Dumplings with the winning touch

AFTER DELIGHTING fans of Japanese desserts with their Sfree, Parferio and Kyo Roll En outlets, Litti and Dej Kewkacha, the sibling heirs to the Safari World empire, are turning their attention to more savoury treats with the launch of Teraoka Gyoza, – a speciality diner dedicated to the wok-fried Chinese dumping that has become popular all over Japan.

The brothers have partnered with Japanese chef Teraoka Yuichi of Teraoka Shoten for their latest venture, bringing the popular brand to Bangkok for its overseas debut. 

Located on the ground floor of Siam Paragon, Teraoka Gyoza is a compact, open kitchen eatery with a long wooden counter designed as the modern interpretation of sushi bar. It also features an izakaya area in the style of the typically Japanese informal venue for eating and drinking after work with 20 seats at the bar and tables.

“We’ve been in the confectionery business for six years and the time was ripe to spread our wings and embrace savoury dishes. There’s immense competition between Japanese restaurants here in Thailand and rather than go for a wide variety of food, we felt a speciality restaurant specialising in one type of premium food would stand out. Thais also love eating gyoza and given that we are only offering the best, there is definitely room for us in the market,” says Litti.

The wheat flour dough is imported from Japan to ensure the soft, thin skin for which the dumplings are famous and the fillings are made fresh everyday right in front of the customers’ eyes with each gyoza delicately steamed before wok-frying to get the crunchy yet soft skin. 

“Gyoza were originally perceived as an appetiser in ramen and izakaya shops. Teraoka put the dumplings in the spotlight by moving away from the traditional ground pork filling to ground chicken, asparagus, mentaiko – marinated cod roe – and minced shrimp with chopped water chestnut. His gyoza are also available in supermarkets and convenient stores across Japan,” Litti adds.

The signature dish, Sudachi Gyoza (Bt179), has seven dumplings filled 

 with ground chicken thigh. They’re not served with the familiar shoyu sauce, but with ground black pepper and Sudachi squeezed citrus juice, balancing the slightly spicy flavour with a sour taste. Sudachi is a citrus fruit peculiar to Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku Island and has a zestier flavour and aroma than lemon and lime. 

Cheese lovers will enjoy the Mentai-Cheese Gyoza (Bt229), a dish that won Yuichi the champion’s crown on seven occasions at the Gyoza Stadium. The gyoza are stuffed with chicken thigh then topped with seared and flaming cheese and mentaiko roe from Kyushu Island. Another pleasing dish is Asparashi Gyoza (Bt195), which combines soft ground chicken thigh with crunchy asparagus and comes topped with creamy mayonnaise and sour-and-sweet ume plum sauce.

Originally served during the summer season in Japan, Hiyashi Gyoza (Bt155) are cold dumplings stuffed with chicken thigh and topped with concentrated and gelatinous dashi broth. The broth is made from dried kombu (edible kelp) and shavings of bonito to ensure a pleasant savoury taste. For an added kick, squeeze a lemon slice on top of gyoza before eating.

Liquid sustenance comes in the form of Original Sanuki Udon with dashi broth and gyoza (Bt219). The sanuki udon is characterised by its square shape and flat edge and is imported from Marugame in Kagawa Prefecture, Yuichi’s hometown.

Those who can’t go without rice can sample the Hotate Pilaf – baked rice cooked with scallop, sweet corn and shitake mushroom in dashi broth. 

Gyoza sets with either udon noodle or pilaf are also available. Worth checking out is the Udon-Ebi set (Bt275) featuring udon noodle and ebi gyoza filled with tiger prawn, water chestnut and shiso leaves. The Pilaf-Ninniku set (Bt255) has baked rice and ninniku gyoza with a chicken thigh, garlic and chives stuffing and is served with grated daikon and house dressing – a mixture of shoyu and ponzu. 

 

 

TWICE AS NICE

>>Teraoka Gyoza is on the ground floor of Siam Paragon. It’s open daily from 10 to 10. Call (02) 610 7676.