Eel wizard

Miso pork cutlet. [Photo by Wang Zhuangfei/China Daily]

In about 15 minutes, a dish of unadon arrived in front of us, basted with a sweet sauce made from soy sauce, mir in (rice wine) and sugar. It's a secret sauce made by Makoto - said to be extracted from fish-bone soup.

The instant we bit through that glistening grilled unagi, we under-stood why this little restaurant has earned its good reputation. The flesh tastes so savory sweet, and melts in the mouth within seconds. The beauty's in the sauce, not plentiful but well-blended with the eel and the translucent, high-grade Japanese rice.

The restaurant staff says Makoto pursues and enjoys a solitary cooking process when it comes to unagi. Selecting raw ingredients, preparing the sauces, and grilling the fillets - he insists on doing it all himself.

Makoto's work day starts around 11:30 am, when he heads over to neighboring Sanyuanli Market (also known as Xinyuanli market) to select his raw ingredients. A favorite among expats, the market's stalls are bursting with carefully presented fresh produce, seafood and tons of exotic stuff rare to find in Beijing.

Makoto is very strict in selecting raw ingredients. He chooses eels one by one; each must weigh around 600g. He says eels of this size tend to have the best texture and flavor.

In Japan, there are regional differences in the preparation of unagi. In the Kanto region (eastern Japan including Tokyo), eels tend to contain much fat, so they are first grilled, then steamed over high heat to sweat out excess fat, then grilled again. In Kansai (western Japan including Kyoto and Osaka), eels are usually more slim, and only need grilling, not steaming.