Torafuku
958 Main | 778-903-2006 | Torafuku.ca
Open Tuesday-Sunday, 5:30pm-11pm. No reservations.
If you consider yourself to be even the slightest bit in-the-know about the local food truck scene, then you’ve likely tried the pan-Asian stylings of Le Tigre. Chef Clement Chan and business partner Steve Kuan’s extraordinary dishes, like the “crack” salad and “kickass” rice have made this an award-winning favourite on street corners and at food markets and festivals. Now Chan and Kuan have partnered in a bricks-and-mortar space (quite literally; it’s a heritage building) to launch Torafuku, which is the Japanese word for “lucky tiger”…geddit??
A good dining experience starts with the space, and this one is a serious contender for any design awards. Created by Scott and Scott Architects, the design is carefully considered and beautifully simple, like the massively-long poured-concrete table that occupies one side of the room, with hints of playfulness in the bright colours and simple patterns of the Brief Studio-designed menus and business cards.
Simple and playful are perfect adjectives for the food, as well. Some dishes have come over from the truck, like the rice, except this 2.0 version also features aburi-style pork belly and rice soldiers. Almost all of the dishes are $12 or less, making this one of the best value menus in the city. Mochi (pounded sticky rice) is fried to perfection, with a crispy exterior, and an almost-sweet, chewy middle that is pulled apart with chopsticks and inhaled with dollops of torched mayo and local greens. The one ramen on the menu is normally served with braised duck, although one night saw cha-siu pork swapped in. The tonkotsu (pork base) broth is loaded with bean sprouts, leeks, scallions, excellent noodles and a perfectly fried and runny egg. Break the yolk and let the creaminess infuse for some serious slurp.
“This is not tortellini” is a misnomer, as these are precisely tortellini, just truly excellent, pork-filled dumplings, rounded out with shiso pepper and an “angry tiger” sauce that wasn’t all that furious, to be (gratefully) honest. “Rye so messy” chicken wings are sticky, chewy, crispy, spicy and juicy, marinated in rye and gochujang, a spicy, fermented chili pepper paste popular in Korea. The wings are then glazed in mango sauce and tossed with ramen crumble and the secret “KFC” sauce (yes, that one).
Some dishes are a little less successful, like the octopus and tuna duo. The octopus salad sits beside tuna crudo and crispy seaweed like a lost cousin, wondering how he ended up alone at the buffet table and trying to latch on to a more popular relative. The pairing is awkward, and could use a rethink.
Green papaya salad, on the other hand, is stunning. Carrots, tomatoes, red cabbage and green beans all play nicely together, with enough peanuts and naam jiim to keep things interesting (this was another Le Tigre crossover).
Dessert was a surprise. This was the only dish on the menu that didn’t seem to fit into the pan-Asian ethos. A chocolate-hazelnut ganache “bar” was graced with fresh and frozen berries and raspberry sorbet. It was delicious and beautifully presented, but something along the lines of a green bamboo rice pudding or silken tofu dessert would have been more in keeping with the general theme.
Luckily, the cocktails smooth out such small inconsistencies. Max Borrowman, formerly of Fairmont’s Pacific Rim, understands the flavour palate he’s working with and creates accordingly, like The People’s Cocktail, with its gin and cucumber mating. This is also food that is perfectly designed for beer, and craft brews like 33 Acres are to be had a-plenty.
It all adds up to a room – and menu – that will keep you coming back soon and often.
All ratings out of five stars.
Food: ★★★★
Service: ★★★★
Ambiance: ★★★★
Value: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★
Listen to Anya Levykh every Monday on CBC Radio One’s On the Coast. Find her on Twitter @foodgirlfriday and Facebook.com/FoodGirlFriday.
Photos: Fahim Kassam (food); Scott and Scott Architects (interior)
