Daikaya

I had lunch at Daikaya with my colleagues  David and Charlotte on 5-24-17. I had been meaning to go here forever and I’m so glad I finally did. The food was fantastic!

Atmosphere: 4 out of 5
Food & Drink: 5 out 5

How cute is this place?! The restaurant is kind of tiny but it has an almost electric vibe that is really fun.

They don’t take reservations so when I arrived I put my name on the list and was told there would be a 25 minute wait.  In the end we waited less than 10 minutes and were seated at the counter.

The only drawback of sitting there that it was kind of hot and by the end I sweating–or maybe that was from the delicious ramen!

Spicy miso ramen (shiro miso). The menu describes this as having balance, depth, and complexity and man are they right. It was fantastic. When I took my first bite I literally said, “Oh my god this is good!” I also added the menma (soy and ramen stock simmered bamboo), which was so much more flavorful than expected. It was savory, spicy, and so delicious.

Gyoza (pan fried dumpling with pork and cabbage filling). I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say these were the best gyoza I’d ever had. They were perfectly cooked with a slight crispiness outside but still relatively soft overall. Then the flavor was outstanding: they were well-balanced with a slight tang. Also the sauce was amazing and I could seriously just drink it straight.

Overall this was a delicious lunch. If it weren’t for the fact I was sweating so much I’d say it was perfect for a work lunch given how relatively quick it was. Regardless I can’t wait to go back and try to izakaya upstairs!