Pink Tea Latte: Gyoza Bar's New Weekend Brunch

Bacon 'n Egg Ramen

It is no secret that I am obsessed with Brunch so when I heard Gyoza Bar launched their very own brunch menu, you know I had to try it! Known for their namesake Gyozas, the West Pender eatery is actually owned by the same people who run Miku which is Vancouver's premier luxury sushi bar. So just like their sushi counterpart, the food at Gyoza Bar is nothing short of phenomenal.

I have popped into Gyoza Bar for lunch many times in the past and have always left with a satisfied full belly. I also happen to be obsessed with pan-fried gyoza, so obviously I am a happy chickadee there.

Since Gyoza Bar is a Japanese restaurant, it was important for Head Chef Woo Jin Kim to develop a brunch menu that was rooted in Japanese flavours. For me, I felt he really achieved his goals and struck a fine balance between Japanese cuisine and Western Brunch culture.

Brunch has steadily gained popularity in Vancouver, so we wanted to do our own take, but with a Japanese influence. We focused on savoury comfort food flavours.

It seems like Gurleen and cocktails now go hand-in-hand, so I had both of their brunch cocktails - the Komosa and the Strawberry Pistachio Frozen Cocktail. The Komosa was made with campari, orange juice and lemon ginger kombucha while the Strawberry Pistachio Frozen had rose and gin. Of the two, I prefer the Strawberry Pistachio as it was a refreshing drink and I could really taste the real strawberries that were used. The Komosa though very beautiful had a strong alcohol taste and I prefer sweeter more fruity tasting ones.

The Pulled Pork Bao Benny is by no means a traditional eggs benedict. Fluffy baos were filled with sweet pulled pork, maple miso hollandaise and a picture perfect poached egg. It came with a side of traditional pickled jalapeño + onion + cauliflower + radishes as well as some crispy potatoes topped with togarashi spiced kimchi corn hash and tsukemono. I loved how the baos were seared until they got golden and crispy, but I wish the same crispy texture carried over to the potatoes because they were really soft.

My favourite dish was the Okonomiyaki and Chicken Karaage. It was everything I love, sweet, sticky, savoury and a diverse mix of flavours. In a cast iron skillet comes a lovely soft savoury Japanese pancake that is topped with sweet and sour soy glazed chicken, a sunny side up egg, asian slaw and a generous drizzle of both tarter sauce and Japanese barbecue sauce. I know there is a lot going on, but trust me, it is delicious because nothing can beat crispy fried chicken and savoury pancakes. I also loved the addition of pickled onions as it counterbalanced the sweetness of the other sauce.

At this point I was getting very full, but I still had the Bacon 'n Egg Ramen to go! Long ribbony ramen noodles were in a smoked soy chicken broth topped with crispy bacon, green onion, corn , pea shoots and a sunny side up egg. The addition of the crispy bacon strip and sunny side up egg really made it look like a breakfast ramen. The broth had a nice deep rich flavour and their noodles were spot on. The egg yolk coated the noodles making them silky and yummy.

Of course, I was not going to leave without dessert and so I tucked into a mochi stuffed with ice cream that was then finished with strawberry sauce. I am not a big mochi person, but I really did love this particular one and definitely see myself ordering it again.

Thank you for having me over Gyoza Bar for your new Brunch Menu! Chef Woo Jin Kim said they are still working on the menu and will be adding more dishes to it in the future. Hoping to see a cool breakfast gyoza, how good would that be!

BYES