It’s been about a year since a friend took me to Kouju for the first time.
“This place has mouth-watering gyoza, so we should go,” he convincingly asserted. I obliged, honestly not really expecting much. It wasn’t so much that I doubted him, it was just that so many places said to have great gyoza all seem to be very similar. I’ve been dragged somewhat reluctantly to places saying, “Oh, it’s delicious,” to satisfy my host and then rarely return a second time. But Kouju was a completely different animal!
I have a studio in Chinatown, where gyoza is in abundance, but a few times a month I hop in the car and drive to Idogaya to get my fix at Kouju. Everytime, I polish off three plates minimum of the luscious dumplings. That’s how absolutely delicious it is.