TOKYO: Tiger Gyoza タイガー餃子会館

I've always been a fan of dumplings, I remember as a child badgering my mom to cook dumpling ( suigow ) for me almost every week. In fact I pride myself in making the BEST dumpling ( suigow) ... in Adelaide. Haha.

I make them better than dumpling king and dumpling are us. Because I put some really special ingredients inside hehehehehehehhehe. 

Stumbled across this chinese dumpling chain store in Hiroo and I immediately recognised it! I believe this chain store is pretty popular amongst Japanese and tourists alike and they have multiple chains around Tokyo. 

As a fellow dumpling maker, how can I not try another competitor's dumplings?! :p Sun zi art of wars states 知己知彼百战百胜 right?!

First up; Dan dan spicy gyoza 

6 for 580yen

This really reminds me of chao shous, and I love chao shous.

This dumpling is Nick's favourite of the lot!

Second up; Coriander gyoza 

6 for 580yen

This is MY favourite of the lot ! I honestly didn't know coriander matches so well with dumplings!

left: pan fried tomato and cheese 6 for 680yen - I call this Italian style dumpling. I thought it tasted abit weird. Maybe it's just because I'm not used to gyoza tasting like that. But hey, as my dad always say, food is experimental :p

Right: Pan fried plump gyoza 6 for 750yen - SO GOOD.

My recommendation for you, in my order of preference, 1) Coriander Gyoza 2) Dan dan spicy gyoza 3) Pan fried plump gyoza

You have to order a minimum of 1 plate per customer, so unfortunately if you came in a family of 4, you can't just order 2 serves. They WILL tell you in your face that they do  not want your business ( Trust me, we tried lol First hand experience) 

Tiger Gyoza ( click here for website) 

multiple locations across shibuya, asakusa, hiroo - please don't just free leech places to eat leh; do some googling too :p 

TOKYO: Hiroo Onogi 広尾 小野木

One of the questions I hate being asked most is : what is your hobby?

Everytime when someone ask me that my brain goes into a fumble and I'm just there telling myself " okay you got this, just make up something. Anything will do. Just something"

Usually I'll say ... " yeah... I like baking "

Which is semi-true. I do like baking, and I think I bake quite decently, but I hate washing up, hence... I don't really bake lol. 

So to be honest, I don't know if you can call it a hobby because a hobby is something you do enjoying doing, and you do it quite frequently. 

To be honest, for the last few years, I've always considered myself hobby-less. Because I'm super boring, and watching tv or streaming variety shows/drama online is not a hobby, it doesn't value add to anything, it is called being a couch potato ):

But over the last year, I've been observing my actions subconsciously and I realised.. Hey, there is really something I enjoy, and it is quite beneficial to both me as well as my friends. And that is instagram surfing for good food :D 

People like to tell me " Wah, you're very good! all the restaurants you recommend are all nice! " yeah... just like everything else, I didn't just dream of those places, I actually put aside 15 mins of my life before bedtime to instasurf lol

Nick and I have always loved Izakaya. Previously I've always imagined izakayas to be those hole in the wall establishments and where I decrease my life span by 5-10 years because of all the second hand smoke in there. And all my cillia's suffocating and they can't in a beating motion bring up all the dirt in my lungs anymore :o 

SO.  I found this Izakaya whilst instasurfing. First day into their website and I was impressed! There's an option for both japanese and english yay. Don't have to try and find familiar chinese characters and make out their meanings anymore :D And the restaurant looks really nice! 

AND THE MENU!!!!!!

CHECK IT OUT. 

SOLD. I TOLD NICK, THAT'S IT. I'm making a booking.

There's ala carte option as well as Omakase. We went for the ala carte option.

Potato Salad with smoked cheese 850yen

Queen crab, sea urchin and salmon roe 4500yen - THIS DISH IS SO GOOD, YOU HAVE TO ORDER IT

Fresh jumbo oysters from hokkaido topped with jelly1500yen

Just look at how plump and huge the oyster is! Guess what Jelly it is. Smack you if you say it's ponzu jelly, please be more educated ok, now the trend it katsuo daishi jelly. Katsuo is a type of tuna, you may be more familiar I mention bonito flakes. Bonito = katsuo :D

Sashimi 5 types 4900yen

Grilled shitake mushroom 1200yen

Grilled kelp grouper head 3900yen

Akagi beef rump steak from gunma 3900yen

Special Japanese black hair beef

And ending off the meal with Onogi's signature pot rice with lobster 3500yen

This rice is so flavourful I can't even. It's probably my favourite dish of the night!

Together with 3 beer, 1 umeshu and 1 highball, the bill didn't exactly come very cheap;it was 390,000yen. But I assure you, if you wanted to spoil yourself one night in a upmarket izakaya, THIS IS THE ONE RESTAURANT YOU SHOULD GO TO!

Hiroo Onogi 広尾 小野木 ( click for website)

150-0012 東京都渋谷区広尾5-8-11 BARBIZON22 2F 03-6447-7657. 2F BARBIZON22 5-8-11 HIROO, SHIBUYA-KU TOKYO 150-0012 JAPAN +81 3-6447-7657.
 close on sunday and national holidays 
Monday to Friday 6pm - 1am 
Saturday 6pm -12 midnight