Japanese Pan-Fried Dumplings at Xiaohe Gyoza, Topwin Center

Japanese Pan-Fried Dumplings Save the Hungry Lunch Masses at Xiaohe Gyoza, Topwin Center

Tracy Wang, Senior Editor | Mar 30, 2018 1:00 pm | Add a comment | 2684 reads

No matter how hard the mainstream media promotes the benefits of a slow, relaxed lifestyle, not everyone can sit down and enjoy a three-hour, five-course lunch every day. Most of us have to dash to some local eatery nearby the office, gulp down food, and head back to our back/finger-breaking work until sunset. It might sound miserable, but if the lunch is delicious, it might save the day. Xiaohe is such a place.

Located in the basement of Topwin Center, Xiaohe gets extremely busy during lunchtime, which is why we visited out of peak ours. The dining space is relatively small and adopts an izakaya style – it's relatively dark but a warmly-lit, a narrow bar stretches around the chef’s table, several small wooden tables sit in the middle, and four booths are lined up along the wall.

The short menu features two types of gyoza: Tokyo dumplings (RMB 18 for seven, or RMB 48 for 20) and shiso dumplings (RMB 22 for seven, or RMB 58 for 20). There are also eight lunch sets (RMB 35-89) including fried chicken, beef, fried shrimps, grilled mackerel, and eel, with rice, salad, soup, and cold dishes.

Gyoza, or Japanese-style pan-fried dumplings, are believed to have originated when Japanese soldiers returned home from Manchuria after Second World War, bringing jiaozi with them. Xiaohe's Tokyo variety feature a thin wrapper pan-fried to perfection and a sturdy filling of pork and vegetables. Dip in vinegar and watch these juicy morsels disappear in seconds.

Their teriyaki chicken set (RMB 39), meanwhile, is a well-priced Japanese lunch set for around Sanlitun and comes packed with a hot bowl of miso soup, a small salad, boiled bean sprouts, and a bowl of rice. The chicken was tender and well-seasoned with teriyaki sauce. Though not as fancy as what you might find at other nearby Japanese restaurants, this rendition was hearty and left us full without even nearing a red Mao, which along with its other well-priced fare will have us coming back at lunchtime again and again.