Will we eat the gyoza or our words at this all-you-can-eat dumpling challenge?

One of our writers seeks to redeem himself at this all-you-can-eat gyoza deal for 2,000 yen (US$12.40).

Just two months ago, our Japanese-language reporters P.K. Sanjun and Ahiruneko challenged themselves to see if Mister Donut’s 2,000-yen all-you-can-eat donut buffet deal was worth it or not. While both of them came out ahead, Ahiruneko was seriously close to being KO’d with a food coma. Enough time has passed since then that the pair were ready to take on a new challenge with all-you-can-eat gyoza.

▼ P.K. (left) and Ahiruneko (right)

Shibuya Gyoza’s 2,000-yen all-you-can-eat gyoza deal (time limit: 2 hours) was the subject of this next test as they wanted to see if the price was justified. A single serving size there costs 350 yen, so they’d get their money’s worth if they could each finish the equivalent of six servings.

Out of the three locations of Shibuya Gyoza in the Tokyo area, our writers headed to the one in Nishishinjuku on a weekday lunch for this challenge.

They could choose from pan-fried gyoza, boiled gyoza, and deep-fried gyoza, with each serving containing five gyoza. Perhaps in an effort to rile them up, a staff member mentioned that a customer had once eaten 200 gyoza during a single visit.

For his part, Ahiruneko was brimming with confidence as they sat down. He claimed that the fact that gyoza aren’t sweet should make this one easy for him. Let’s see if he’ll eat his gyoza–or his words–this time.

He was so confident, in fact, that they collectively ordered six servings of pan-fried gyoza (30 total), three servings of boiled gyoza (15 total), and one serving of deep-fried gyoza (five total) right off the bat.

All of them were solid entries. The pan-fried gyoza in particular were fried to the perfect level of crispiness, and their thin wrappers resulted in a fairly light feeling.

On the other hand, the boiled dumplings had more markedly pronounced wrappers that screamed “CARBS!” They were smooth and went down easily, but they were the kind that you could definitely feel starting to accumulate in your stomach.

The challenge was proceeding swimmingly as they slowly but steadily cleared the plates. They even ordered another four servings of pan-fried gyoza to save time while finishing the first round. P.K. in particular was feeling very confident of the ensuing victory to come.

…That is, until he noticed his hands beginning to slow down.

Ahiruneko, meanwhile, seemed to be completely frozen. He was muttering something incomprehensible with a blank look in his eyes. P.K. leaned in to hear him better.

▼ “It’s so weird because I can usually eat more at home…”

▼ “I always make 100 of them at home!”

▼ “Maybe the ones at home are a little bit smaller…LOL”

Sheesh. P.K. had no time for his excuses. He just wanted them to destroy all of the evidence.

By the time the second round arrived, Ahiruneko’s hands had completely stopped moving. P.K. estimated that out of the 50 or so gyoza they’d eaten so far, the ratio of ones he had eaten versus Ahiruneko was 3:2. He was irritated to see him playing around on his phone instead of eating…only to then learn that he had ordered a draft beer.

Ahiruneko claimed that because gyoza and beer are a match made in heaven, he would be able to eat even more by washing them down with the drink. He chugged some down and P.K. looked on in eager anticipation.

But afterwards, Ahiruneko only stared blankly at his plate. What was with that earlier display of bravado?!

In the end, P.K. took the lead and managed to polish off most of the remaining gyoza by himself before throwing in the towel. They had collectively cleared 14 servings, meaning that it was a savings of 450 yen per person.

Leaving the restaurant, P.K. couldn’t even feel how full he was–he was too focused on how full of baloney his coworker was. He fears that Ahiruneko’s blankly staring face will haunt his memory for the rest of his life. Ahiruneko will now have a very uphill battle if he ever wants to truly redeem himself in all of his big-eater coworkers‘ eyes.

Restaurant information
Shibuya Gyoza Shinjuku West Exit branch / 渋谷餃子 新宿西口店
Address: Tokyo-to, Shinjuku-ku, Nishishinjuku 1-15-8 Atlas Nishishinjuku Building 2nd floor
東京都新宿区西新宿 1-15-8 アトラス西新宿ビル 2F
Open: 11:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m. (weekdays), 12 p.m.-11:30 p.m. (Saturdays), 12 p.m.-11 p.m. (Sundays)

Photos © SoraNews24
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