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Gyoza King

1508 Robson St., Vancouver, 604-669-8278. Dinner for two, with beer, tax and tip, $45.

When a colleague visiting from Toronto asked me to recommend a cheap Chinese diner to satisfy the midnight munchies, I was momentarily stumped.

Sure, there are several greasy spoons in Vancouver's East End, where you can order a pot of "tea" late at night with a bowl of wonton soup. But after this month's gangland shooting at Fortune Happiness Restaurant, most sensible people are giving the area a wide berth.

Even in safer times, Cantonese is not the cuisine of choice for local night owls. Here in Vancouver, the best place to go for a great late-night nosh is one of the city's numerous Japanese izakayas. And the legendary Gyoza King is the best of the bunch, any time of day.

An izakaya (roughly translated as "eat and drink" spot) is the Japanese version of an after-work pub. They're loud and boisterous and serve small plates of noodles, yakitori and sashimi for sharing that wash down well with a beer or shot of shochu, a vodka-like beverage.

Because of the city's large Asian population, huge number of English-as-a-second-language students and general Asian-savvy restaurant clientele, Vancouver probably boasts more of these cheap, cheerful watering holes than any city outside Japan.

In the past year alone, there have been more than half a dozen openings. Most of the new izakayas are sleek and polished, with modern minimalist furnishings and a buzzy hipster vibe.

Gyoza King, which has been operating since 1993, is a much more casual hole in the wall that serves down-home Japanese cooking without any frills.

The room is small and dark. The floor is crowded with tables and stools squished around the bar. The walls are humbly adorned with chipped paint, faded paper lanterns and handwritten special boards.

The room is actually so tight there's a posting on the wall near that bar that warns: "If you can read this sign, take three steps back. You're in the server's way."

Despite its modest decor, the restaurant is always packed. Without reservations, you'll probably have to wait on the benches outside for at least 20 minutes.

Gyoza King is popular with students, families and young couples on dates. And because the kitchen doesn't take last call until 1:30 a.m., you'll often find some of the city's top chefs eating here late at night. (Lumière's Rob Feenie says it's his favourite post-shift dining destination.)

Gyoza is obviously the house specialty. The chewy dumplings are freshly homemade with a variety of searing-hot fillings, everything from spinach to pork, prawn and chive. They're served lightly pan-fried and crisp on the bottom, in orders of six ($5.95) or 10.

The kitchen has a delicate hand with fish. The negitoro ($7.50) is a do-it-yourself wrap that comes with raw fatty tuna belly tossed with green onion, slices of nori, shaved daikon and a fragrant leaf of shiso.

The daily special board will often feature large portions of hamachi, mackerel and albacore tuna, lightly simmered in a sweet miso or wasabi-soya sauce, for about $6 or $7.

For something more substantial, try the Yakiudon ($9.50). This rich bowl of thick noodles with clams in butter was the highlight of a recent visit.

Asari sakamushi (clams steamed in sake) is also worth a taste.

Gyoza King doesn't serve the miniature pizzas or other Westernized fare that you'll often at izakayas in Japan, but if you're in the mood for something greasy and familiar, the spicy chicken wings are plump and delicious.

Be sure to order the teba karaage, but not the deboned tori karaage, which is rather bland.

The portions here are larger than traditional Spanish tapas, but one dish is too small for a meal in itself. Four or five plates will more than satisfy two people.

So next time you're in Vancouver, forget the chow mein. Gyoza King rules.

Joanne Kates will return in September.