Behind the Counter at Japanese Unagi Eel Restaurant

this is behind the Canon at a local Japanese unagi eel [Music] restaurant good morning everyone today I'm in Tokyo's KN home Bashi area and I've got a special one for you because I'm taking you behind the counter at a local Japanese unagi eel restaurant this shop goes back five generations so I can't wait to show you what's going on in the kitchen all we have to do now is wait for them to arrive today I'm taking you deep into the kitchen of tekashi Maya a legendary Tokyo unagi spot tucked away in the streets of nihombashi first opened more than 149 years ago in 1875 in kagura zaka this unagi eel specialty restaurant passed down its culinary techniques from generation to generation to perfectly craft their succulent charcoal grilled mouth watering gagi dish dipped in their secret signature sauce which remains unchanged through the years good morning nice to meet you are you usually the first one to come in so the first thing he does is bring in the fresh eels delivered alive early every [Music] morning oh there's more how much do you get every day [Music] wow the unagi freshwater eels are quite Lively don't they swim away can't blame them right before fing he ises them to slow them down a standard preparation technique performed in [Music] Japan the shop uses a special kosui unagi from the shoka prefecture raised in the underground water of its Southern Alps it's known for its Uniquely Sweet Aroma with five times more DHA and EPA when compared to Wild eels breeded in limited quantities it's earned its name in Japan as a phantom eel although eel has been eating for more than 5,000 years in Japan the most common way to eat unagi is by fing it skewering it and then grilling it which gained popularity during the Edo period interestingly in Tokyo heels are cut from the back while in Western regions of Japan they're cut from the stomach the Tokyo technique dating again back to the Edo period the area itself known as a city of samiz viewed cutting the stomach as bad luck as they Associated it with seku an honorable ritualis IC suicide by disembowelment he's the owner oan good morning nice one more worker is here so do you work every day oh what do you do on Sundays you have a favorite spot in Japan yeah for sure oh you have a Japanese wife too how did you do me oh that's a nice story what you must miss her good for [Music] you hey can I ask what you're doing have you worked here for a long time oh cool you're a rookie he actually started at the shop as a part-time worker while he was studying at culinary school learning the basics of Japanese Cuisine and was hired fulltime after he graduated making the Shop's rice is one of his morning tasks as it's a crucial part of their menu as it literally lays the foundation of their unagi dish the shop prepares about 20 kg per day using a special Yume gooi rice from tochigi prefecture known for its stickier and sweeter flavor perfectly complimenting their light unagi [Music] sauce oh hello again so when did you start working here oh did you expect to be the owner so what are you GNA do now oh you don't work in the kitchen so much these days okay as the owner responsible for continuing on this historical restaurant and his family's Legacy he's learned that management is as important as serving their delicious unagi making extra efforts to provide a good working environment for his workers while also creating a positive and welcoming atmosphere for his customers so how old are you jeez you're so young so what do you do when you're not working here [Music] you must love sake do you have a favorite sake from yamanashi oh I'm going to try it so have you ever made your own sakeet oh okay good boy [Music] morning around 9:00 a.m. more chefs arrive and quickly get to work I guess his first task is to prepare the Shop's miso soup even though it's a simple side dish that comes with their set meal the chef carefully ensures that it meets the Shop's consistent taste each and every [Music] day [Music] that knife looks special looks expensive how much was it damn that's premium so have you been doing this for a long time wow all the time here he says that he belongs to an organization of authorized chefs and was assigned to work at different restaurants this system is called haken and is a very common hiring style in [Music] Japan by the way you're super fast for sure are there any tips when filling the unagi ah I see so how old are you oh do you have a family nice how old are your kids oh do you have a hobby you have a wife though so where do you drink like snack bars and your wife is okay with it okay wow you can drink what did you do yesterday then oh no now the young Chef prepars the charcoal the shop mainly uses bingo ton a premium Japanese white charcoal known for its steady and long flame which is easy to adjust with a fan it also creates minimal smoke ensuring that it doesn't produce undesired flavors in select Japanese unagi shops there's a special delicacy offered known as Cho unagi intestines it's limited in quantity and considered a premium dish sometimes eaten in soup broiled dishes or skewed like [Music] this nice the fet unagi are finally skewered and ready to be charcoal grilled the chef skewers the unagi so quickly and efficiently that it seems effortless but apparently it's a skill that can only be mastered over time as a skewer must precisely thread the middle of the stiff unagi fet between the outer skin and the meat there's even a known saying in Japan amongst unagi chefs 3 years to master skewers 8 years to master filing and to master grilling takes a lifetime so have you been here a long time wow are you the oldest worker is it the same now since the previous owner I [Music] see all right the chef is preparing the grill now this is called shaki directly translated to White Grill and and this is the first step of the cooking process the grilled tagi will be steamed after this and then go into the final Grill dipped into their signature T sauce several times to achieve the perfect coating and flavor is there anything you need to be careful of at this point ah I see that have you burnt it before although it's only the chef's first year he's already tasked with the pregill duties in Japan the road to becoming a Master Chef is a lifelong journey where traditionally new chefs are expected to learn by observation without formal training however this Chef seems to have earned his way quicker than most as the Shop's owner has put in place formal training methods to skill up his workers as efficiently as possible there's a lot of side dishes okay okay have you worked here for a long time oh how long nice and do you have kids cool how old are they oh they're not kid kids so what do they do nice do you have other [Music] kids and what do you do in your free time oh what do you have how many do you have eight Birds must be noisy do you live nearby okay that's why you work here that's cool [Music] m oh the shiraki eels are now in the steamer okay so this video is making me a little bit hungry so I wanted to take a snack break and tell you about the sponsor of this video sakuro who want to invite all of you to experience Japan from the comfort of your own home through their snack boxes it's a monthly Japanese Artisan snack box that literally supports local Japanese snack makers each box coming with 20 traditional authentic Artisan Japanese snacks including Japanese tea and even special Japanese jaese table wear it's cherry blossom season right now in Japan my allergies are kicking in but what better way to celebrate than with the theme box night of Sakura Sakura can be enjoyed not only during the day but at night as well under Japan's Moonlight known as yakura you get this dope book to learn about the snacks allergen info and even Japanese culture and this month's yakura box has them Sakura inspired hitters which yall can try for yourself such as a Sakura cream cookies Sakura castella Sakura Mochi Sakura cashew nuts Sakura yokan just to name a few so get your own box today or even gift the love one and experience Japan from the comfort of your own home and use my links below as well as my [Music] [Music] code oh the Okami is here she's the wife of the owner and the lady that runs the restaurant 15 minutes before the shop opens the kitchen noticeably gets even busier on the second floor the Okami arranges flowers for the private rooms so do you wear kimono every day so did you ever think you'd become an Okami at an unagi restaurant she says it has been 10 years since she started working as the Okami despite being married for 15 years apparently they had trouble finding Nursery so she couldn't start right away a common Circle shared among parents in Japan one of her primary responsibilities is to take care of their customers ensuring that each one has a delightful experience he says that the most challenging part is being able to read and anticipate each person's needs in order to deliver a fully satisfying experience but when she sees them smile she knows that every effort she made was all worthwhile so do you do anything else outside of work oh which beach do you go to that's [Music] awesome before the restaurant opens the chef starts to grill the Nagi for deliveries isn't your hand that's true so in the final process the steamed onagi are dipped into their signature T sauce and then grilled over the charcoal at this restaurant they repeat this three times first dip colors the nugi the second dip flavors it and finally the third dip creates a delectable glossy coat the steaming process is designed to plump and air the unagi while also serving to extract excessive oils while the fin final grilling produces a slightly crispy texture on the outer layer yet the inner unagi meat remains soft and perfectly melts in your mouth by the way why did you choose to work at an unagi shop as your career oh does he still do it that's amazing why don't you two work together that makes sense [Music] [Applause] oio son is setting tables for a reservation so what was your dad [Music] like wow he seriously protected the business so is there going to be a sixth generation in the family he's still young he mentions that the most challenging aspect of his role is preserving his family's Legacy as even though it's an established business with 149 years of History maintaining a consistent taste while effectively managing workers requires a lifelong dedication and open to continue to learn you like sake interesting I'll try for sure so what do you do in your free time apparently he's a president of his kids Elementary School PTA and the vice president of his other kids Junior High PTA you must be busy [Music] at 11:00 a.m. the restaurant is finally in [Music] business soon many office workers and businessmen fill the restaurant apparently since a shop has many private dining rooms they're often used as a place to host business meetings as soon as the shop opens the kitchen gets extremely Lively and the chefs work to fill orders as quickly as [Music] possible before noon the tables are fully seated and the restaurant air is filled with the irresistible sweet and savory Aroma of the Shop's T sauce cooking over the charcoal [Music] grill meanwhile in the back of the kitchen chefs are already preparing their Macan ey lunch provided by the shop to their workers excuse me do you come here often oh how often do you come I see and how long have you been coming here so what do you recommend and what sets this unagi shop apart from others great thank you hello can I ask you a few questions so do you come here often ah okay and how long have you been coming here ah so do you work around here and why do you like the unagi [Music] here thanks [Music] are you done so how was business today ah they pile up huh after the workers clean up up the kitchen and prepare the charcoal grill for dinner they finally have their Mac andai meal together it's almost like a second family here how's the meal and that's another one in the books if you want to visit this place for yourself I'll be sure to leave a link in the description so that's behind the counter at a local Japanese unagi shop if you guys want to help with the channel then definitely check out the merch if you guys want to see more videos like this or anything Rel Jaan hit that subscribe button and B button I'll catch you guys in the next one by

Channel: Paolo fromTOKYO

Views: 816,131

Keywords: Paolo, Japan, Japan guide, Japan travel, tokyo, tokyo guide, japanese food, grilled eel, what to eat in tokyo, japanese unagi, japanese eel, japanese restaurant, japanese cuisine, where to eat in japan, food in tokyo, best food tokyo, unagi eel, japanese food tokyo, behind the counter, grilled eel japan, grilled eel tokyo, grilled eel over rice, grilled eel sauce, japanese eel cooking, grilled eel rice, best tokyo restaurant, japanese unagi sauce, japanese eel preparation

Id: aidmXBPpXTw

Length: 20min 2sec (1202 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 29 2024