Kaminari Gyoza (Los Angeles, CA)

Kaminari Gyoza
323 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.265.7351
www.toasttab.com/kaminari-gyoza/v3/
Wed 05/18/2022, 08:00p-09:00p





I'm quite the fan of fried chicken, and a place that'd been on my list to check out was Kabuto in Little Tokyo. The eatery debuted back in September 2019, but sadly, closed due to the pandemic, before I could even try it. Now I was curious as to what ended up replacing the business, and turns out that it's actually a gyoza specialist by the name of Kaminari (雷, or thunder). The restaurant opened for takeout on May 2nd, and comes to us from Shigemitsu "Shige" Fujii, who curiously enough, was actually the owner of Kabuto. It's not clear why Fujii decided to switch concepts, but given that he hails from the city of Utsunomiya (宇都宮), the undisputed gyoza capital of Japan, I suppose the pivot makes sense. Since I'm also quite the fan of dumplings (of all sorts), I decided to order some food to-go from them.


Shown above is Kaminari's menu, which, much to my delight, is squarely focused on gyoza, with nary any distractions. Beverage-wise, you'll find a small selection of beers and sakes, which are available for takeaway as well. Click for a larger version.




Pork / Yaki [$8.50] | Ground Pork, Cabbage, Nira Chive, and Onion / 6 pieces Pan Fried Gyoza. Served with Gyoza Sauce and Choice of One Additional Sauce on the Side.
It seemed right to begin with yaki-gyoza (焼き餃子), the most prototypical preparation, and they were just what I was looking for. I liked the interplay between the dumplings' crispy bottoms and their supple, steamed topsides, while taste-wise, I got that familiar porky savor offset by the brightness of the veggies. Note also the pig doodle on the packaging, which was cute touch (and repeated for other proteins, as seen below).



Shrimp / Sui [$9.50] | Ground Shrimp, Nira Chive, and Egg White / 5 pieces Boiled Gyoza with Clear Pork Soup, and Green Onion. Served with Homemade Chili Oil on the Side.
Sui-gyoza (水餃子) possessed fine, silky wrappers, while their shrimp filling was satisfyingly textured, with a forcefully conveyed brine that linked up beautifully with the umami from the seaweed. The broth, meanwhile, did a great job commingling the kombu with just enough porkiness, and the dish was even better with a dash of the included chili oil.


To pair with the gyoza, I brought along a bottle of old ale, the 2013 The Bruery Bois Aged in New American Oak Barrels. The beer has a relatively restrained nose of chocolate and prunes, backed by a candied, malty character. On the palate, I found plenty of oak, along with stewed fruits, toffee, brown sugar, light baking spice, and a touch of mustiness that worked for me.




Shrimp / Age [$9.50] | Ground Shrimp, Nira Chive, and Egg White / 6 pieces Deep Fried Gyoza. Served with Gyoza Sauce and Choice of One Additional Sauce on the Side.
Shrimp made another appearance in the age-gyoza (揚げ餃子). Again, the texture on the shrimp was better than most, and stood up well to the crispiness of the wrappers, while their salinity was well presented and nicely offset by the chives. I got a bit of piquancy from those chili threads, too.



Pork / Sui [$8.50] | Ground Pork, Cabbage, Nira Chive, and Onion / 5 pieces Boiled Gyoza with Clear Pork Soup, and Green Onion. Served with Homemade Chili Oil on the Side.
Compared with the boiled shrimp dumplings above, these were much more "Chinese-y," which much stronger herbal notes and even slipperier skins. As for the broth, I found it heady yet light, effortlessly augmenting the dumplings' inherent savoriness.


There are a number of dipping sauces available at Kaminari, and I ended up opting for these three. Clock-wise from lower-right:

• Homemade Chili Oil– The rayu offered up a dry, nutty, herbal spice that was pretty potent.
• Sweet & Chili– A bit sweet, a bit sour, with a palpable undercurrent of heat.
• Sriracha Mayo– Creamy and sweet at first blush, but giving way to a growing burn.

Chicken / Age [$8.50] | Ground Chicken, Cabbage, Nira Chive, and Onion / 6 pieces Deep Fried Gyoza. Served with Gyoza Sauce and Choice of One Additional Sauce on the Side.
The chicken, unsurprisingly, showed off a milder flavor profile compared to the pork, while the zesty, bitter nature of the greens was more apparent. Again, the texture on the wrappers was spot-on: pleasingly firm, but not overly so, with crispy edges.



Vegan / Yaki Bento [$13.30] | Impossible Pork made from Plants, Cabbage, Nira Chive, Onion, and Shiitake Mushroom / 6 pieces Gyoza Bento, Choice of Style: YAKI or AGE, Choice of Gyoza with Rice, Spaghetti, Vegetables, Spring Roll, and Pickles. Served with Gyoza Sauce on the Side.
I also made sure to sample the vegan gyoza. The "meat" was a reasonable facsimile of pork, though not quite as robustly flavored, but still worked rather well as a filling for the thin-skinned dumplings. The included spring roll, edamame, and takuan were nothing to write home about, but served their role. I was actually more impressed by the yukari-topped Koshihikari rice, which had just the right amount of stickiness.


I believe this was my first time having gyoza with spaghetti, and it seems like a somewhat odd combo. That being said, the pasta was decent, arriving surprisingly al dente, with a somewhat curry-esque seasoning.


Even more unexpected were these roasted potatoes, which I found pleasantly herby and homey.

I have an affinity for restaurants that focus on only one dish, and Kaminari fits that bill nicely. In fact, I don't think there's any other spot in LA that specializes in just gyoza. I didn't really have any complaints about the dumplings, and if I lived in Downtown, I think this place would be on my rotation. Fujii and his team do plan on opening for on-site dining soon, so do be on the lookout for that.