Morita Unigoro is a sea urchin (uni) specialty restaurant in Singapore that offers a refined omakase-style dining experience centered around the luxurious delicacy of uni. This distinguished Japanese restaurant originates from Osaka, Japan.
It is one of those restaurants in Japan where it is difficult to get a booking or a table there. But I guess with this new outlet, you now don’t have to fly all the way to Osaka to try Uni hotpot because you can try it right here.
UNIGORO uses only the highest-grade Hokkaido uni which is featured in dishes like their signature Uni Hot Pot Set, Uni Risotto, Uni Pudding with Caviar and Uniku and more.
Restaurant Ambience
The restaurant resembles a typical omakase restaurant. Its dark interior features a minimalist design with dark wood accents and soft lighting that creates an intimate atmosphere.
You are able to observe the meticulous preparation of each dish by the chefs from the counter seats. The tables are quite wide and spacious as some of the food preparation will be on the same table.
What’s on their menu?
Their uni omakase menu starts from $98++. I tried their $168 Omakase Dinner Course which comprises 4 courses, including their signature uni hot pot which is a must-try in my opinion.
Uniku: Uni, A5 Black Wagyu Uchimomo, Egg Yolk
This is like a starter before the main dish which is the hot pot. It’s a small plate of thinly sliced A5 Wagyu Beef Ribeye from Kagoshima served with an egg yolk and a tablespoonful of uni. You will be asked to break the egg and spread it across the raw slices of beef. You can enjoy it with a little uni and wasabi. You can also enjoy it with some Japanese rice. The sashimi-grade wagyu beef had a really beautiful marbling. It was fatty, buttery and super tender.
Signature Uni Hot Pot: Uni, Ise Lobster, Clams, Abaone, A5 Wagyu Beef Ribeye, Japanese Pork Belly, Vegetables
Next comes UNIGORO’s Signature Uni Hot Pot Set. Its rich broth base is made of beef bone, asari clams, saikyo miso, and kombu dashi. The chef would further then whisk in some creamy uni which would further elevate the taste of the soup. It gets even more intense and flavourful as it boils.
The hotpot set includes a small platter of seafood featuring fresh lobster, clams and abalone from Hokkaido and some vegetables. There’s also a meat platter of thinly-sliced A5 Kagoshima ribeye and Hokkaido pork belly, perfect for shabu-shabu. Portions are just about right for 1 person. And you will be pretty satisfied by then.
Before dunking them straight into the hotpot, the head chef actually torched the seafood briefly. This creates a slightly charred exterior which also creates some depth in the flavour of the fresh seafood.
The chef then added the ingredients into the hotpot and finish it off with a dash of cheese powder and some olive oil.
After a few minutes, it was ready to savour the uni soup and boy, the soup tasted like a literal umami bomb in my mouth. You can taste the ocean with every mouthful of the soup and I can’t stop drinking it.
While I was slowly savouring the soup, the chef quipped that the soup was refillable. But I presume that he was referring to the soup base because I doubt if they are willing to add more uni in it.
While I was sipping on the soup like there’s no tomorrow, the chef informed me that they will be using the leftover soup as a stock to cook the next dish which is the uni risotto. So I decided to curb my appetite and left some soup which is just enough to cook the risotto (I hope).
Uni Risotto: Uni, Japanese rice, Lotus Root
For the risotto, the chef asked me how much rice I would like to consume. I was pretty full after the hotpot so I asked just for a small portion of risotto. He scooped out some Japanese rice and steep it into the leftover broth to cook. He added more uni into the broth. This is such a brilliant idea because the rice soaks up all the seafood flavours of the soup, result into this sticky-like porridge which is so rich in flavours.
It was served with grated cheese and a dollop of uni. After having one bite of it, I regret not asking for more. It was that good – all because they used the intense golden-rich uni hotpot broth.
Who would have thought that hotpot can be done in omakase-style?
Dessert: Homemade Granita
The refreshing watermelon granita comes with some salt flakes. This serves more like a palate cleanser than a dessert. I had no qualm about this because the uni hotpot was everything.
Besides the uni hotpot, they also serve uni pasta and they have an ongoing special promotion where you can enjoy 1-for-1 uni pasta during lunch hours.
Opening Special Promotion: 1-for-1 Pasta
For the month of May, enjoy 1-for-1 Uni Pasta (original price: $48++) during lunch with a minimum purchase of 1 drink per pax. Each pasta comes with a salad and soup.
My Verdict
Food is no doubt tasty. You just can’t go wrong with fresh quality Japanese seafood and premium high-grade uni which is very buttery, savoury and robust in flavours. However, prices may be quite steep for some. But if you were to give it a try, I would say skip the uni pasta and head straight for the hotpot. The uni hotpot is the real deal and if you decide to spend, might as well spend it on something that is truly worth it.
Morita UNIGORO
Address: 10 Stanley St, Singapore 068729
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