On this hot holiday, I had to work (while everyone else enjoys a 3-day weekend). (*´Д`) It seemed like the young ones were working hard too, so I decided to treat myself to some Chinese food for lunch. I ended up at "Gyoza Taro" located on the east side of Kiba Park in Tokyo (on the way to the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo). When I arrived, it was around 12:30 pm on a public holiday, and the restaurant was almost full. I asked one of the female staff if there was a table available, and luckily, there was one at the far end of the restaurant. Phew! After seating myself, I checked out the menu. The prices were reasonable for a local Chinese restaurant. Despite the rising cost of living... (*´∀｀*) I asked the female staff, "What comes with the Gyoza set today?" She replied, "Mapo tofu." Perfect! I decided on the Gyoza set which included Gyoza and Gomoku Fried Rice (780 yen) with an extra large portion of fried rice (100 yen). The young ones at the table ordered "Soy Sauce Cold Chinese Noodles (850 yen)" and added a half portion of fried rice for an extra 100 yen. ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡• The food arrived after a 20-minute wait. The first thing I noticed was the generous portion of fried rice. The set included Gyoza (5 pieces), tofu soup, and pickled vegetables, all in a simple presentation. Fried Rice Taste: ★★★★☆, Cost Performance: 3.3 (assuming 780 yen for dinner) The fried rice was simple, with ingredients like ham, egg, carrots, and green onions. It had a light pepper flavor, the rice was fluffy, and there was just the right amount of oil. A gentle taste that complemented the Gyoza perfectly. Delicious! (●´ω｀●) Gyoza Taste: ★★★☆☆, Cost Performance: 3.1 (assuming 650 yen for dinner) The Gyoza was chewy, filled with vegetable flavors. The filling was moist and tasty, with a slightly crispy bottom. A simple and delicious Gyoza that fits the bill for a local Chinese restaurant. (๑>◡<๑) Other items like salad, tofu soup, and pickled vegetables were average. Overall, it was a satisfying meal. The fried rice portion was just right for lunch. It's nice to have local prices that are friendly on the wallet. How about stopping by for a quick lunch break during work? The young ones will surely leave with full stomachs. ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡• Check out my Instagram for more food adventures → https://www.instagram.com/king_hideyuki/

Cold Chinese noodle exploration part 7: Lunch wandering tale in Koto Ward part 200 For the special 200th lunch recording in Koto Ward, I decided to go for a continental Chinese cuisine instead of the traditional Chinese diner, due to various reasons (mostly because there were no unvisited Chinese diners nearby). I visited Gyoza Tarou in Chida, Ougi Minami shopping street. Despite the somewhat lacking naming style, it is clear that they have a firm commitment to their business in a good way. They offer various dishes such as tonkotsu ramen, Taiwanese noodles, knife-cut noodles, and even Korean cold noodles. I was particularly intrigued by their "Special Korean Cold Noodles". The menu was reliable as always. The waitress, a cheerful Chinese lady, took my order for the soy sauce cold noodles for 780 yen. You can add half fried rice for an additional 100 yen, which is quite convenient. The food arrived in about 13 minutes. The cold noodles were generously topped with cucumber, tomato, shredded egg (quite wide), crab sticks, jellyfish, and shrimp. Instead of ham, they used steamed chicken, which was a nice change. The noodles were standard thickness and had a good texture, perfectly cooled in cold water. The portion size was decent. The tangy soy sauce dressing was delightful, just the right amount of acidity for cold noodles. However, I couldn't find any mustard in sight, so I kindly asked the waitress for two packets, which she happily provided. The half fried rice was made with ham, simple and delicious with eggs and green onions. It had a slightly strong flavor but not overly salty. The assertive taste actually enhanced the experience of eating fried rice outdoors. Overall, the meal was surprisingly tasty, exceeding my initial expectations. It had a subtle essence of Chinese diner food, which was quite enjoyable. They also offer a recommended set menu where you can choose a bottle of beer with your dish, a nice bonus. They even accept PayPay as a payment method. I couldn't help but wonder if the waitress actually said "PayPay♪" in response to the electronic sound. If she did, it would definitely be a charming point to remember. I must confirm this on my next visit.

Beer, egg, and wood ear mushroom stir-fry set, beer and dumplings set, and beer and fried chicken set are highly recommended here! When I need more, I also order the set meals. The five-ingredient yakisoba is also delicious! I always order like this, but I never get tired of it.

The overall taste is mild, which is very good! It's a Chinese restaurant on the continent, but I always think the cooking skills are professional. Gyoza, fried chicken, stir-fried pork with black fungus and eggs, and yakisoba with thick sauce can be eaten at a great value with a drink set!

To Gyoza Taro. When looking at the menu, it doesn't seem to be heavily focused on gyoza. I ordered the Gomoku Tanmen with half portion of fried rice for 700 yen. Overall, the flavors are typical of this type of restaurant, but it's tasty with plenty of ingredients. The fried rice is moist and well-seasoned. The portion of fried rice is generous and left me feeling full. The female staff member was friendly and made a good impression.

The voluminous yakisoba contains shrimp, squid, bamboo shoots, enoki mushrooms, mushrooms, napa cabbage, pork, greens, and other vegetables. The seasoning is not too strong, making it very delicious. The homemade wonton soup comes with 5 wontons in a light salt broth. All this for 700 yen is a great deal!

They also have dinner sets at night, and the set with a drink is very reasonable! The bill always surprises me with how cheap it is. Especially the curry-flavored fried chicken is delicious. They could even change the name to "Karaage Taro" (lol). The taste is great, and the owner is also nice! I'm currently addicted to Gyoza Taro.

I'm currently obsessed with Gyoza Taro, so I went to eat there at night. I had the daily special set which included scrambled eggs with pork, Gyoza Taro's dumplings, spring rolls, and spicy stir-fried shrimp. They also offer Gyoza sets with beer, as well as sets with just one dish, all at surprisingly affordable prices. Gyoza Taro is amazing! 🎶

Lunchtime offers daily specials starting at 600 yen. The set meals are all very generous in portion size, with piping hot dishes served in large quantities. Be careful not to burn your mouth! The quality of the rice is a bit lacking, but considering the overall balance, it's quite satisfactory for that price.

After a long time, I went out to eat at night. They had a dinner set available at night, so I ordered the Wonton Noodles & Fried Chicken for 750 yen. When I heard Wonton Noodles & Fried Chicken, I imagined that it would come with 2-3 pieces of fried chicken with the noodles, but to my surprise, a big portion of rice and 5 large pieces of fried chicken came with it! I couldn't help but be shocked since they also had regular Wonton Noodles available. When it was served, I exclaimed "Wow!" and the lady laughed at me. The Wonton Noodles were like Chinese-style salt ramen, and the handmade wontons were delicious. And the fried chicken was incredibly tasty too! (laughs)

Located south of the workplace in Koto Ward, there is a Chinese restaurant near East 21 along Kasai Hashi Street. The restaurant was found while buying miscellaneous materials for work at a home center. It was already quite crowded around 11:50 when I entered, indicating that it is a popular spot. The daily specials were displayed on a sign by the entrance, and I ordered the "Chicken Soy Sauce Stir-Fry Set" among them. There were many other set meals and a la carte options available as well. While waiting for my order, I ended up sharing a table with someone who started smoking, as smoking was allowed in all seats. This made the lunch experience disappointing in terms of service and atmosphere. The meal was served relatively quickly, in about 3-4 minutes. The main dish, the "Chicken Soy Sauce Stir-Fry," was incredibly generous in portion size. It looked dauntingly large, and I wondered if I could finish it. The taste of the chicken stir-fry was good, but the pieces were too small and hard to eat with chopsticks, so I used the soup ladle to scoop and eat. The flavor was rich and savory, making the rice go down smoothly. The set also included a small salad, a small portion of pickles, and soup. The salad was typical in size, but the pickles were lacking. Unfortunately, the soup was lukewarm and bland. I added some chili oil to enhance the flavor, but it was still lacking. The main chicken dish was delicious, but the large portion made it a challenge to finish. I ended up leaving 2-3 bites of rice, feeling a bit guilty. Despite these drawbacks, the set meal was priced at a great value of 580 yen. The restaurant was almost full by the time I finished my meal, showing its popularity. While it may be difficult to visit frequently due to the distance from my workplace, it is a popular spot for cheap, tasty, and filling lunch options if you happen to be in the area.

Having a meal at a friend's newly bought house. Spending time in Odaiba and then driving to another friend's house. They mentioned a nearby place with delicious dumplings, so we decided to check it out. The place was called Gyoza Taro, run by a Chinese owner. The chef is apparently well-known in China. We ordered three spring rolls for 380 yen and five pan-fried dumplings for 280 yen to take home. The lady took our order quickly and they made it fresh for us. We enjoyed the food at our friend's house. The dumplings were delicious, whether eaten plain or dipped in soy sauce. They were well-balanced in terms of flavor and quantity. The spring rolls were also great. We look forward to visiting the restaurant next time to try more dishes. Thank you for the meal.

On the way back from Kiba Park to Kinshicho, there was a Chinese restaurant in a shopping street with only one person working. There were also large groups of people having a party. A bottle of beer, nuts, and a plate of dumplings cost 550 yen. The dumplings came with the beer. The taste was okay. We also ordered fried rice, which tasted like the fried rice from a Chinese restaurant in an overseas food court. Personally, I found it nostalgic and enjoyed it.

We revisited this restaurant with my wife because we enjoyed it last time. Unfortunately, the first mistake was the beer - it wasn't good. We were a bit disappointed. The gyoza was good with lots of soup. However, the second mistake was the ramen. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. Maybe the noodles and soup didn't match well? Or maybe the noodles were overcooked? Next time, we'll go for the fried chicken with mapo tofu which we enjoyed last time. My wife's sweet and sour pork was just average. But we won't be having draft beer again. This place is all about the fried chicken! Thank you for the meal.

Over the weekend, I played golf for the first time in two years and ended up hurting my shoulder. I finished work early on Monday morning and went to a nearby chiropractor for some care. After being well taken care of, I left around 1:30. Since there aren't many lunch options near my house on weekdays, I chose this restaurant for lunch from my list of options. The menu was extensive and they even had a lunch set for a reasonable price. After some deliberation, I decided on the "Young Chicken Karaage and Small Mapo Tofu Set" for 750 yen. It was the perfect choice! The marinade for the karaage was unique and made it juicy and delicious. The chef, who is Chinese, didn't serve the typical bland rice but instead provided a dish that complemented the meal perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and was completely satisfied. Thank you for the delicious food!

I ordered the Mapo Don for my first visit. It was easy to eat as the spiciness was mild, but it felt like the sweetness of the rice was overpowering the Mapo flavor. Thank you for the meal!

This Chinese restaurant is located in a district where several eateries are gathered near my workplace. It's about three bus stops south from Sumiyoshi Station on the subway. The area has a grid-like layout, making it hard for outsiders to distinguish. The staff all seem to be from China but they blend in well with the downtown atmosphere. It's more like a casual Chinese restaurant than a fancy one. Even though it was daytime, elderly regulars were enjoying beer and snacks. The mixed vegetable stir-fry set meal comes with rice, soup, a small salad, and pickled vegetables. The flavor isn't too strong, and the vegetables still have a nice crunch to them. The portion size is generous as well. At only 650 yen, it's a great deal for locals, and I would definitely become a regular if I lived nearby.

I tried ordering the "Gomoku Yasai Itame Teishoku" for the first time. It's really great when you want to eat lots of vegetables.

The usual dumplings, scrambled eggs with wood ear mushrooms, and fried chicken set were delicious! And the dumplings that day were the best I've ever had. They were tasty, fast, and cheap, so I was very satisfied!

The kitchen is very clean and well-maintained, which leaves a good impression!