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.
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