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Of course I can never skip out on dessert...no matter how full I am. There is somehow always room. Unfortualey the desserts weren't fresh so they didn't taste as good as they could and should have been. The mochi was hard and the macaons are stale. They sounded and looked so good too! :(
Gyo-O Kaisen Shokudo Japanese - Lunch/Dinner Review
On the table:
Mochi Ice Cream 1/6
Mochi with vanilla ice cream $1.50 each
I was really disappointed by this. It’s made in house, but it’s pre made and tastes like it’s been sitting in the freezer for weeks.
The mochi skin is very hard and not chewy at all. It’s almost bitty and breaks apart in pieces in your moth. It’s like eating frozen rice.
The ice cream was just vanilla and it was good, but it was not real vanilla bean ice cream either. This part didn’t bother me though.
I prefer the frozen ice cream mochis from T&T Supermarket.
These would have been good if they were only fresh! Maybe they need to individually wrap them before freezing them…that would prevent them from getting that hard mochi skin.
Assorted Macaron 2.5/6
Pack of 6: 2 Matcha, 2 chocolate, 2 strawberry, $4.50
This is not really a restaurant dessert as much as it is a “baked good to-go”.
The macarons are from their sister dessert café Chicco Café located on Robson. They serve overpriced parfaits that are pretty small.
Anyways the macarons were a bit stale so they didn’t taste as light or delicate as they should be – Say See Bon makes the best ones!
They’re still the French style macarons which to me are way better than the American macaroons.
I couldn’t taste the almond flavour in these ones and they weren’t that nutty at all.
Matcha: was the best of the 3 and they used a lot of Matcha powder but it was a bit masked because they added quite a bit of sugar to it too. The Say See Bon ones taste more Matcha-y than these ones.
Chocolate: was definitely not delicate. It was almost like an Oreo cookie not a macaron. The quality of the chocolate wasn’t as great so it didn’t taste as chocolate-y as it could have.
Strawberry: was too fake tasting for me. It tasted like strawberry flavored Pocky sticks – but in macaron form.
I tried everything on their “Top 5 Menu”, and more or less agree with 1-2 things I would switch around.
What I liked was that every single thing was well seasoned and didn’t require many additional flavours or soy sauce. They do a great job with the most standard dishes like tempura and even udon. The items offered are quite traditional with a few fusion/Izakaya items here and there. It is much more worth it to go with more people or the bill adds up quickly and it gets expensive (like most Izakaya places, however it's still more affordable than ones in downtown). Trying 1-2 dishes I wouldn't have been as impressed. Nonetheless I did get a good sample of everything and overall it was excellent (especially my recommendations) and I would come again.
My review for dessert at Gyo-O Kaisen Shokudo Japanese tomorrow!
On the table:
Tako Wasabi 4/6
Raw octopus marinated in wasabi and Japanese pickles $2.95
I like the one at Kingyo better. The one here doesn’t come with seaweed strips so I was just eating raw octopus. I want something to eat it with.
It’s slimy, but the octopus is quite tender and well marinated. Nice crunchy Japanese pickles and very strong fresh wasabi.
It’s pretty cheap, so it’s worth it, but they need to serve it with something.
*Yam & Unagi (Eel) Tempura Sticks 4.5/5
Served with tartar sauce, light Teriyaki sauce, and spicy sauce $4.50
This is on their “Top 5” menu and it’s one of their popular dishes.
They’re long and thin strips of tempura “fries” and they were pretty good. Even after they cooled down they were still very crispy and crunchy.
They are heavily battered, but that’s what makes them so crunchy. The batter is also seasoned so they’re very flavourful.
The spicy sauce was the best (at the back). It was very mildly spicy and quite sweet with a nice kick. It tasted like Tonkatsu sauce mixed with Sriracha hot sauce or even like Hoisin sauce with a little bit of chili spice and maybe some Worcestershire.
The unagi (eel) was better than the yam. It was so juicy and came across as salmon but a lot more tender, juicy, rich and creamy. The yam tempura was also really tender and almost like yam fries.
Kaisen Don(Regular) 4.5/6
Seafood (sashimi) on rice bowl. Served with wasabi on the rim $12.50 (Regular)
This is one of their signature items, and while it was good I enjoyed some of the other dishes more.
It came with nice big and thin slices of assorted sashimi. It wasn’t like they “cheaped out” with the thin slices – this just means they cut them properly. They cut them so that the flavour was enhanced and the texture of the fish became creamy.
The Kaisen Don comes on a generous portion of Japanese rice and although it was flavourful, the rice didn’t taste premium to me. I could have actually gone for more sugar and vinegar in the rice. This was the only thing I needed to add soy sauce with. But they do recommend you to eat it with the special shoyu sauce at the table. There’s also wasabi on the rim of the bowl which is a must for this dish.
The tamago was really good! It was the perfect tamago, it was fresh, soft and perfectly sweetened. It was very flavourful and it’s one of the best I’ve had yet.
I like the mini dons at G-Men Ramen better, although different (their sister restaurant across the street).
**Goma Miso Gyoza 6/6
Steamed prawn gyoza with sesame Miso sauce $5.50
This was delicious! It’s almost the only place I would order gyoza at again. Usually I find gyoza quite generic everywhere I go.
The one here is a nice change from the typically pan-fried gyoza. This one was steamed or boiled. The skin was very fresh and slippery and it tasted like they just made it.
They were stuffed really well and the pork meat was nice and juicy. There were also green onions in it and a nice prawn that was crunchy and perfectly cooked. I could definitely taste the freshness of the prawn unlike the overcooked prawn gyoza at Toratatsu.
It came with a nutty sauce made of Miso paste; I think sesame sauce and maybe some Teriyaki sauce. It was savoury, sweet and nutty and matched the gyoza perfectly. It was a nice change from the classic gyoza vinegar.
**BBQ Salmon Skin 6/6
New item BBQ salmon skins on a bed of shredded daikon $4.95
This was such a hit! One of my favourites. It was nice thing strips of BBQ skin and on a bed of shredded daikon, with some seaweed, Teriyaki sauce and mayo.
The best part was the cornflakes they garnished it with. It was more than a garnish but it was part of the dish. It was perfect! You have to eat the bbq salmon with the cornflakes. It makes it extra crunchy and gives it a lovely texture. It give the illusion that the salmon skin is extra crispy.
The use of cornflakes may seem like they’re cheating, but the salmon skin itself was quite crispy even without it. The salmon was really moist and juicy and you can taste the salmon oil flavour.
The daikon was a nice and refreshing compliment to this dish. It was almost like a bbq salmon skin salad.
Assorted ODEN 2.5/6
5 kinds of assorted plate (chef’s selection) with Japanese hot mustard on the rim of the bowl $6.50
I think this is a really traditional Japanese dish because I haven’t seen it offered anywhere else.
It doesn’t look appetizing, but it was quite tasty.
Everything kind of tastes like fish cakes in different forms. Nice to try, but I probably wouldn’t order it again. I wish I could have chosen the 5 items though.
One item we got was a hard boiled egg.
The 2nd item (underneath ingredients) was a boiled deep fried tofu (puff).
Fish cake or patty - it had carrots and peas in it and it was really soft and didn’t taste frozen even if it was.I actually think it could have been made in house.
Chikuwa (fish case tube) - the long brown sausage thing that looks like a male body part is kind of scary looking and not appetizing but it tasted pretty good. It's made up of pureed white fish, eggs, sugar, starch, and salt. It's hollow, boiled, and quite soft and tender like a sheet of fish meatball rolled up in a tube.
Fish Mousse...I think? (half eaten in the photo) It was quite good. I actually liked this one the best of all the random stuff in the Oden. It was almost like a fish paste sausage and there were black sesame seeds and shredded carrots in it. It was soft and I could taste the slight nuttiness of the sesame seeds. It was different, but good.
The broth was quite tasty too. It wasn’t rich pork broth or anything, but it was not canned broth either. I'm pretty sure it was just the standard udon noodle broth.
**Ebi Tempura Ontama Bukkake 4.5/6
It originally means put everything on the noodle & mix it up! A bowl of udon noodles with ebi tempura and ontama (hot spring half boiled egg) $10.95
The udon noodles are really good here…like noticeably good. They’re very fresh and therefore very soft and creamy. They have a great texture to them – they’re soft but very chewy and almost stick to your teeth although they’re slippery. It all sounds like a contradiction, but it makes sense once you try it. Try it!
The egg is the best! You break it and mix in altogether with the udon and soup. Then you pour this special sauce in it and mix it again. It’s almost like a soy sauce but lighter, sweeter and not as sharp.
The broth becomes a bit thicker after mixing the egg into it and it’s reminiscent of egg drop soup.
Although it is good, it is a bit expensive, and for this price I would rather have ramen noodles.
Salmon Cheek Karaage 4/6
2 pieces $4.95
This was another score for me and I would recommend it if I didn’t have some of the other stuff. But there are other things that beat this.
It was very simple, but they did a good job with it. It was 2 big salmon cheeks and it was very crispy but also a bit too oily.
The cheek part with the meat was so juicy and moist it almost had its own sauce.
The thinner parts of the fish were a bit overcooked and dry so it came off as salmon jerky…but that’s bound to happen so I won’t ding them for that.
The batter is flavorful and tastes like the skin on chicken karage.
**Syoyu Mayo Takoyaki 6/6
Octopus balls 6 pcs $5.50
This was a surprising one! It wasn’t on the top 5, but it would be on my top 5.
They were very well done and a nice size. They were very fresh and creamy and almost like baked egg whites! It was so soft and really good! They had a nice piece of octopus in it that wasn’t chewy.
I could have used a bit more pickled ginger taste because I couldn’t taste any and it should have had a little bit of it.
It was served with mayo and Okonomiyaki sauce so it was sweet and teriyaki-like.
Mixed Seaweed (Kaisou) Udon 3/6
Udon with 4 kinds of seaweed served in soup $8.50
The udon noodles are awesome here. They’re really fresh and chewy and have a great texture to them.
This was quite unique and original for a Japanese restaurant in Vancouver.
Types of seaweed
It had reddish brown crunchy seaweed that looked like frisee. I’ve tried it before in minced up form at Rainflower Restaurant in their Japanese Conch salad.
Then they had the green version of it that tasted similar. It’s almost like eating frisee greens in jelly form.
Then there was the fresh slimy green seaweed that has a sea salt flavour.
Lastly there is the standard dry seaweed (the dark green sheet). I would have preferred shredded dried seaweed because having the big piece makes it hard to eat. It gets very chewy and I didn’t like the quality of it. The shredded kind I think is a bit more expensive, but it would have tasted much better and it’s more appropriate for a noodle soup bowl like this.
The broth was almost slimy and mucus like because of all the seaweed juice. Sounds good huh?! It was all really fresh but the slime reminded me of the Nato beans I had at G-Men Ramen.
You have to like and enjoy the taste and texture of seaweed to enjoy and appreciate the Kaison Udon.
Lunch Combo 3.5/6
Udon, ebi tempura don, 3 small appetizers and salad $8.50
This was a pretty good deal compared to everything else.
Ebi Tempura Don 2.5/6
This actually didn’t do anything for me. It was pretty much ebi mayo on rice.
Even served as an Ebi Mayo appetizer it would still only be ok. Ebi Mayo at Toratatsu is great!
There was a whole lot so rice and a decent amount of ebi tempura, but not enough sauce so it was kind of plain.
The shrimps were tender, but not juicy and they were crispy with a flour tempura batter but also a bit small in size. I would rather have the big prawn tempura and less of them.
It wasn’t very spicy and it just tasted like mayo.
Udon
This is just their basic udon with soup and they include a fish cake, which I think is deep fried, and also some seaweed.
3 small appetizers
Chinese cabbage, crunchy marinated pickled ginger, and enoki mushrooms marinated in a sweet soy sauce.
I liked them with the udon and ate them together, but you can eat them as is.
Salad
Just a bed of mixed greens served with a very tangy vinaigrette. It was as tangy as Italian dressing. They use cornflakes instead of croutons and they got really soggy from the dressing. I’d prefer them on the side.
The review on Gyo-O Kaisen Shukudo Japanese dessert is tomorrow!
Features weekly “Top 5” popular choices of the week
Extensive menu (more options dining in than online)
Drink menu – focus on wine bar
Family owned – also own 2 Japanese restaurant chains in Tokyo
Executive Chef Kodai Uno – youngest son of family, trained at PICA (Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts)
Japanese owned and operated
$30/person set menu available
Extra for Green tea
Dinner service/Open late
M-Sun 5-2am
**Recommendation: Cheese Tofu, Ebi Chili Mayo
My friend introduced me to Toratatsu Japanese Tapas & Bistro for some late night dining. She was craving their cheese tofu and was determined for me to try it as well. I have walked by it a couple times and it’s easy to skip unless you’re looking for it because it kind of blends in. If I’m on Denman I will most likely go to Kingyo if I’m feeling Japanese Izakaya. I love Izakaya and there are so many of them in Vancouver and I’ve managed to try a decent amount to be able to compare.
So how does Toratatsu Japanese Tapas & Bistro compare?
Guu – is more affordable, more comfort food options, less gourmet
Kingyo – is pricier, but also has better atmosphere, presentation and quality.
Hapa Izakaya – is pricier, but I prefer Hapa Izakaya dishes
Ping’s Café – is more home style w/Canadian influence, Toratatsu has European influences and is more gourmet
Yuji’s Tapas – is pricier, more gourmet, better presentation and quality
Ebisu – similar pricing, but Toratatsu is more creative than Ebisu
Zakuushi Charcoal Grill – can’t really compare because Zakuushi specializes in charcoal grilled Izakaya
My comparison is very general and each Japanese Izakaya place is unique in their own way. To be fair I have menu recommendations for each restaurant so there’s at least one item I would go back for at each one.
I thought Toratatsu was good, but I’ve also had better. I came here without knowing anything about the restaurant and I still wasn’t blown away, and I feel like I should have been after doing my research. From what I tried I wouldn’t have guessed it would have such a deep history and popular recognition in Japan. The chef is very well trained and experienced yet I don’t think what I ordered showcased it well. I really hope he had a day off when I went because the dishes I didn't like I really didn't like. I would go again because I would like to give it the benefit of the doubt and give it another try, but I’m also in no rush.
Note: Lighting made it impossible to take photos...so please bare with me.
On the table:
**Cheese Tofu 4.5/6
Creamy mascarpone tofu, toasted almonds, a touch of honey, served with baguette $6.80
This is their signature item that would make me rush to go back. It was also the item my friend was craving that inspired our entire visit here…and yes it was worth it.
It’s actually quite simple in ingredients, but the execution is a mystery to me. It’s served cold and I found it to be a very unique dish. I’ve never tried or seen anything really like it before. Truly their signature item!
The cheese tofu looked like tofu, but it was very smooth and creamy in texture almost like a thick yogurt. It’s a mix of tofu, mascarpone cheese and cream cheese and it’s heavenly and easy to spread. It’s not ooey gooey because it’s chilled and the cheesy taste is very light, but it's there.
The flavour was sweet from the touch of honey, very slightly savoury from the cheese tofu, and tart from the fresh strawberries you put on top. I love the sweet and tart combination but I think the cheese tofu could have been a bit cheesier tasting. It was almost like a cheese and fruit dessert and we actually ordered it at the end.
I loved the addition of almonds; however they got soggy so I was missing that crunch. They could have given a few more too.
The baguette was quite soft and untoasted, which worked well with the soft cheese tofu. I just wanted the almonds crunchy to give it more texture.
**Ebi Chili Mayo 4.5/6
Our famous tiger prawn tempura with our original chili mayo, almonds, won ton crisps $8.00
It seems like every Izakaya restaurant has their version. I can’t say I care too much for Ebi Chili Mayo, not to say I haven’t tried it, it’s just I can’t really compare it as well to other places. It’s recommended, on their weekly “top 5” list, and “famous” at Toratatsu so I had to order it.
The batter was a regular flour batter, but it was very crispy and puffy. I loved the tiger prawns which were huge. They were cooked perfectly and very crunchy and juicy. That was the best part! It’s a very creamy dish with a slightly spicy and very rich mayo sauce.
I loved how it came with almonds, which is different, but they were untoasted so that was a big “no-no” for me. They should really toast them to enhance the flavour.
Prawn Gyoza 1.5/6
Pan fried gyoza dumplings with Kurobuta pork and prawns $7.80
I don’t remember if this was recommended or popular, but it wasn’t my choice to order it. I wouldn’t recommend it.
It came out in a big clump. It was 6 gyozas that were stuck together like they had been frozen for too long. It was like a gyoza patty, but with very little stuffing. If it had tasted good I would let the presentation slip. It was very gummy from the over frozen or over cooked process.
The prawns were overcooked. It was more like shrimp than it was a prawn and they put an entire piece in one gyoza. I would rather have it minced up because they toughness of the prawn really stood out.
The sauce was a ponzu sauce, a soy and citrus vinaigrette with that spicy Japanese seasoning powder in it.
Calamari 1.5/6
Deep fried squid with house made dipping sauce. I’m not sure of the price because it’s not on their online menu, but I wouldn’t order it so it doesn’t matter.
I did not like this. I would give it a 1/6, but the dipping sauce was not bad so I added the .5.
The squid was overcooked and tough and it was also crunchy. It was really weird. It wasn’t like seafood crunchy either it was crunchy like eating soft bones crunchy. Yes – I was not a fan.
The dipping sauce was almost like a cole slaw mayo. It was pretty different and I didn’t mind it. It had minced up celery, carrots, and onions with Japanese mayo and kind of tasting a little like Thousand Island dressing.
Gindara Saikyo Yaki 3/6
Saikyo Miso marinated Sablefish served with sweet potato puree $9.80
The Sablefish was good with a nice crispy skin, but it didn’t have any sauce. It needed to be marinated longer, especially if there’s no sauce, because it lacked a bit of flavour.
The sweet potato puree was very creamy and I loved the texture. I think it was a mix of sweet potato, yams, and maybe some mayo, cream and butter. It wasn’t rich, but the texture was great. I don’t know how well it went with the fish though. I think it looked nice, but was more of a side.
Ishiyaki Risotto 4/6
Risotto of seared scallops, mushrooms, Iwanori seaweed served in a hot stone bowl $8.30
If I were to highlight another dish it would be this one. The portion and price is decent for worth it. It’s one of their most popular items as well.
It was more of a Korean bimbimbop than an Italian risotto to me. With the texture they were aiming for risotto, but with the execution and ingredients it was Asian.
They mix it at your table so there’s a little bit of a show. I usually don’t serve it right away to allow the rice to crisp up on the sides of the hot stone bowl. However in this case I think you should serve it somewhat immediately because it is supposed to be an interpretation of risotto.
There were 4 scallops but they were very tough. We didn’t leave it long in the stonf bowl either.
It was loaded with oyster and shiitake mushrooms and it alm ost tasted like cream of mushroom soup mixed with rice.
The rice wasn’t Arborio rice, and just that alone makes it not a risotto.
Azuki Senbei Ice Cream 3.5/6
Vanilla ice cream with sweet red bean paste and rice crackers $3
The red bean paste is the texture of peanut butter. It’s not too s weet or syrupy, which surprisingly I liked better. (I don’t like red bean ever).
The rice crackers are awesome! I thought it was honeycomb until I remembered they were rice crackers. They’re a little salty and it doesn’t bother me because you c ouldn’t even tell. It was a great idea.
Crème Brulee 2/6
With a twist…caramelized right in front of you! $3 (Description from the menu)
This was just a regular crème brulee unlike the super ex otic gourmet one I had at CinCin’s.
At Toratatsu they do the blow torching right at your table so that’s kind of fun. They also pour some sake on it and light it up last minute before serving. I couldn’t taste it though…it’s very little.
The crème brulee had a tofu like texture and it’s not very sweet. It was very standard, but the show was fun. The burnt sugar on top was a bit uneven, but for $3 + a show, I won't be picky.
Green Tea
They charge for Matcha powder green tea....that was not impressive.
I expected actual green tea leaves if I'm going to be paying for my tea.
