Gyoza @ Gyoza Las Vegas, Daimyo, Fukuoka

 

For those that are not in the know, I do a lot of stuff on the side in addition to this blog. And as some of my local friends would like to improve their English, I sometimes provide free classes out of my working hours. Well I do not mind it since its once a few months, and I do like to see my Japanese friends being able to handle English better. But how does this tie to our story for today?

This is a loaded menu!

Well, I always pass by this gyoza izakaya called Gyoza Las Vegas everytime I head to my classes. So as the weeks go by, the curiosity increased and I eventually peeped in and have a look. Which was a good idea as the food is incredibly good. The place has a very eccentric feel with funny gyoza inspired figurines and retro posters everywhere around the premises. They have the atmosphere perfected to a resounding tee, which was nice but comedic at the same time. As for the food, well, the menu here is pretty extensive but the main star is the dumplings. Speaking of gyoza, they do have a huge variety to choose from and they are all hand made. 

I am really looking forward to this.

I got myself a classic plate and another one plate consisting of the cheesy kimchi gyoza, which sounds very interesting. They stand at 583 yen and 825 yen respectively. There are also shrimp gyoza and peanut filled ones which I am definitely getting during my next visit. To complete the meal, I got myself a small bowl of rice which stands at 153 yen and oolong tea for 363 yen. I have to teach later, so I better stay away from any alcohol for that night. 

Expertly made. Look at the seams! 

 The first thing that caught my attention was the shape of the gyoza. Being handmade, they are definitely not consistent and each dumpling has its own shape, but that is the charm of it. Everything in life does not need to be consistent for it to be good. And it was very very good. I chomped into the classic porky gyoza first, and it was an explosion of flavours, and I mean it in the literal sense. 

Golden center. 

The juices from the meat was just bursting out from the silky packet that is its skin and the savoury lava surged down my gullet. The porky insides were very fresh and has a nice granular texture. There was clearly a copious amount of green onions and garlic, which added more dept into the overall package. What an experience. 

Magical!

But this did not prepare me for the eventual powerhouse that is the kimchi cheese monster that came later. If that first experience with the classic gyoza was an explosion, this kimchi cheese dumpling was a literal blitzkrieg to my senses. it was spicy, sweet and pungent, with strands of melted cheese in between the kimchi and pork meat filling. Imagine a pizza pocket, but instead of tomato sauce, its spicy kimchi and they are all bite size. This was absolutely incredible. I am definitely going to get this if I am visiting this place again. This is that good. 

My companions for the night. I hope they do not judge me for eating their friends. 

One thing to note is also the size of each dumpling. Usually Fukuoka is known to keep their dumplings as hitoguchi, which means "one mouth", where a portion can easily fit your mouth under one bite. But these monsters are huge and at least double of what I usually have. In other words, this is serious bang for your buck. 

Front of the house.

In short, I am definitely coming again! I also saw some patrons going through the rest of the menu and they definitely caught my eye. There is also a jackpot minigame which I might try in the future, and their fried food options look very enticing. But in the meantime, all I can say that this impromptu visit was worth it. So if you fancy a go, then the address is as follows:

1 Chome-2-15 Daimyo, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka, 810-0041