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.

Glowbal

My parents bought us a "Sunday Night Four Course Dinner for Two" at Glowbal, so we finally visited the new Telus Garden tonight.

The place was really large - I think their patio can seat more than some restaurants.

The deal comes with a glass of white or red wine and options to upgrade or add on to the main course.

The first course was a Robata Roasted Oyster with provencale beading, shallots, bacon, and horseradish cream. The presentation was elegant and simple and the oysters tasted very nice. It wasn't fishy at all, while retaining the taste of oyster. The cream was nice and rich and balanced by the bacon, but didn't overpower the oyster.

The second course was a boston wedge salad with bacon, crispy onions, egg, tomato, and roquefort blue cheese. While each plate looked nice, you can tell the kitchen was kind of rushed because the plates don't look identical to each other. The iceberg lettuce was fresh and the sauce was creamy and tangy at the same time. The only down side was the onions not being crispy.

The third course was the surf & turf. It's a 10oz New York strip with a jumbo tiger prawn, wild mushroom marsala demi-glace, seasonal vegetables, and mashed potatoes. The New York strip was very tender and juicy and cooked to a perfect rare.

I had upgraded mine to the snake river wagyu, but unfortunately, it was almost indistinguishable from the New York strip. While it was also juicy and tender, it did not meet my expectations of what "wagyu" beef should be. In my experience, Wagyu beef should be extensively marbled and basically melts in your mouth. The slice of beef I had at Glowbal was tough to cut because of the slab of tendon attached to it and was not the texture I expected. Granted, the New York strip also had a huge slab of tendon attached to it.

Otherwise, the prawn was sweet and perfectly cooked and the demi-glace was flavourful and the right consistency. I also enjoyed how thick the mashed potatoes were. The only thing I didn't like was how undercooked the vegetables were - although B liked the crispness.

As dessert, we had warm beignets to share. There were a total of ten beignets (2 per person) crammed into a tiny bowl with no forks or plates. However, the server brought us forks promptly after we requested it. Despite some consistency issues, they were very tasty. The jim beam caramel sauce balanced the cinnamon sugar very well and neither overpowered the other.

Overall we had a good experience. While our server was very professional and polite, we were unfortunately seated at a round table in the corner where she was forced to reach over some of us to distribute and collect our plates. We will likely only return if there were another deal or special, as we would not have enjoyed the experience at full price.