Gyoza King (Tanjong Pagar): where my gyoza high continues

I met up with my foodie friend Franny for a catch up lunch in Singapore. She asked whether I felt like having gyoza, burger or ramen, and I opted for the dumplings because I was still on a gyoza high and thought it would be a good point for comparison.

She took me to Keisuke Gyoza King in Orchid Hotel, the fifth restaurant of the infamous ramen champion Keisuke Takeda in Singapore.

The place is tiny. The counter-style seating takes less than 20 punters during service, but the efficiency is apparent, which is possibly why there are always long queues outside.

Condiments come aplenty and you can have as much beansprouts and pickled cabbage as you like.

Gyoza King’s dry seasoning, made with sesame seeds, bonito flakes, and other delicious stuff was a revelation. I could seriously eat rice with this. If only my nanny made this when I was growing up, I probably wouldn’t have had difficulty feeding and finishing my food.

The lunch set is way too cheap to believe. You get gyoza, a bowl of rice (in small, regular, large & extra large at no extra cost), two side dishes, a bowl of miso, and all you can eat beansprouts and pickled cabbage. All for less than SG$14. That’s roughly £8. Incredible. Our bill came up to less than SG$40!

I ordered the pork gyoza while F got the prawns. Their gyozas are a bit smaller than Gyoza-ya’s, but have the same type of searing on one side. Gyoza King’s filling is said to have been made with the same broth they use for their famous tonkotsu ramen. Knowing this, my pork filling wasn’t as juicy as I’d imagined but it had full on flavour which I enjoyed. F’s prawn filling was delicious, too and if I’m being honest, I think I liked it better.

I had tori kara-age for my side. This was just okay. I’ve had better deep fried chicken elsewhere. (Please pardon the lack of focus. I blame my hunger).

I couldn’t pass up another bout of agedashi tofu. Whilst it definitely had substance, I wish the batter had a bit more of a crisp to it. The sauce was a bit gloopy but had decent pork flavour.

Overall, the gyoza stood out more than anything else which is a relief for any establishment claiming specialities. I liked Gyoza-Ya’s pork gyoza better but Gyoza King’s prawn gyozas are worth coming back for. And that dry seasoning? I seriously wanted to nick the damn thing.

The full meal experience was made awesome by the fact that 1) food was really tasty; 2) the lunch set is very good value for money; 3) service was efficient; and 4) I shared it with my dear friend F. The place is worth a visit, though I pray you won’t have to queue long.

Keisuke Gyoza King
1 Tras Link, #01-15, Orchid Hotel, Singapore 078867 | +65 6604 6674

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