"No frills" would be an understated description of Kanazawa's most popular and gushed-over gyoza joint. But where it lacks in decor it makes up for in gyoza which, besides a couple of soups, rice and pickles, is the only thing on the menu. Dai-Nana's gyoza are addictive and thankfully cheap, setting you back a mere Y360 for a plate of ten.

You can choose from fried, steamed or pan-fried "white gyoza" seven days a week, while the soup dumplings are served on only weekdays. But don't come too hungry: even at 9pm on a Sunday night the wait was thirty minutes for a private upstairs room (there's a small table charge) and an hour for a seat at the downstairs dumpling bar.

by Rachel Krampfner