Tokyo: Ramen & Gyoza Cooking Class with Pro Chef

4.99

(122 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

“In Utsunomiya, we say you can’t eat just one gyoza,” our chef grinned, sliding a tray of dumpling wrappers across the table. I’d never folded a single dumpling before, but his hands moved so quickly it was almost hypnotic—like he was playing some secret instrument. The kitchen smelled like toasted sesame oil and something warm, maybe soy or ginger. I tried to copy his fold and… well, mine looked more like a tiny pillow than anything you’d see in a Tokyo restaurant. He laughed (“Not bad! But maybe next time—more pinch, less squish!”) and showed me again, slower this time.

I didn’t expect to get so into the details—like how the ramen eggs need that perfect jammy yolk, or how the chashu has to be sliced just right. There were little bowls everywhere: spring onions, seaweed, wood ear mushroom (which I’d only ever seen in soups before). We talked about his time running restaurants abroad; he told us about late nights in Melbourne kitchens and how ramen is different in every city. There was this moment when the noodles hit the broth and everyone just went quiet for a second—the steam fogged my glasses up, which made me laugh because nobody else seemed to notice.

The whole thing took maybe two hours but felt shorter somehow. It was all indoors (thankfully—the humidity outside was brutal), and we had cold drinks while we worked. When we finally sat down to eat our homemade ramen and those five little gyoza (mine still lopsided), it honestly tasted better than any bowl I’d had at a shop. Maybe it’s just because I made it myself—or maybe it was the way our chef kept telling stories between steps. Either way, I still think about that first bite sometimes.