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.

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.

CinCin Restaurant & Bar

Went to CinCin with some friends for a birthday. I had been here previously for a work dinner. Interestingly enough there was another branch in Daejeon that I used to frequent. That branch in Daejeon was actually my first experience of CinCin. It was one of the rare places I went to for meals whilst in Korea because I really didn't have a lot of choices.

I had the Tuscan Style Braised Duck Breast, pappardelle, red wine, tomato, black pepper. It's not on their online menu - I can only assume they'd run out of short rib and replaced it with duck breast. I had the small portion and added 2g of black truffle. At first, I couldn't really taste the truffle. But then I mixed it in to the oil and grease at the bottom of the plate and then it was delicious.

The duck was seasoned well and very tender. Another friend of mine had the same dish without the truffles but says it was too salty. I tasted the meat by itself, while well seasoned, I didn't think it was overly salty. Once you add the pappardelle to the bite, then it's perfectly balanced.

For dessert the five of us shared the Tiramisu, the fall spice panna cotta, and the macarons.

The fall spice panna cotta was like a pumpkin spice latte in solid form. The spice in the ginger crumbs were so aromatic and warm. It was the taste of Thanksgiving. The Panna Cotta itself was creamy but not gooey. It had set very well.

The marcarons were kind of a disappointment. Although I personally enjoyed the green tea flavoured one. My friends did not enjoy the others. They said that all they tasted was cream and they all taste the same.

Lastly the Tiramisiu was quite different from what you'd normally get. The ladyfingers were soaked with so much espresso, it was a mush in the bottom of the shot glass. And the taste itself was so strong of espresso you hardly tasted anything else. We also found the mascarpone was diluted with too much whipping cream, making it a lot lighter in texture than normal. I don't blame them, as mascarpone is so much more expensive than whipping cream. But honestly, I expected something more authentic from an Italian restaurant that charges you $12.50 for this tiny shot glass. The biscotti were a pleasant surprise though. It had a great balance of coffee and chocolate flavour.

When I first came I enjoyed the food. I didn't have to pay for it so I was in a great mood. I wouldn't have returned if not at the request of the birthday girl. I thought there were many more Italian restaurants in the city that had more bang for the buck. For example, the now closed down Quatro. The food is good, the service is good. It's just so darn expensive. Especially with all the good Italian food in the city, I will not return. But I will recommend if someone is looking for a fancy place to take someone for a special occasion.

Benjarong

Went to Benjarong today.

Although it's sad that Transylvania had to close, we really enjoyed what we had today:

The Drunken Stir Fry Chicken;

The server was kind enough to ask if we wanted mild, medium, or spicy. I can take only a little bit of spice, and the medium was perfect. Spicy enough to heat your lips and tongue, but not so spicy you can't eat it.

And the Roasted Duck Red Curry.

The curry came with some rice, but it wasn't enough for the amount of sauce in the curry. We ended up ordering another one. It was supposed to be medium spiced, but it wasn't spicy at all. The curry was sweet, I could have drunk it as soup.

At the end, we didn't have to order dessert as they gave us complimentary taro and tapioca with coconut milk. Delicious! It was salty and sweet at the same time so that it wasn't overwhelming at all.

Overall, well worth a visit!