerings as well as comforting rice bowls that celebrate seasonal ingredients at the peak of their freshness. Each dish is carefully curated by Chef Eugene’s keen understanding of ingredients and the seasons that make them.
Chef Eugene pairs his love for food with his ever-expanding skills in the kitchen, perfected over 12 years of practice. His impressive track record includes stints at prestigious restaurants such as Hide Yamamoto, Ashino, and Sushi Mieda, where he trained as a sushi and kitchen chef. Each presentation also showcases his creative eye for food plating.
Omakase that leads the way
The omakase menu at Unkai Sushi offers three options, starting at prices of $88++. All three feature appetizers, sushi, soup, and dessert, accompanied by variations of grilled dishes, sashimi, handroll, and hot dish rotate depending on the menu option. Tuck into ingredients specially air-flown from Japan, each carefully preened, pruned, and presented by the skilled hands of Chef Eugene.
As a principle, Chef Eugene uses only rice from Hokkaido in the making of his menu, preferring two varieties in particular – the nanatsuboshi and yumeipirika. Sweeter, firmer, and stickier than conventional Japanese rice, the prized grains make for superior sushi and rolls that meet Chef Eugene’s attention to detail.
The rice is seasoned in two distinct manners depending on the fish or seafood it is complementing. Rice pairing with white fish is seasoned with white vinegar while rice pairing with red meat and fattier fish gets a dressing of red vinegar to really be able to pull out the flavors of the ingredients.
Try it with Chef Eugene’s special House-Smoked Otoro to really appreciate the taste and texture of fish and rice.
One of the main menu highlights is Chef Eugene’s Magic Bowl, a creation of his own featuring the freshest seasonal ingredients layered atop pearly grains of Japanese rice, seasoned with chef’s secret blend. The Magic Bowl changes its offerings as the seasons' change, so there will always be a surprise in store.
Ala carte of seasonal picks
While the omakase provides the best way to try Chef Eugene’s full repertoire of skills in a full menu, his ala carte options provide bites that make an equally strong representation.
The Signature Unkai Soba ($68) uses only homemade soba imported from Japan, exclusively made by artisanal soba makers for Unkai Sushi. Tossed in a house-made sauce of Chef Eugene’s very own recipe that hints deliciously at a classic wafu sauce and topped with ginger flower, ikura, uni, and caviar, it is a homage to the best ingredients of the sea in their purest form.
The Pork Cheek Bowl ($26) is a hot dish worth trying, with tender as butter Spanish Iberico pork cheek that has been slow-cooked for 12 hours. The Anago Tempura (4pcs $28) is another must-try tempura you’ll be hard to find anywhere else in Singapore being made with premium eel, deep-fried into golden tempura before being finished off with yuzu zest for a touch of brightness.
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