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Usually, I try to make it out to hot new restaurants as soon as I am able. However, due to my busy schedule and the fact there are many other restaurants to try, some get lost in the shuffle. Torafuku happened to be one of the casualties as I completely forgot about it until Emily was complaining she was hungry after rollerblading. She asked if there was a restaurant near Science World that I hadn't tried yet. Well, it happened to be Torafuku and despite her skepticism (she read previous reviews), we decided to quench both our appetites and thirst.
Strangely, we were started off with Miss Piggy's Lost Left Trotter (ironic as to who I was eating with...). Sporting terrine cubes of pork and pork jelly, these were rather bland on its own, but when smeared with the house made ketchup underneath, there was more pop. Texturally, the pork was soft while the jelly could've been firmer. The crispy bacon fried rice was firmly crunchy and pretty tasty. The most impactful item on the plate was actually the plump acidic tomatoes. Up next, we had Nice to Meat You featuring "big bang" sweet & sour ribs that were crispy from the deep-fry, yet moist and chewy underneath. These were coated with a sticky, sweet and spicy glaze along with peanut sauce. I enjoyed the accompaniments the most including the candied peanuts on top and the pickled cukes.
Since we ordered our fair share of protein, we thought some greens would balance our meal. Well, I'm not sure the Crack Salad was really a healthy addition, but true to its name, the concoction of brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, crispy rice and lap cheong croutons was tasty. There was the immediate influence from the gochujang curry balanced off by a lingering spiciness and sweetness. Since the whole thing was a bit greasy, the ingredients weren't as crunchy as we would've liked. When the Lucky Tiger Ramen arrived, it looked more like a Dan Dan noodle. However, with ground pork, corn, pea sprouts melted cheese, smoked garlic oil, tomato tonkotsu broth and soft egg, it did not taste like one. In terms of viscosity, the broth was like a Dan Dan noodle as it was thick and almost peanutty (despite there were no peanuts). Rather, it tasted like creamy tomato soup with background tang with elements of savoury and sweetness. We agreed that this was an awesome soup, but not really a ramen as the slightly past al dente noodles got lost.
We were pretty excited to try their award-winning Rye So Messy Wings, but ultimately, we weren't that impressed. We found the that there was too much batter that resulted in unrendered skin (it was crunchy though). Also as a byproduct (and probably intentional), the meat was kept juicy and succulent. The meat wasn't really that flavourful on its own, but there was so much rye & gochujang sauce and mango glaze that it really didn't matter. On the other hand, this reminded us of an over-sauced specialty sushi roll where everything was too sweet. Also afflicted with too much batter was the Calamari Done The Right Way. Hence the squid-to-batter ratio was off where I could barely detect the tender squid (of note, the batter is gluten-free). Flavours were good though featuring a chili-oil influenced angry tiger sauce (that was equally sweet, salty and nutty from the soybeans). I liked the compliments including onion, tart tomatoes, sweet lychee and pea shoots.
Our final dish, Old MacDonald's Dirty Business, was probably my favourite. This was a fairly complex dish with many ingredients including appealingly chewy sliced rice cake with tender and buttery chicken hearts (cooked just enough). From that, there was also the texturally-pleasing bounce of the well-charred pork cheeks. In addition to the array of vibrant veggies, there was one more hit of protein in the tender and well-seasoned flank steak. Bringing everything together was a spicy Chinese black peppercorn sauce that was full of umaminess and background acidity. This item was the most complete of any of the dishes we tried. The others had some things we didn't like, yet at the same time, could be improved with one or two tweaks. We thought the prices were fair and the service was fairly attentive.
The Good:
- Kudos for using many ingredients and different flavours
- Okay pricing
- Attentive service
The Bad:
- Food needs some refinement and tweaks
- Overall, many dishes were pretty sweet
- Food came out a bit too fast for our small table
Honestly, these 11:30pm "league" games at North Shore Ice have to stop. I play a lot of hockey and my drop-in times are far better than my league games. My thoughts are that if your league game starts on one day and ends on another, it's too freakin' late! But really, I'm used to be up, so the time itself doesn't bother me in terms of hockey. What really irks me is that the options for eats afterwards is as sparse as Chinese restaurant service. So instead of hitting up Denny's or #9, we made a return visit to Lucy's Eastside Diner almost 6 years later.
To see if things had improved since then (my first visit was average at best), I shared the Pulled Pork Benny with Sweet Tooth to start. This time around, the poached eggs were runny, but a bit more done that I wanted (we asked for soft). We liked how there wasn't too much Hollandaise, which kept things light. Furthermore, there was a noticeable amount of tangy lemon juice. That was further amped by the tangy and soft pulled pork. Not a bad eggs benny especially for the price, but we would've liked a richer Hollandaise as it was now too light. A departure from last time, I had a much larger burger in the Grant Marshall featuring 2 big beef patties, fried egg, bacon, cheese and chili. This monster of a burger was super messy to eat. It was not bad where the meat was moist and not fatty. The chili was a bit tart, but I liked the addition of chickpeas. Moreover, the bacon was crispy like I wanted it to be. The side of fries were good being crispy and still potatoey inside.
Milhouse and Lionel Hutz both had the Chorizo Hash which didn't look particularly appetizing. In the end, it was fine, but lacking in flavour and moisture. The crispy hashbrowns didn't have anything to soak up, hence they remained bland for the duration. Although the sausage was tender and mildly spiced, it didn't have any impact because there wasn't enough for each mouthful of hashbrowns. On another visit, Milhouse made sure to stay away from the hash and got the Meatloaf Dinner instead. This was fairly standard where it was meaty and mildly seasoned with the tartness of ketchup glazed onto the top. It was firm, yet moist due to the right amount of fat/filler. Nothing amazing, but did the job for late night eats.
For myself, I got greedy and ordered 2 items (as if this isn't commonplace anyways). I started with the Fried Chicken Dinner and it looked more like a snack consisting of a thigh and wing. I enjoyed the thin crispy batter (with rendered skin) where it wasn't greasy and was well-seasoned. Although the meat didn't appear to be brined (not that juicy nor flavourful), it wasn't dry either. The side of fries were solid being crispy with only a tad of potato texture left. It turned out that I needed my second dish of Pulled Pork Pancakes as I dusted off the chicken like an appie. Thin and fluffy with a lightly crispy edges, the pancakes sandwiched tender and tangy pulled pork. As a result, there was no need for syrup (but in hindsight, it would've better with some sweetness). The side of extra pulled pork on the side was not prepared correctly as it was more like a chunk of pork shoulder (which was rather dry and of course not sauced enough).
Sweet Tooth went for the Bacon Poutine which was decent. It featured the same crispy fries which stood up to the mild and thick gravy nicely. It was didn't get soggy at all (except for the centre of course). The ample cheese curds were somewhat squeaky, but it was hard to tell as they were mostly melted. There was also enough crispy bacon for impact. Overall, these 2 revisits to Lucy's gave us a decent alternative to Asian food and Denny's. Prices are reasonable, but the portion sizes match it. Food can be hit and miss though.
The Good:
- Open 24 hours
- Reasonable pricing
- Acceptable eats
The Bad:
- Somewhat hit and miss
- Portion sizes are on the smaller side
- Don't come with a big group, only one, count em' one actual table for 4
For the past few years, the location right next to Sushiholic on Broadway has been in flux. First it was a Chinese restaurant, then it because this HK-Style cafe spot and now, with the same owners, it specializes in Fried Chicken. I noticed the change quite awhile ago, but never did stop to check it out. However, after Sunday morning hockey, Kaiser Soze remarked th`at they had a $1.00 drumstick special from 11:00am - 3:00pm (No longer available). Okay, he had me at special as the cheap Asian in me kicked in like a moth to a flame.
We decided to share 20 Fried Chicken Drumsticks amongst the 4 of us while we also ordered our individual dishes (they still serve the old menu as well). This was not knowing how big the freakin' drumsticks were! When they arrived on 3 plates, they looked as if the chicken was on the Barry Bonds diet. These were the most massive drumsticks I've ever seen in the city! The best part wasn't the price because these were actually very good. Sporting a crunchy and thin batter with completely rendered skin, it was love at first bite. Inside, the meat was succulent and juicy while mildly seasoned. Sure, not as flavourful as LA Chicken, but this was good in its own right. I would gladly pay regular price for these!
We foolishly also ordered the Chicken Karaage for 50 cents each to share as well. Essentially fried chicken wings, these were also pretty plump and large. We found the batter to be more flaky and airy where the batter fell off each piece after every bite. The skin was not as rendered with these, hence it was a bit fatty. Although juicy and tender, the meat here was fairly bland and in need of salt. JuJu went a bit overboard and also had a combo which included Chicken Satay and beef ramen. Although not marinated nor seasoned like what one would expect from a chicken satay, the meat was still tender while nicely seared on the outside.
Consisting of instant noodles and a bland broth, the Beef Ramen was not particularly good. Well, the noodles were chewy while the sliced beef shank was fairly tender, but this could easily be made at home. The good amount of sweet corn was a bonus though. The combo also included a soft drink. Milhouse decided on his go-to food and had the Bacon Cheeseburger with fries. Served on a kaiser bun, the burger was pretty forgettable. He likes his meat well-done, but it was actually too chewy and overdone for his tastes. The side of McCain fries were prepared nicely though being golden and crispy.
For myself, I was greedy where I got a Wonton Soup as well as a Chicken Curry to go with my fried chicken appetizer (where I did finish all 5 of my drumsticks). Unbelievably more bland than the ramen, the broth for the wonton soup could've passed for hot water. However, the plump all-pork wontons were on point. The meat was tender and juicy with an appealing bounce texture while nicely seasoned. Featuring cut-up pieces of pan-fried deboned chicken leg, I wasn't holding out much hope for the curry. In actuality, it was pretty spicy and tasty with a balance of sweet and savoury elements.
Kaiser Soze opted to have 3 Egg Breakfast with 3 sausages, hashbrowns and Villagio toast. Nothing particularly amazing, but it did the job for $4.00. The hashbrowns could've been pan-fried a bit longer as they were rather soft. Ending things off, Kaiser Soze and I shared some Deep Fried Coconut Milk. At first we were concerned with the lightly coloured batter, but in the end, the milk was pretty good. It was a touch on the denser side but it was still soft, semi-sweet and aromatic. Okay, let's cut right to the chase... Most of the food was actually rather average bordering on below-average. However, the fried chicken blew us away. Not only was it well-priced, the batter and chicken were on point. Definitely kicks Church's arse and gives LA Chicken a run for its money.
The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Really good fried chicken
- Friendly people
The Bad:
- Other menu items are hit and miss (but mostly miss)
- Chicken is made to order, that's a positive, but if you don't have time, it'll be awhile
Posts
Usually, I try to make it out to hot new restaurants as soon as I am able. However, due to my busy schedule and the fact there are many other restaurants to try, some get lost in the shuffle. Torafuku happened to be one of the casualties as I completely forgot about it until Emily was complaining she was hungry after rollerblading. She asked if there was a restaurant near Science World that I hadn't tried yet. Well, it happened to be Torafuku and despite her skepticism (she read previous reviews), we decided to quench both our appetites and thirst.
Strangely, we were started off with Miss Piggy's Lost Left Trotter (ironic as to who I was eating with...). Sporting terrine cubes of pork and pork jelly, these were rather bland on its own, but when smeared with the house made ketchup underneath, there was more pop. Texturally, the pork was soft while the jelly could've been firmer. The crispy bacon fried rice was firmly crunchy and pretty tasty. The most impactful item on the plate was actually the plump acidic tomatoes. Up next, we had Nice to Meat You featuring "big bang" sweet & sour ribs that were crispy from the deep-fry, yet moist and chewy underneath. These were coated with a sticky, sweet and spicy glaze along with peanut sauce. I enjoyed the accompaniments the most including the candied peanuts on top and the pickled cukes.
Since we ordered our fair share of protein, we thought some greens would balance our meal. Well, I'm not sure the Crack Salad was really a healthy addition, but true to its name, the concoction of brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, crispy rice and lap cheong croutons was tasty. There was the immediate influence from the gochujang curry balanced off by a lingering spiciness and sweetness. Since the whole thing was a bit greasy, the ingredients weren't as crunchy as we would've liked. When the Lucky Tiger Ramen arrived, it looked more like a Dan Dan noodle. However, with ground pork, corn, pea sprouts melted cheese, smoked garlic oil, tomato tonkotsu broth and soft egg, it did not taste like one. In terms of viscosity, the broth was like a Dan Dan noodle as it was thick and almost peanutty (despite there were no peanuts). Rather, it tasted like creamy tomato soup with background tang with elements of savoury and sweetness. We agreed that this was an awesome soup, but not really a ramen as the slightly past al dente noodles got lost.
We were pretty excited to try their award-winning Rye So Messy Wings, but ultimately, we weren't that impressed. We found the that there was too much batter that resulted in unrendered skin (it was crunchy though). Also as a byproduct (and probably intentional), the meat was kept juicy and succulent. The meat wasn't really that flavourful on its own, but there was so much rye & gochujang sauce and mango glaze that it really didn't matter. On the other hand, this reminded us of an over-sauced specialty sushi roll where everything was too sweet. Also afflicted with too much batter was the Calamari Done The Right Way. Hence the squid-to-batter ratio was off where I could barely detect the tender squid (of note, the batter is gluten-free). Flavours were good though featuring a chili-oil influenced angry tiger sauce (that was equally sweet, salty and nutty from the soybeans). I liked the compliments including onion, tart tomatoes, sweet lychee and pea shoots.
Our final dish, Old MacDonald's Dirty Business, was probably my favourite. This was a fairly complex dish with many ingredients including appealingly chewy sliced rice cake with tender and buttery chicken hearts (cooked just enough). From that, there was also the texturally-pleasing bounce of the well-charred pork cheeks. In addition to the array of vibrant veggies, there was one more hit of protein in the tender and well-seasoned flank steak. Bringing everything together was a spicy Chinese black peppercorn sauce that was full of umaminess and background acidity. This item was the most complete of any of the dishes we tried. The others had some things we didn't like, yet at the same time, could be improved with one or two tweaks. We thought the prices were fair and the service was fairly attentive.
