Orchard Road may be one of the best shopping streets in Singapore but do you also know you can find a great selection of Japanese restaurants here that offer some of the best gyozas in town?
From Gyoza no Ohsho (Cuppage Plaza), Ramen Santouka (Cuppage Terrace) and Uma Uma Ramen (Forum The Shopping Mall) to Ippudo (Mandarin Gallery) and Gyoza-Ya (Robinsons Orchard, ION Orchard & The Paragon) – you can easily get your dumpling fix anytime while indulging in retail therapy. Well that is if you’re a big gyoza fan like me, lol.
One of my preferred gyoza places to go is Gyoza-Ya at Robinsons Orchard @ The Heeren, B1 (same floor as the Home & Living section of the store). They don’t just serve conventional dumplings but special ones too. And the best part? Prices are pretty affordable.
These were what we ordered for two. Portions weren’t huge for the carb dishes which meant we could have a bit more variety.
The Age Hotate Ika (S$4.80) were basically deep-fried scallop & squid paste in bite-sized cubes. Texture and flavour were exactly the same as that of regular squid balls. These were quite dry but still pretty tasty.
The Soboro Ankake Tofu (S$4.80) consisted of deep-fried bite-sized cubes of wobbly silken tofu topped with a savoury minced meat sauce. The meat sauce wasn’t as robust-tasting as the one from Itacho Sushi but this was still quite enjoyable especially when paired with rice.
The Boiled Dumpling with Pork (S$4.80) was just like the Chinese-style sui kow (水饺) but doused with a white miso sauce that was salty, savoury and a little tangy. Very appetising. I liked that the skin wasn’t too thick and that it still had a stretchy texture. Pork filling was well seasoned and tasty too.
Pan-Fried Dumplings with Mentaiko Miso (top, S$8.80) and Cheese (bottom, S$5.80) were the highlight of our meal. Just look at that! Already looked so delicious even before we sank our teeth into them, lol.
The mentaiko miso was salty as usual but it was packed with this umami rich flavour. On the other hand, the cheese that tasted like fresh cheddar was slightly milder in taste. The inside of the gyoza was simply juicy. The skin had a nice springy texture and the filling was compact (no hollow ones!).
You really have to be a mentaiko and/or cheese fan to be able to appreciate these two types of gyoza because each flavour is quite overpowering and will mask the original flavour of the gyoza. To avoid getting sickly too quickly, pair them with the gyoza sauce and shredded ginger provided.
The Ninniku Yaki Meshi or Japanese Garlic Fried Rice (S$5.80) looked like a very ordinary fried rice but it really blew me away because it had so much wok hei in it. There were a lot of crispy garlic bits that really added a lot of fragrance to the rice. It was so good on its own, I didn’t even need to pair it with anything else. Could easily eat another portion of this.
The Special Pork Bone Soup with Ramen (S$6.80) with an added egg (S$1.60) was better than I expected. The broth was very flavoursome. Noodles were very springy. And the thickly sliced braised pork belly was so soft and tender – it really reminded me of my Grandma’s Teochew-style braised pork.
And that egg with a luscious runny yolk was so perfectly marinated too. This bowl was ramen was so satisfying and comforting!
Iced green tea was S$1 per glass. All prices are subject to 10% service charge and 7% GST.
This is definitely the place to come for good-tasting gyozas. And don’t forget to bulk up your meal with that delicious garlic fried rice and that delectable ramen too. Tummies satisfied. ???
Gyoza-Ya Locations
260 Orchard Road
#B1-02A Robinsons Heeren
Singapore 238855
Tel: +65 6737 5581
2 Orchard Turn
#B4-56 ION Orchard
Singapore 238801
Tel: +65 6509 4647
290 Orchard Road
#B1-43 The Paragon
Singapore 238859
Tel: +65 6235 0383
Operating hours: 11.30am to 10.00pm daily
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/gyozaya.sg
Website: http://www.gyozaya.com.sg