A restaurant run by Chinese people that is commonly seen in the neighborhood. There are few other dining options nearby, so I decided to give it a try. Surprisingly, the food was quite good and the drinks were decent. Despite it being a weekday, the restaurant was packed, so it might be a popular spot in the area.

Visited around 11:30 on a holiday. No wait. Ordered the Sichuan-style fried rice and dumplings lunch set (around 1200 yen). The food arrived in about 5-6 minutes. The fried rice was not very spicy, more like a curry flavor. It's labeled as Sichuan-style, but it didn't really taste like it. However, the portion size was huge, probably equivalent to 5 bowls of rice. The dumplings were delicious. This place might be good for those who want to eat a lot.

This is a common Chinese restaurant in the city. Their dumplings are famous. I had the soup-less tantanmen and dumplings. Both were delicious and filling! The dumplings were especially tasty, I could have eaten as many as I wanted if I was hungry!

At a restaurant located near the Yasukuni Shrine specimen tree (which had four blossoms on March 13th), I ordered the daily lunch special which came with gyoza and shrimp chili for 1000 yen including tax. This place is known for its black pork gyoza and has been featured in the media. There are many branches of this restaurant. The Sichuan-style mapo tofu noodles with Sichuan pepper are also popular. I received a discount service coupon on my way out. Tomorrow is White Day, could this be the earliest cherry blossom blooming declaration in recorded history?

Next to Yasukuni Shrine, there is a Chinese restaurant with many TV media featured screenshots and posters both inside and outside the store. I ordered the Sanratanmen set with original gyoza and mini fried rice. The Sanratanmen had lots of ingredients, with a tangy and spicy hot broth that coated the noodles deliciously. The black pork gyoza had a rich meaty flavor and was delicious. The fried rice had a refreshing seasoning and was tasty. This place seems handy for when you're at a live concert at Budokan and craving warm ramen.

Lunch on Sundays in front of Yasukuni Shrine is risky for refugees! If you're in trouble, come here. Skip the dumplings and try the mapo tofu ramen. It's a heavy dish with tofu and noodles completely covered in sauce. It takes some effort to pick up the noodles with chopsticks and slurp them, but the flavors blend well. It's a good choice.

During lunchtime, I was craving gyoza so I decided to stop by here since I had been here before for drinks. I also wanted to have fried rice, but it seemed like a large portion. I saw a half fried rice option, but unfortunately, they didn't allow ordering it separately. So, I ended up ordering fried rice and gyoza for takeout. There wasn't even a set menu, and it was quite expensive. The gyoza didn't taste good at all, and the fried rice was terrible. It felt like they just fried rice with a little bit of egg added, without using chicken broth, only salt and pepper for seasoning. I completely regretted my meal. Moreover, after leaving the restaurant, I realized that there might have been a cheaper combination where you could switch the rice in the gyoza set to fried rice. I felt even more frustrated remembering that the staff, who seemed indifferent, was trying to explain things to a new part-time worker while I was absentmindedly placing my order. Frustrating.

I'm looking for a delicious dumpling restaurant. In conclusion, the dumplings were delicious. However, they were not the type of dumplings I was looking for. The dumpling skin here is thick and chewy. It's tasty in its own way. I ordered the popular black dumplings, but the filling had a slightly different taste - maybe due to seasoning or spices. In addition to the dumplings, I also ordered firm yakisoba and hot and sour soup. The yakisoba became dry and less saucy after some time. The hot and sour soup had a good level of spiciness and less acidity. Overall, it was tasty. The flavors lingered even the next day, so I think they use a lot of seasoning and spices. The dishes are quick and come in generous portions, making them great for sharing with a few people.

The sister restaurant Kanda Gyoza-ya Honten was featured on TV. I ordered the original gyoza, black pork gyoza, and shrimp and leek gyoza. The original gyoza had a reliable taste, the black pork gyoza was large and packed with filling, and the shrimp and leek gyoza had a round shape with a juicy texture from the whole shrimp inside. It was irresistible.

At the pet shop in Kudan, waiting for my beloved dog's grooming, I decided to try "Tenko Gyoza-ya" instead of my usual choices like "Kamakura Pasta" or "CoCo Ichibanya." It was unusual to push the door open rather than pull it, and inside, the restaurant was bustling with students, families, and local office workers. The lively atmosphere on a Saturday at 1 pm made me think that maybe the situation with COVID has calmed down. I debated getting the vegetable-packed tanmen, but ended up ordering the fried rice with ham, green onions, and egg, along with a side of wonton soup. Both dishes arrived in just 5 minutes. The fried rice was a classic combination of ham, green onions, and egg, and the wonton soup was delightfully bouncy. I added some pepper to the soup halfway through for a change in flavor, which was also delicious. The fried rice was indeed generous in portion, as I overheard the family at the next table asking the staff if they could pack up the leftovers to take home. I should have done the same. The fried rice with wonton soup set cost 970 yen (excluding tax). It was a delicious meal.

Today, I tried a new restaurant for the first time, and unfortunately they were sold out of shrimp and chive dumplings. I decided to order the original dumplings set meal with half fried rice instead. But I ended up ordering extra half black pork dumplings because I still wanted more. The first dumplings I ate were crispy, and then the second batch of black pork dumplings were chewy, which changed up the flavors and textures. Eating at this restaurant alone for the first time gave me and the restaurant more space, which made the meal even more enjoyable than usual.

※※Visit on September 3, 2020※※ - Fried Rice with Half Black Pork Dumplings: 940 yen - Shrimp and Chive Dumplings (4 pieces): 520 yen - Iced Oolong Tea: 350 yen Located near Kudanshita Station, exit 2, walking towards Ichigaya on Yasukuni Street, "Tenko Gyoza-ten Kudan Store" is a branch of "Kanda Gyoza-ya" in Nishikicho, Kanda. It opened on October 26, 2014. This time, I ordered the Fried Rice set with half black pork dumplings, Shrimp and Chive Dumplings, and Iced Oolong Tea. The Fried Rice was fluffy and generously portioned. The filling of the Black Pork Dumplings, made with cabbage, chives, and black pork, was juicy and flavorful. The Shrimp and Chive Dumplings were beautifully shaped and filled with plump shrimp, making them juicy as well.

Visited the restaurant based on a recommendation. In conclusion, the Sichuan-style Mapo Tofu with Sichuan peppercorns was outstanding. The meat was chewy and the dish was packed with not only spiciness but also a rich umami flavor. The signature dumplings were soft and chewy. Personally, I prefer the crispy Utsunomiya-style snack dumplings, so it's a different genre for me, but I understand why this place is popular for both lunch and dinner. It's worth noting that the prices displayed outside the restaurant are excluding tax, which was a bit surprising during payment.

I visited the restaurant alone around 12:30 on a weekday. It was about 90% full with an even mix of men and women, bustling with local office workers. I ordered Hong Kong-style cold noodles with original half dumplings. The dumplings and cold noodles arrived simultaneously in about 5 minutes. The height of the cold noodles was due to the lettuce inside. The noodles were thin, and the sauce was sesame dressing. I wish they would indicate sesame dressing on the menu, but the cold noodles were satisfying even as a standalone dish, with plenty of vegetables and steamed chicken.

Time to kill before the New Year's greetings exchange event! Gyoza and draft beer! The black pork gyoza is 520 yen, and the draft beer is 550 yen for 435ml - a bit on the smaller side. The gyoza is huge with thick skin and packed with filling. It seems to be popular with TV and magazine coverage, with copies of magazines and TV images all around. TV personality Gussan's comment is "The meat juice is really juicy." There is meat juice, but the vegetable soup flavor is stronger. It feels more like a good beer snack than a side dish for rice. In any case, it's delicious. Despite being called a gyoza restaurant, they also have a wide variety of Chinese dishes. A place I'd like to visit for drinks! Wasn't it a waste to use it for time adjustment?

On November 3, 2018 (Saturday, holiday), I had to work and unfortunately had to work on my day off. Oh well, it can't be helped. I don't feel like making a bento box to bring for lunch on my day off, so I decided to eat out instead. I went to a dumpling restaurant near my workplace for the first time. I arrived there before 1 pm. The restaurant was quite small, with seating for about 4-5 people. Most of the staff seemed to be of Chinese descent. At least the person serving us was fluent in Japanese. I ordered the "Szechuan Mapo Tofu set with half an order of original dumplings" for 860 yen. My companion ordered the half order of original dumplings with dan dan noodles. It took about 15 minutes for our food to be served. The set included rice, soup, mapo tofu, and four dumplings. The soup was a typical chicken broth with salt, with seaweed and finely chopped green onions as toppings. The mapo tofu had a hint of "Szechuan" in the name, so I was a bit worried as I'm not a fan of strong flavors like Szechuan peppercorns. However, the mapo tofu was adapted for Japanese taste, so the Szechuan flavor was very mild. It had a slight numbing sensation and was spicy due to the chili oil. The dumplings were just average, nothing extraordinary. The restaurant had signs boasting about being number one on a TV show, but I felt they were setting the bar too high for themselves. Overall, the food was decent but lacked that extra something to make it truly satisfying. There was something missing, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It was not bad, but I felt like I could get a similar experience elsewhere. I was left wanting more from this restaurant.

This is a shop run by people of Chinese descent. It faces Yasukuni Street and has a lively Chinese atmosphere. I ordered beer, boiled dumplings, and pan-fried dumplings. I believe the boiled dumplings were around 520 yen, and the pan-fried dumplings were around 420 yen each.

I like the shiso gyoza, but the black pork gyoza has a lot of pork fat and feels a bit greasy.

After finishing the Chukyu exam, I had my heart set on Chinese food. However, all the Chinese restaurants around Ichigaya were closed on Sunday, so I ended up in Kudanshita. The seating was cramped and the flavors were strong, but that's exactly what I wanted from a Chinese restaurant.

In honesty, the Chinese restaurants in Ichigaya (Kudan) don't seem to have much difference, excluding the China Fan Dian. The rice dishes are not particularly impressive, with some even tasting better at convenience stores using new rice. They seem to be using old rice. This place promotes their dumplings, but honestly, all the dumpling places in Ichigaya seem the same to me. I've never found them to be exceptionally delicious, just average. They are visible on the street, so maybe they don't have trouble attracting customers. The downside is that they display prices without tax. Lunch is around 900 yen. If you go a bit further south, there are various options like Nanotaina and Kirin Utage, which are probably cheaper. However, this place wins in terms of ease of access.