Revisit: Torafuku

I know we said we weren't going to return to Torafuku unless it's for a special occasion, but my mother saw my Instagram pictures and wanted to try it out. We ordered a few of the same dishes because they were really good: Lucky Dumplings, Big Bad Beans, and Gone Fishin' (Seabream). Then we also ordered some new ones to try.

First up, Taco 'Bout Awesome are duck tacos. The duck was cooked perfectly and we really liked the freshness of the vegetables. It also had a bit of heat to it. We loved and hated that it was overloaded with filling. Loved it because it was fresh, hated it because it was super messy to eat. Each taco only comes with one tortilla, so we had to order two, which came out to $24 for this light appetizer.

Next, I ordered The 3 Amigos for us because I knew the dishes won't be very filling, and my father would probably want some carbs to fill him up. I think we ended up having about a bite and a half each. The grains were cooked really well and the risotto had great flavour to it overall. The guanciale was a nice addition. My parents don't really like cheese, but enjoyed the crispiness of the parmasan.

I had wanted to try The Steak Out last time, so I took this opportunity to do so. Wagyu beef is supposed to be so tender it melts in your mouth (we had that as our last meal when we were in Japan). Although the beef was tender, it didn't really melt in my mouth. Also, like the duck we had the other day, it seemed that it wasn't sous vided long enough to really break down the fat and tendons. Great flavour and sides though, and I particularly enjoyed the spicy rice crispy coating on the potato.

Last comes The Mussel Man, which came with a side Chinese Puff Pastry for an extra $4. The Puff Pastry is like those scallion pancakes you find at Szechuan style restaurants, except without the scallion. This was the weakest dish of the bunch. Although the sauce was really good, especially with the Puff Pastry to dip in, the mussels were overcooked and chewy.

Overall, my parents really enjoyed the food. Though they didn't have to pay for dinner, they expressed concern over how pricey all the dishes were. If you want your Chinese parents to boast about their wonderful child for bringing them to this "貴夾唔飽" place to their friends, it might be a good place to bring them for a special occasion. As for B and I, we will likely not be returning for a very long while.

Bodega On Main

Easter Weekend Part 2 - Happy Hour at Bodega On Main. We passed by Bodega on our way to and from Torafuku the day before and thought - we should try that next. Conveniently enough, we had a movie to catch at 7pm, so Happy Hour until 6pm was perfect for us. The price was also appealing.

We both ordered the Bodega Lager, which was a huge disappointment. B believes that, in this city and neighbourhood, no one should be serving bad beer anymore. Plus, we would've been happy with a good brew at $2 off. But paying $5 for garbage was a turn off.

First there was the Patatas Bravas (fried potatoes). Although the sauce was pretty good, by completely submerging the potatoes in sauce, the twice fried potatoes lost their crispiness. What's the point of frying the potatoes twice if there's no crunch to the finished dish?

The Jamón Serrano (cured ham) was also completely soaked, but in olive oil. There's not much I can say about the ham itself - it kind of reminded me of the prosciutto you get at Costco. I liked how the olive oil really balances the saltiness of the ham, but it was A LOT of oil. I think a simple drizzle would have sufficed.

We were quite disappointed with the Calamares Fritos (deep fried squid). Though the squid itself was great - good texture, you can eat it in bites - the batter was bland and boring.

The Pollo Frito (fried chicken wings) was as expected. You really can't ruin chicken wings. The fried skin had great texture to it and the meat was moist and cooked well.

Lastly, there's the Albóndigas (meatballs). The sauce was rich and the meat fell apart, but it tasted good. I was glad it came with the potatoes because the fried crispy texture of the potatoes helped balance out the softness of the meatballs.

Overall, we weren't impressed with the Happy Hour at Bodega; however, since our friends think so highly of it, we will give their regular menu a try one day. We would not recommend Happy Hour though: food and service was mediocre, but the atmosphere was great.

Torafuku

Last weekend, we had the luxury of statutory holidays to give us a chance to go out and eat again. We decided we should try the restaurants in our neighbourhood, now that we've been there about a year. First up, Torafuku.

My initial impression was that it was too hipster for us. The Asian Fusion style always turned me off. My brother told me the backstory, about how it started as a food truck, and that the food was good, so I decided we should probably give it a try.

Their happy hour is $2 off cocktails until 7pm, so naturally, I had to have a cocktail. On the left is B's People's Cocktail, made of Beefeater Gin, cucumber, elderflower, ginger, and lemon. The cucumber was quite refreshing. On the right is my Green Lambo, made of cardamom infused el Jimador tequila, Cointreau, basil syrup, white pepper syrup, and lime juice. I usually pick anything with lime juice in it, add cardamom, and that's my perfect drink.

First we had the Lucky Dumplings, a vegetarian dish made of eggplant, spinach, oysters, and tomatoes. I'm typically not a fan of vegetarian food, but if every vegetarian dish had the texture and flavours of these dumplings, I might consider being a vegetarian. The umami of the mushrooms, the thinness of the wrappers, and the complexity of the sauce made this dish a winner.

Next we had the Bun Me, which was slow braised ox tail sandwich between a steamed bun. The ox tail really reminded me of the the ox tail soup my aunt used to make; it tasted like my childhood. Although it fit perfectly in the bun, it was a bit too rich and I wanted more slaw and coriander. It was a good bun, but I wanted more freshness to it.

B wanted more vegetables, so we also ordered the Big Bad Beans. I was hesitant about it at first, because it was just beans, but when it arrived, the aroma from being fried in the wok really hits you in the face. The fried shallots were pungent, but in a good way. It was B's favourite dish of the night - perfectly seasoned and contains "wok hei" (breath of the wok).

Then comes the meat! The Donald stood out for me because, to be honest, it was the cheapest of the meats, and I very rarely have duck. We had a hard time finding the shaved foie gras, and the tendons didn't seem to have cooked down enough. Though the meat was very tender, you had to eat the entire slice of duck at once because the tendons made it difficult to eat in bites. Otherwise, it was very well seasoned and the meat itself was cooked perfectly.

Lastly, because we were still quite hungry after the other four dishes, so we decided to order the Gone Fishin'. It wasn't exactly what we'd imagined it would look like, but it was cooked well and had great flavour. It even came with a bucket for bones.

Overall, we really liked Torafuku. Every dish was solid, the service was professional and prompt, and we enjoyed ourselves. It's a little on the pricey side, so we would likely only return on special occasions and not just a regular lazy night out.