Nagoya, Japan: AGO - Gyoya! Gyoza! Gyoza!

While in Nagoya, Japan, a group of us were on a mission wandering off the main drag, looking down dark alleys and searching block by block for our destination.  About to give up when we turned around to look at one last corner when lo and behold, out of the darkness a bright sign beckons to us.  Hurray!  We found our destination in search of...  Gyoza!



Gyoza are pan-fried dumplings like potstickers.  In my opinion, dumplings are pretty close to the perfect food.  You have a delicious meat filling, with some form of wrapper and a flavorful dipping sauce.  That's meat, carbs and flavor in a nice, neat little bite-sized package!

Small and addicting.  Like a potato chips, you just can't have one.

Five different types were tried... I don't remember which order they were presented, but we had he basic pork filled, curry flavored, shiso, shrimp filled and cheese filled.  Yes, they have cheese filled gyoza! 

 
All were delicious.  We could have eaten another round, but we were moving onto our next food quest of the evening.

Ago is in the Sakae area of Nagoya.  Can be difficult to find since it's a few blocks off the main drag.
However, through the magic of Google Maps, the location is listed below.

February 16, 2015: Kagamigahara, Japan - Ru Ri Iro

Ru Ri Iro is a Japanese restaurant that serves combination lunches.  Here in Japan , the combo meals are often called, "Sets". 

A typical Set - Rice, miso soup, pickled veggie, a side dish and the entree.


This entree consisted of two perfectly fried shrimp (cruncy and not greasy) and a croquette.  I don't remember if it was potato or a seafood/crab croquette, but I would guess potato.  A little side salad and tartar sauce.


Another day another special Set.
Rice and miso soup again, side dish of squash and a little pickled veg.  Again two perfectly fried shrimp and a maguro (tuna) burger patty.  Surprisingly, the patty tasted beefy with a very slight tuna finish.  However, I would have guessed it was a beef patty if I didn't hear the description, "maguro hambugro".  The only two words that made sense to me in the whole ordering process.  All my years of eating in Japanese-American restaurants finally paid off.  lol.
The custard dish is Chawanmushi - a savory egg custard dish.


I don't know if this is part of the meal or the owner was being nice to our group, but our meal came with green tea ice cream topped with a little sweetened red beans, but it was a nice way to finish the meal.
Nap, Nap Time. 



Ru Ri Iro - location shown on the map below.  From a coworker, at night this place becomes a Izakayu.  A bar that serves small dishes.


A picture worth a bunch of words.  How it looks from the outside.  Note the distinctive wooden triangular sign.

February 13, 2014: Kagamigahara, Japan - Shige Ramen

While in Japan, ramen is a must try.  I'm not talking about the instant ramen where you add hot water to a cup, but ramen where the broth is made from scratch and the ingredients are fresh.  No freeze dried carrots or freeze dried meat bits here.

A local lunch spot is Shige (phonetically it sounds like "she-gay". That's how it sounds to my American ear.).

There are actually two Shige's across the street from one another.  According to the locals, Shige-the restaurant is owned by the Dad while the son opened up Shige-the ramen joint.

Also, according to the locals, the restaurant is a Chinese restaurant.
What?!?!?  My gaijin American mind is thinking - there's no General Tso's,  Sweet and Sour Chicken or Family Dinner #3.  I guess Shige the restaurant ain't know Panda Express knock-off.

Back to the ramen..
There are two options.  The most popular amounst us is the Chili Noodle.The other option is the Shoyu Noodle.

Chili Ramen - Rich, thick hearty spicy broth.  Pork and sesame paste (Guessing it's sesame paste based upon the jars next to the wok. Laden with bean sprouts, little bits of ground meat and topped minced green onions and blackened garlic oil (?).

The wheat noodles that are thick like spaghetti.

Searching the web for ramen broth with sesame paste, I find a reference to Tantanmen.  Which is a ramen version of Dan Dan Noodles - a spicy Szechuan spicy noodle dish.

Is this ramen shop showing it's Chinese heritage?

Besides ramen, there's gyoza and kari-age (fried chicken).  There's a larger menu which I can't read so I stick to the Set lunches.

Set A - Ramen (Chili Noodle) with a stir-fried side dish (that varies daily).  Today's dish is stir-fried eggplant with minced pork.



Set B - Chili Noodle, rice and fried chicken (Kari-age).  Delicious fried chicken that's not greasy at all.
A little salt-pepper powder for the chicken - The Magic Dust. The little salad is has a slightly sweet sesame dressing that's a nice foil to the spicy broth and chicken.



Freshly made gyoza - fried dumplings.  Can't go wrong with these little bundles of joy.



The sprog making dumplings.







Shige senior's is on the left while Shige junior's is on the right.

February 10, 2015: Nagoya, Japan - Yamachan

Due to added responsibilities at work, I've been slacking off on my blog for a couple years.

On the upside, I've been fortunate enough to travel to Nagoya, Japan.

Bright Lights! Big City!

Strange and exotic food?

From what I've learned, different regions in Japan have their local food specialties. In Nagoya, chicken and miso are the local specialties foods.

Imagine eating locally sourced foods in the U.S.  The buzzword "locally sourced"  usually means the restaurant is hip and trendy, often charging a premium for dishes that usually focus around beets, but that's a rant for another post.

One of the first places we've dined at was a local chicken wing chain named, "Yamachan". They are famous for their Tebasaki Chicken wings.

These deceptively simple looking chicken wings are not sauced and are not battered nor floured before frying. Yet, the wings are crispy. The main flavor that hits you is salt and pepper (mainly white pepper?) with a very faint hint of sugar.  No heavy dose of garlic, soy or teriyaki sauce.  Just chicken, salt and pepper.

Simple yet addicting.



The instructions on the back of the chopstick pouch imply you only eat the second joint.  I do find the wing tip has an irresistible layer of crispy, salty skin bits.


Red Miso covered MM skewers.  (MM = Mystery Meat which was chicken.) What surprised me was how sweet the miso was.  I was expecting a salty coating, like the miso used in soup, but the coating was sweet and molasses tasting.


Kimchi fried rice is a nice side dish. Slightly tart from the fermented kimchi and peppy from the red pepper. The kimchi is rather mild compared to well aged Korean kimchi.


The logo is a dude in a chicken suit flashing a peace sign.


There are many locations throughout Nagoya.  This one is across the street from the Hilton.


Store front