Bariron

Bite into Bariron’s grilled gyoza and the chunky pieces of diced pork stand out from the usual minced filling. The signature hand-wrapped “steak gyoza” is described as having pieces of meat about 3 times the usual size. Carefully selected pork is cut into cubes, while the filling uses just two vegetables: Japanese-grown ginger and Chinese cabbage. Diners have remarked on the satisfying amount of meat and the juices released with each bite. Served with rice, the browned dumplings make a substantial lunch; a Tochigi rice set is another option.

The boiled gyoza offer a different take, with varieties including yuzu and ginger, mala, shrimp, scallop and walnut curry. The menu specifies sakura shrimp and sweet-tasting vannamei shrimp in the shrimp gyoza, and scallop adductor muscle in the scallop version. Coriander gyoza are available grilled or boiled. One diner found that the herb’s fresh accent worked well with the meat’s robust flavour in the grilled version. Start with the classic grilled gyoza, then add a different variety to compare the contrasting textures and flavours.

There is more to the meal than gyoza: skewers and small plates make it easy to linger over drinks. Options include pork belly with ginger and chicken neck with coarsely grated daikon and ponzu. Mentaiko potato salad and chicken skin with herb vegetables and tartar sauce are among the small plates. The drinks list ranges from draft beer and house-made lemon sour to sake and wine. At Tokyo Station, you can keep lunch simple with grilled gyoza and rice, or take your time over dumplings, a few small plates and a drink.