Gyoza Bar + Ramen
622 W. Pender St.
Vancouver, BC
(604) 336-5563

In a random moment of letting the wind take me to wherever I could land in the business district of Vancouver, the Gyoza Bar and Ramen shop on West Pender certainly managed to captivate me. On a a slightly chilly day. I needed to bring my resistance up.

I really didn’t know where I wanted to eat while here during the long weekend for Fan Expo Vancouver. Not many operations are open during the holidays, and I wanted to hit someplace new than to revisit my favourite kangaroo spot. I could’ve but I might have been hopping after far too many drinks.

The Gyoza Bar was a stone’s throw away from Cartems Donuterie. I passed by this place, charmed by its rustic ambience when I glanced in, but I needed my sugar fix first. I returned to its doors and said feed me. I’d be remiss to not sample their gyozas since that’s this establishment’s main staple, but I needed something more filling. A great hearty miso broth will do the job, and in what I saw on the menu, the Awase Miso Free Range Chicken dish ($13.50) looked like it could do the job.

The word ‘vintage’ was enough to convince me that was the right choice, and the broth was so delectable, I could drink it up every day. Not a drop was missed when I sipped it all up. There was a royal flavour to it; the minced garlic and spring water did the job. It was smooth to the throat and had all the right textures to complement the thin noodles that was part of this dish. The baby broccoli was also a great choice to add to this meal, and the chicken was prepared delicately. Even the egg was partially cooked so that when I parted it, the yolk gave an extra heartiness to the broth when it slowly seeped in. Even the other type of egg added to the dish as a sweetener certainly helped make the one big bowl seem filling.

But I was not done. I was still hungry after this one dish, and tried a small sampling of their gyozas. I went for their basics, their pork teppan and found it nicely crisped up. It was served soft and succulent. The meat was finely chopped and it tasted like home, like how my mother would often make it. Two sauces were offered, and while I savoured the lightly mild umami sauce, I thought keeping my body chill was better than heating it up with the more spicy garlic. I didn’t want to overdo it with this type of onion.

The service was good but not spectacular. Once when I decided to have more than one dish, more attention was given. My water was regularly topped up and sadly, I should’ve ordered more of the Japanese wine, the Ichigo. It’s strawberry nectar was smooth as silk, and I could only think of being kissed by the sun goddess, Amaterasu. A single shot is $6. I could have gone for more than a double and come out blushing at the end of the night.

Alas, I had to stay in control. I’ve found a new ambrosia, and that’s with Japanese fruit wine!

4 Blokes out of 5