For this week’s edition of Throwback Thursday we go back exactly six years to the hustle and bustle of ‘training day’ at the soon-to-open Gyoza Bar on West Pender Street.

Six years isn’t too long ago so I still vividly remember Seigo Nakamura’s third Vancouver restaurant (see also Miku, Minami) being something of a crazy hive that day, buzzing with high energy as the formed-before-our-eyes front and back of house teams began to coalesce over the food they’d be serving the following day to their first customers. For service staff it’s a special time, having dishes explained as you and your tablemates attack them with savage glee, huddled shoulder to shoulder with comrades-in-arms who were complete strangers just a few minutes previously. There’s typically only ever one day like this in the entire lifespan of a restaurant. I was glad to catch this one and even sneak a few bites…

Gyoza Bar

Neighbourhood: Downtown

622 West Pender St.

604-336-5563

WEBSITE