Eel enthusiasts, be excited: This new venue serves unagi sourced from Japan’s coastal city of Nishio, where eels have been farmed for over a century, conveying the flavours and textures of unagi at its most unadulterated. The eels are flown live into KL, with Hikari-Ya’s chef Moroi Kunihiro slaughtering them in his kitchen and slicing them with his special eel knife of two decades.

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Unagi shirayaki

Start your meal here with the rarely seen unagi shirayaki (RM95+), roasted without a sauce, mildly seasoned only with salt to maintain the focus on the fresh eel’s delicately clean, pure flavour and naturally smooth, tender texture – it’s a reminder of how unagi once tasted in KL’s Japanese restaurants, before cheaper Chinese eel imports inundated the scene. Ask chef Moroi nicely and you might receive a bowl of kimosui (clear eel liver soup), potentially an acquired taste because of its pungent flavour.

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Hitsumabushi

Another highlight is the hitsumabushi (RM112), a more elaborate version of unadon – the centrepiece is a grilled eel fillet over warm rice that’s meant to be portioned into four servings. Consume the first serving plain to savour the comfort-fare combo of eel and rice; then mix the second serving with spring onions, wasabi and sansho pepper for extra uplift. The third serving is poured over with a clear soup, ochazuke-style, for a heartwarming, home-made feel. The fourth serving? Eat it the way you like best.

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Other temptations

If you must, you can eel-ude unagi – the menu features other intriguing temptations like the Kuroge Wagyu sashimi platter, showcasing fatty, buttery beef, with some slices raw and others gently seared (RM88). Even the complimentary starter (juicy eggplant with ginger and bonito flakes) and dessert (warabimochi) are pretty good – bookmark Hikari-Ya as a place with potential.

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Location & Details

Address: 54, Jalan 27/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur.
Hours: Lunch and dinner, Tues-Sun.
Tel: +603-6211-1409
Find: View directory for Hikari-Ya here