Maehara

Eel shabu-shabu offers a different way to enjoy eel from the familiar kabayaki or unaju. At Maehara, options include an eel shabu-shabu course and the eel shabu-kaiseki meals “Katsura” and “Uji”, featuring eel from Mikawa. One diner who ordered the lunch shabu-kaiseki remembered the brief blanching time and the combination of eel liver, skin and bones with grated daikon. They also enjoyed choosing between grated-daikon ponzu and dashi with yuzu kosho. Alongside the texture of the eel, the different dipping options make the meal engaging.

For a classic eel meal, you can choose the size of your unaju. At lunch, options include “Mai”, with half an eel; “Taka”, with 3/4 of an eel; and “Ryo”, with 1 eel. Diners have described the Kanto-style eel as tender and fluffy after steaming, and praised how well it goes with rice infused with the sauce.

If you want to compare different preparations, the lunch set “Maehara [Genpei]” pairs half a portion each of kabayaki and shirayaki, or grilled eel without sauce. One diner noted that shirayaki is enjoyable with wasabi or salt, offering a different experience from kabayaki. There is also a lunch-only kaiseki meal that moves through several eel dishes, including eel omelette, uzaku and a small eel rice bowl—a way to explore different preparations over the course of lunch.