Toratatsu
When: Saturday, October 3 2009. (8:20 pm)
We say: We decided to try out Toratatsu after a coworker recommended it for the cheap tall Japanese beers ($2 off on Wednesdays). We found a warm, eclectic room - more similar to that of a bistro than a Japanese restaurant. With Bob Marley as the soundtrack, we ordered drinks and a few plates to share. The place was quite busy, mostly full with Japanese girls.
T started with the "Live Bamboo Sake" from Kiyozu temple in Kyoto ($9) - it was served in a frozen sake bamboo branch, and even the cup was frozen, which kept everything nice and cool. M ordered a Smash - you choose the booze and the fruit and they make your drink ($5.50). The sochu mango was well balanced and deliciously refreshing.
We started with the Negitoro with Avocado ($7.80) that was listed on the fresh sheet as their Top 5. It was a strange dish - not what we had expected and it was difficult to eat. It was served with garlic toast, which did not really work as a vehicle due to the way that they were cut. While the negitoro (chopped tuna belly with scallion) was flavourful, it was a bit heavy on the wasabi and there was had hardly any avocado in the dish. We finished eating it with a spoon.
Next came the Kushi Katsu ($8.80), skewers of pork tenderloin. They were a bit dry, and more on the boring side. The onion on top was a nice touch - it tasted like an onion ring.
The next dish up was the Gindara Saikyo Yaki ($9.80) - sablefish served on a bed of greens and with a sweet potato purée. The sablefish was divine - tender, flavorful and it simply melted in your mouth. The fish was clearly well executed. The downside of the dish was with the accompagnements - the salad was not dressed and there was nothing on the plate to cut the sweetness of the fish nor the purée. It was just not a balanced dish.
We ate the next two dish with a large Kirin beer ($8). We decided to order the cheapest item on the menu, off the fresh sheet's Top 5. The Aburi Shimi Saba ($5) turned out to be sliced marinated maquarel, finished at the table with a blow torch - a major wow factor. It was a fun and tasty dish, although the seaweed salad was not dressed.
Our last item of the evening was the Musashi Roll ($9.80), a roll of crab and mango. 1/2 of the rolls were topped with caviart, the other with tobiko. For even more fun with a blow torch the waiter flamed the tobiko at the table, which made a great popping and crackling sound under the heat. Unfortunately, the taste was not as fun - it tasted burnt and somewhat terrible. The rolls with the caviart were very salty, and no rolls had enough mango in them to really let you taste it.
Pro: In spite of everything, we really had a fun time at Toratatsu and would recommend it for an evening of drinks with friends. The place has a good atmosphere, affordable drinks (and daily drink specials) and they are open until 2 am every day except on Sundays. Our bill came to $69.14 - for 3 drinks and 5 plates, so this place definitively doesn't break the bank.
Con: The food is really hit and miss. Some items were quite good, while others just left us wondering what the chef was thinking. Perhaps with a bit more refinement this place could really be fantastic.
Verdict: Neither of us wanted to give a yea or nay - we are giving it a meh. We would go back for drinks, but most likely not for food.
Toratatsu Japanese Tapas Bistro
735 Denman St
Vancouver
604-685-9399
www.toratatsutapas.com
We say: We decided to try out Toratatsu after a coworker recommended it for the cheap tall Japanese beers ($2 off on Wednesdays). We found a warm, eclectic room - more similar to that of a bistro than a Japanese restaurant. With Bob Marley as the soundtrack, we ordered drinks and a few plates to share. The place was quite busy, mostly full with Japanese girls.
T started with the "Live Bamboo Sake" from Kiyozu temple in Kyoto ($9) - it was served in a frozen sake bamboo branch, and even the cup was frozen, which kept everything nice and cool. M ordered a Smash - you choose the booze and the fruit and they make your drink ($5.50). The sochu mango was well balanced and deliciously refreshing.
We started with the Negitoro with Avocado ($7.80) that was listed on the fresh sheet as their Top 5. It was a strange dish - not what we had expected and it was difficult to eat. It was served with garlic toast, which did not really work as a vehicle due to the way that they were cut. While the negitoro (chopped tuna belly with scallion) was flavourful, it was a bit heavy on the wasabi and there was had hardly any avocado in the dish. We finished eating it with a spoon.
Next came the Kushi Katsu ($8.80), skewers of pork tenderloin. They were a bit dry, and more on the boring side. The onion on top was a nice touch - it tasted like an onion ring.
The next dish up was the Gindara Saikyo Yaki ($9.80) - sablefish served on a bed of greens and with a sweet potato purée. The sablefish was divine - tender, flavorful and it simply melted in your mouth. The fish was clearly well executed. The downside of the dish was with the accompagnements - the salad was not dressed and there was nothing on the plate to cut the sweetness of the fish nor the purée. It was just not a balanced dish.
We ate the next two dish with a large Kirin beer ($8). We decided to order the cheapest item on the menu, off the fresh sheet's Top 5. The Aburi Shimi Saba ($5) turned out to be sliced marinated maquarel, finished at the table with a blow torch - a major wow factor. It was a fun and tasty dish, although the seaweed salad was not dressed.
Our last item of the evening was the Musashi Roll ($9.80), a roll of crab and mango. 1/2 of the rolls were topped with caviart, the other with tobiko. For even more fun with a blow torch the waiter flamed the tobiko at the table, which made a great popping and crackling sound under the heat. Unfortunately, the taste was not as fun - it tasted burnt and somewhat terrible. The rolls with the caviart were very salty, and no rolls had enough mango in them to really let you taste it.
Pro: In spite of everything, we really had a fun time at Toratatsu and would recommend it for an evening of drinks with friends. The place has a good atmosphere, affordable drinks (and daily drink specials) and they are open until 2 am every day except on Sundays. Our bill came to $69.14 - for 3 drinks and 5 plates, so this place definitively doesn't break the bank.
Con: The food is really hit and miss. Some items were quite good, while others just left us wondering what the chef was thinking. Perhaps with a bit more refinement this place could really be fantastic.
Verdict: Neither of us wanted to give a yea or nay - we are giving it a meh. We would go back for drinks, but most likely not for food.
Toratatsu Japanese Tapas Bistro
735 Denman St
Vancouver
604-685-9399
www.toratatsutapas.com
Labels: drinks, japanese, open late, restaurant, review, value
posted by Magalie at 3:43 PM
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