Tasting Menu @ Torafuku
When I learned that Torafuku had a 10 course tasting menu at $40/pp and drinking pairing available (an additional $17/pp), I immediately made a reservation (by the way, resos highly recommended for this place). The menu looked similar to their Dine-Out menu back in January, so I knew I would be in for some tasty food.
Let's start with the drinks. The word 'pairing' was used pretty liberally, as they were not actually crafted to accompany any specific dish. The food comes out as it is ready (so not in order) and the drinks appeared to arrive whenever the bar manager got around to it. Two of the five 'pairings' are not pictured; they were a riesling and a red wine - nothing out of the ordinary.
Shogun 75
This was my favourite drink of the night. The yuzu and lime flavours of this vodka-based cocktail really stood out and sold it for me. I wanted to enjoy this with food, but with it being a smaller portion (understandably) and the food taking much longer than expected, I finished this on an empty stomach despite an attempt to nurse it until the food arrived.
Sake
The second drink was a generous pour of ice cold sake. I've only had sake once before and hated it, but this one was pleasantly smooth and went down easily!
Korova
The final drink of the evening was served alongside the dessert, the way it was meant to be. I'm not sure if this is actually the Korova per their website, but all the ingredients sound the same except for an addition of matcha powder. I quite liked this, it came ice cold and had enough sweetness to be considered a dessert cocktail, but not overly sweet.
Let's move onto the food, which unfortunately took a long time. I can appreciate they were short staffed, but it took over 45 minutes between ordering and receiving the first course, which was a salad. My husband and I are pretty easy going customers and I go to great lengths to avoid making a fuss... but even we were getting restless by the end of this meal.
Rabbit Food
First up was the Rabbit Food. If I had to eat one salad for the rest of my life (and trust me, I am not a salad person), this would be it. The anchovy ranch dressing is totally addictive and the crunchy quinoa is a nice contrast in texture. They also shave bits of parmesan on top for an extra kick of umami. The menu description says it comes with gem tomatoes and Chinese prosciutto as well - you can see above that they forgot to give us the tomatoes and we didn't realize until after we finished the whole thing. The Chinese prosciutto got completely lost in there as well (taking a closer look at the photo, I think it's those tiny shaved bits), though I'm sure it lent itself to the overall flavour.
Everyday I'm Brusselin'
Next was the Everyday I'm Brusselin', which I think we got instead of the "Hooked on Crack" dish per their website. My husband has come a long way since he was a kid and basically hated every ingredient in this dish. These days, we're both loving the caramelization that comes with broccoli, cauliflower, and especially brussel sprouts. The sauce was so good, I'm going to try and imitate it at home.
Cornstar
Third in line was the Cornstar, which was sooo delicious! The ponzu butter (which I thought was the best part) ends up melted at the bottom, so my advice is to divvy up the corn (and other delicious bits) and then dunk it into the bowl of melted goodness with each bite.
General Tao's Fried Chicken Wings
While all the veggie-based dishes were very good, meat was a welcomed change in pace. The sauce for the wings was flavourful, but I actually thought the broccoli packed a bigger punch. Overall, I preferred their Rye So Messy wings that were offered as part of the January 2017 Dine Out menu.
Wok It Out
As a lover of pea tips, I was so excited to hear that this was our Veggie Feature for the evening. Wok fried with bits of garlic? Perfection. I would happily eat a gigantic bowl of this.
Lucky Dumplings
I was so ready to love these dumplings when they told us this was our Daily Feature; they're stuffed with roasted eggplant, garlic, basil, spinach, king oyster mushrooms, and tomatoes. Then, I saw the cilantro blanket on top and almost panicked. Sorry, but haters gon' hate when it comes to cilantro. I don't get that soap taste everyone mentions though - I just think it tastes of pure evil (for a fun read to share in the hatred, check out this interview with Fabio Viviani, Top Chef contestant). I knocked off as much perimeter cilantro as possible without disturbing the topping... which was an impossible feat and basically means I ate a whole lot of cilantro and gagged. So, while these were a total disappointment for me, the cilantro lovers out there would most likely enjoy this dish.
Kickass Rice 3.0
Inside this sushi roll is pork belly with just the right amount of fattiness, furikake seasoning, avocado, and on top is a spicy sauce that reminds me of spicy mayo. Of all the courses, this one felt the most 'familiar.' If this was served in our regular go-to sushi joint, I know my husband would be ordering this roll.
Flaming Lambo
The last course before our desserts was the Flaming Lambo. Underneath the white rice paper chips is a piece of grilled lamb belly topped with braised red cabbage and a satay sauce. The lamb was nice and tender, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the braised red cabbage on top. I found the satay sauce to provide a nice balance to the braised cabbage, and the rice paper chips were texturally on point (and a nice hit of salt too).
Magic Stick
The Magic Stick was included in Torafuku's 2017 Dine Out menu and was our favourite dessert of all the dine outs we went to this year. To say we were a bit excited to see this in the lineup would be an understatement. The 'stick' of chocolate ganache with hazlenut is rich and velvety - a satisfying dessert on its own, but let's be real. The real star here is the condensed milk ice cream. I would go as far as saying this is my favourite ice cream flavour of all time!!! Thankfully I have a generous hubby, who let me eat more than half of this (way too small!) quenelle of heaven.
Cream of the Crop
Given my biased opinion of the Magic Stick, I was ready for this dessert to fall flat (I know, it wasn't fair of me to judge). As I whipped my spoon at the hardened, sugary surface, a very distinct *crack* reinvigorated my interest. That brûlée was so solid! This dessert might be a contender for the Magic Stick after all. The brûléed top was thick enough to give a satisfying crack, but not too thick or burnt where each bite is overpowered with a burnt, sugary flavour. The creme was smooth, though I did not really get the Ovaltine flavour as described on the menu. Nevertheless, I ended my last bite of the meal with the creme - NO REGRETS.
All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed the food at Torafuku and will certainly be back - if anything, for the condensed milk ice cream! Even though the service took longer than we wanted it to, in the end it just allowed me a longer date night with my husband, and hey, that isn't so bad at all :)
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