Spring has sprung and with that Torafuku has refreshed their Chef’s omakase tasting menu to reflect the season. I love that Torafuku is constantly innovating and changing their menu. It always makes for such a fun and tasty dining experience. They never cease to amaze me with their unique takes on classic dishes with new and interesting ingredients. Their Chef’s Omakase Tasting menu is the best way to enjoy all the creative dishes at a great price point. For $65 per person (minimum 2 guests) you will get a 7 course omakase tasting menu. Check out my full review of Torafuku’s Spring Chef’s Omakase Tasting menu below!
Torafuku’s Spring Chef’s Omakase Tasting Menu – Appetizers
To start there are four premium appetizers:
- Shime Saba with white miso kefier
- Grilled asparagus with house-made XO sauce
- Kale Salad
- House Made Mochi Dumplings
The Shime Saba ($18.00) features mackerel, white miso kefier, chive oil, and horseradish. Kefier is a drink made from the fermented milk of a cow, goat, or sheep. It is similar to Greek yogurt, and has a slightly sour flavour. It is also thinner than Greek yogurt. This was such a great start to dinner. You can smell the signature fishy smell (which I love) from the mackerel before it lands on the table. The fish is perfectly cooked – moist and flakey with a crispy skin.
The Grilled Asparagus ($19.00) features grilled broccolini & asparagus, house made XO sauce (dried scallop chili oil sauce), and a cured egg yolk. The house made XO sauce was the star of this dish. The vegetables were merely the vehicle to transport that amazing sauce into my mouth.
The Kale Salad ($15.00) features mixed kale, buttermilk dressing, crispy quinoa, and pickled shallot. This is one of my favourite salads from Torafuku and I will order it again and again. The buttermilk dressing is just a touch creamy and the aggressive acidity on this dish really matches well with the hearty kale.
The House Made Mochi Dumplings ($20.00) is a Cantonese style mochi with braised oxtail. The dumpling was on the heavier side. While the idea and concept of this dish is interesting, I think it still need a little bit of tweaking. However, the beef brisket filling was very flavourful.
Torafuku’s Spring Chef’s Omakase Tasting Menu – Mains and Starches
Following the appetizers you can choose from 3 different combinations of ‘mains’ and ‘starches’.
- Albacore Tuna Tataki with Niçoise Salad and Fingerling Potato
- Roast Duck and Shao Bing
- Beef Brisket with Sichuan Style Chili Sauce and Corn Bread
The Albacore Tuna Tataki with Niçoise Salad ($38.00) features Albacore tuna, niçoise Salad, shio koji dressing confit tuna belly, black olives, and a soft-boiled egg. The tuna was thick and fresh and perfectly seared. The salad dressing was light and flavourful and all the vegetables were so incredibly crisp. A standout must order dish for me.
The accompaniment for this salad is the Fingerling Potato. This dish features triple cooked fingerling potatoes, house made creme fraiche, ikura and chives. The house made creme fraiche was so lovely and the salty burst of the ikura balances everything out.
The Roast Duck ($36.00) features Brome Lake duck breast, coleslaw, chili lime vinaigrette, and candied peanuts. Torafuku is making it hard to choose my favourites! The duck was perfectly cooked and the skin was so crispy. The coleslaw was light and refreshing and went so well with the rich duck.
This is paired with a Shao Bing ($20.00) dish which features Brome Lake duck leg rillette, Rouge foie gras, candied pistachio with a Taiwanese-style flaky pastry. The Shao Bing was perfect. It is one of the best I have had outside of Taiwan. Light, flakey and crisp. The rillette was nice and rich and went so well with the flaky pastry.
The Beef Brisket ($42.00) features braised Canadian beef brisket, Sichuan style chili sauce, garlic, and cilantro. The brisket was melt in your mouth tender and the Sichuan style chili sauce packed a nice numbing kick.
This is paired with Corn Bread ($20.00) which is made with braised brisket, cheddar, jalapeno green onion, and maple syrup. I’m not the biggest fan of corn bread, but I think I have been converted. This corn bread was rich, thick and so full of flavour. The maple syrup made for the perfect sweet and salty contrast.
Torafuku’s Spring Chef’s Omakase Tasting Menu – Dessert
To end the night the dessert was a choice between:
- Vietnamese Coffee Tiramisu
- Basque Cheesecake
The Vietnamese Coffee Tiramisu ($16.00) features Vietnamese Coffee, mascarpone, condensed milk, lady finger cookie and cocoa. The mascarpone was light and fluffy, but the Vietnamese coffee flavour wasn’t the most prominent. However, I would personally always pick the cheesecake because I think Torafuku has one of the best Basque cheesecakes in town.
The Basque Cheesecake ($16.00) features a yuzu flavoured cheesecake with a blueberry compote. Thick, rich and creamy. Doesn’t get better than this for Basque Cheesecake. For the spring, they added yuzu flavour which came through nicely. The blueberry compote was also a nice touch.
Worth a Try?
Yes! Torafuku’s Chef’s Omakase Tasting menu is always such a treat. The dishes are always so tasty, and it’s so much fun to see the unique twists on familiar dishes. For $65 per person it’s an absolute steal, considering if you order a la carte the dishes are between $20-30. However, if the tasting menu seems like too much food for you I would absolutely recommend that you order the Roast Duck, Shaobing, Tuna, Fingerling Potato and Kale Salad a la carte.
Torafuku
Address: 958 Main Street, Vancouver B.C. V6A 2W1
Telephone: 778-903-2006
Website: https://www.torafuku.ca/