Gyoza in Takayama

If you’re ever in Japan and find yourself in Takayama, you must try gyoza (Japanese dumplings) at a tiny joint called Dekonaru Yokoto in the Takayama Machinako Food Stall Village. There is a good reason why, beside its size (2 tables and 4 bar seats), there is a line outside. It’s worth the wait.

You place the order while waiting outside, so everything flows better. This is a 2-people operation: the girl takes orders and cleans the tables, and the guy cooks. We ordered a variety plate and were blown away, and we were blown away by the textures, flavours, and presentation. Pork, beef, chicken and veggie types were all distinct and flavourful, and the dough was thin and melted in the mouth. We had to have more. Our encore was gyoza stuffed with beef but also wrapped in most tender slices of Hida beef. People at the table next to us had rib gyoza: each rib separate, covered with the gyoza dough, so basically you picked up each by the bone and eat the dumpling with the rib inside. I know, that’s a bit of an overkill, but we could tell that the guy enjoyed his feast as much as we did ours. Highly recommended.