Gyoza Kaikan — Restaurant in Fukushima Prefecture

For more than a decade, this has been my go-to place for gyoza dumplings. My usual order is a plate of gyoza, a side of garnished wakame seaweed, and a glass of sake. Most patrons seem to prefer beer with their gyoza, and Kirin is served here, draft or by the bottle. But all the sake is from Fukushima (various breweries), and even the lowest price Eisen tokujōshu (my usual choice) is delicious. I'm not much of a ramen noodle eater, but the chashū pork that accompanies some noodle dishes is outstanding, and I've enjoyed it as...

small local restaurant with less than 20 seats at the counter. Kitchen is open so you can observe every steps of cooking. Every dish was freshly cooked and served quickly after ordering. No english menu, though you can use Google translator aiming at the menu right above your head. Drink menu is on the wall of kitchen. Yakigyoza (fried gyoza) was great. Shioramen (salted soup ramen) taste good and not too strong. Choyuramen (soya sauce ramen) taste was rich with very yummy bamboo shoot. Price is standard, around 700...

We came in around the end of the night and got to experience the two chefs timing out our meals impeccably. We ordered two orders of gyoza and a chashu ramen and both were ready at the exact same time. The couple have clearly been working in tandem for decades now and the resulting meal was incredible. The pan fried gyoza were crisp on their side yet melted in my mouth, and the chashu ramen burst with flavor.

The venue itself is a very humble bar and was a very relaxing atmosphere. I would recommend this...