The theme of the Japan Blog Matsuri this month is Japanese Drinks and one drink in particular sprang to mind …
We were staying in a nice little hotel opposite a fire station.
On out first night there we went looking for someplace nice to eat. My wife had read about a good gyoza restaurant nearby.
I had eaten gyoza back home in Ireland and paid a small fortune for the privilege. Good Japanese food is not cheap once you go outside Japan.
We found after just a few minutes walking, it was quite close to the hotel.
gyoza restaurant
And I had worked up a thirst. I didn’t want a glass of wine ( even though I often enjoy one )
I needed a beer. I wanted to start with (at least!) half a litre of nicely chilled Japanese beer and a huge plate full of fried gyoza ((焼き餃子).
Frying is better than boiling or steaming because it feels more unhealthy and is therefore much more pleasurable.
This restaurant was gyoza heaven.
We were the only people there and it already seemed half full. There were only 4 or 5 tables in total, so when my wife mentioned that there were frequently queues outside at lunch time it was easy to believe.
She studied the menu like a military commander and ordered what seemed like one of everything – prawn, vegetable, pork, all handmade behind the tiny counter that the 2 staff worked at.
I took the opportunity to flex my puny nihongo muscles and ordered my beer. I wasn’t picky. In fact I don’t even remember
what kind of beer I asked for. Something Japanese I’m certain. The waiter / chef / owner asked with hand gestures if I wanted a large or small.
Could he not see the sweat on my brow? The only way I wasn’t getting a large beer was if they had an option for “huge” on the menu.
At first I was a little frustrated that he didn’t come back immediately with the beer. The sizzling tray of pork gyoza was first to arrive and as thirsty as I was, the power of those savoury parcels could not be undone.
Boiled and fried gyoza along with some veggie side dishes
We tucked in to crispy delicious food and before we had eaten more than 1 or 2 each another tray arrived sizzling enough to drown out the mouth-full mumbles of “Oishii”
And then I saw the beer.
A tall heavy glass with a handle and what looked like a strange design on the outside of the glass.
Ice cold in Tokyo
It turns out the only thing on the glass was a beer company logo and a crisp layer of ice.
They had not only chilled the beer but had left the glass itself in the freezer, allowing a frozen coating to build up inside and out.
Even my non beer drinking wife was impressed.
I tilted my glass and poured some of this ambrosia down my throat. The meeting of the frozen glass and the beer had left tiny invisible ice crystals that melted the instant they reached my mouth.
Worth waiting for
Beery rapture. Ice cold bliss.
I relished eating my way through ギョーザ after gyoza just to build up the need for a refreshing drink.
This is one of the greatest, most refreshing drinks I’ve ever had. But don’t trust my opinion because I did get a little bit drunk that evening 
