Gyoza Bar - The Name Says It All!

You know how your go out for sushi and order gyoza as a starter and then maybe you get three to share between the two of you and you're always left wanting more?? Ok, maybe this is just a problem for me....do let me know.  Anyway, I've found the solution!Tucked away in a tiny covered pedestrian walkway just off the bustling Boulevard Montmarte in the 2nd, is my latest Parisian tryst.  It's a starkly modern space set among stamp and autograph collector shops and ornate bistros.  Not what you'd expect here, sort of dark and moody compared to the surroundings, but worth seeking out.  I've tried to come here before but my timing was always off. For me this is a lunch spot or maybe a stop on the way home after a couple of glasses of wine.  I've never been in the area when either of these situations struck!  But this trip, my hotel is within easy walking distance and I had a day to myself, so lunch here was top of my agenda.I arrived just after 1pm and there was a line out front, but it moved quickly and allowed me time to watch the characters walking by and the many chic ladies out on their lunch breaks. Within 15 minutes I had a seat at one of the 12 stools at the horseshoe shaped bar and a view of the cooking operation - simply 4 griddles (sort of like industrial strength George Foreman grills) onto which row after row of Japanese gyoza were placed.  You choose either 8 gyoza or 12 and can order a bowl of steamed rice with it.  I opted for 12 (yes, I am a greedy girl), ate the small bowl they gave me of bean sprouts tossed with toasted sesame oil, and waited.Soon enough my platter of 12 pork gyoza, Desnoyer pork, if you please, simply seasoned with fresh ginger, chilies and spring onions, was presented.  They were delightfully crusty on the outside, lovely and juicy on the inside, the pastry thin, the meat tasty.  With the soy dipping sauce it really was the perfect meal.  Oh, and I ordered a Pokka tea - a Japanese brand iced tea served in a can. They had either green or oolong tea and it was fantastic! None of the syrupy, flavored crap that so often gets put into iced tea.  Really, just the perfect accompaniment.Within half an hour I'd paid my 11 Euros and was back out on the street (Galleries Lafayette my next stop).  The perfect little sojourn on a perfect afternoon.Gyoza Bar                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 56, passage des Panoramas                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       75002 Paris                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 t: 01 44 82 00 62