Welcome fellow foodies, I'm Mijune - dedicated foodie from Vancouver. I write restaurant reviews in Vancouver and the lower mainland as well as when I’m traveling. I'm searching for the best ____, popular hole-in-the-wall restaurant & local gem. I cook & bake so I’ll also post recipes. I invite all foodies to follow me on this tasty experience!
WARNING: My food pics may stimulate hunger, so explore my blog with munchies within a reachable distance. For the love of food...
I was invited to a media dinner at Charlie’s Bar & Restaurant so the food served this evening was complimentary. However there were no expectations from Charlie’s Bar & Restaurant and the review represents my true and honest opinions.
This review focuses on the dessert for the evening. All the desserts are made in house from scratch which I really appreciate it…and quite frankly expect from a restaurant like this. However I don’t think any dessert here should exceed $8-9 because I’d be paying the same for desserts at slightly more expensive restaurants like Lupo Restaurant + Vinoteca down the street.
I get confused between Charlie’s Restaurant and Bar being a gourmet pizza place and being a finer Mediterranean restaurant. The desserts got me more confused…some are traditional British and some seem more French...but it's a Mediterranean/Italian/Pizza place...right?...regardless I’ll tell you what’s good…
A bit unusual to see at a restaurant/bar serving gourmet pizzas. It was a bit refined for the style and I couldn’t figure out how it fit in.
The dessert was quite good and basically a twist on mint chocolate ice cream. It was a deconstructed version with gourmet execution.
It was very rich dark chocolate ganache slices sprinkled with cocoa powder and topped with thin dark chocolate wafers.
There was some pistachio and skor graham cracker crumbles around the plate that aided in the presentation rather than the flavour.
The mint sorbet was refreshing but bitter. The after taste was significantly bitter.
I wouldn’t want the whole thing to myself, but I’m not a big fan of chocolate mint ice cream. 1-2 of the small squares is enough.
$11 for this portion I would feel ripped off…but apparently they usually serve it with another piece. (The size of the biggest one in the photo)
Banoffee Pie 4.5/6
Banana, dry caramel and coconut ice cream $10
I really liked this! You don’t see this traditional British dessert served at many places so I enjoyed it here.
I loved how they served it with coconut ice cream. A gourmet twist on traditional pub food…wait is Charlie’s a pub now?
I don’t think the tart shell was made in house, but I’m not sure. It was a crumbly shortbread like cookie crust, but it didn’t taste homemade. It was filled with bananas, dry caramel and topped with cream.
The “dry caramel” tastes like dulche de leche – it was like caramelized condensed milk and very thick.
It was creamy and very sweet with lots of caramel so I'm glad there was ice cream to break it up.
It was served with 3 warm caramelized bananas.
I'd pay $10 for it, but I still think it's reaching a bit. Especially since most people would be use to seeing it at pubs for half the price. I did like it more than the chocolate ganache.
Last visited: February 21, 2010 Area:Vancouver, BC (Shaughnessy)
1007 W King Edward Ave Range: $10 or less
1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!
Drinks: 6
Service: 3 (well it’s pay at cashier and they go as fast as they can)
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 5
Additional comments:
Located at major intersection, but neighborhood area
Famous for bubble tea
One of the most popular places for bubble tea
Attracts locals everywhere
Family owned and operated
Small operation
Stamp card available
Line-ups during peak hours (late night/after dinner)
Fresh fruit flavours
Seats 15 or so (very limited)
About 4 hot rice dishes available (with fried egg style)
Pay at cashier
Great price
Very casual/hole in the wall-ish
Some small snack available: Pocky, instant noodles
Open late
Couple parking spaces in the back
Pre-order/pick-up service available
Opens daily at 1:30pm
**Recommendation:Japanese Green Tea Ice Cream, Supreme Milk Tea, and any of their fresh fruit series – I like blueberry
Next to Pearl Castle Bubble Tea and Peanuts this is also one of the most popular places for locals to get their bubble tea. Everyone loves Dragon Ball Tea House and it has been here for ages! At least 8 years I’d say…maybe even 10? It JUST got a make-over and it used to look even more hole-in-the wall-ish. It’s has very limited seating and it’s super casual and unpretentious. I’d even call it more of a to-go place. I’ve been coming here fore years and it’s my top bubble tea choice in the Vancouver area…although Capstone Tea & Fondue is good too.
Unlike many other bubble tea places, Dragon Ball Tea House really focuses on just bubble tea. They do offer maybe 3-4 hot dishes (which I’ve never seen anyone order) but they really focus on just bubble tea. They do a great job and they have steady traffic and pretty long lines and waits during busy hours…which is usually late at night or after dinner hours.
I’ve tried a lot of flavours here, but I always go back to the recommendations above. You can get drinks sweet/half-sweet/non-sweet/hot/slush/combination of flavours/mixed fruit etc. Almost everything can be customized, but they just don’t advertise it. Everything tastes like it’s made with ice cream here. The fresh fruit flavours are like smoothies. I haven’t had one bad drink. Even the tapioca pearls are great. Besides tapioca pearls they have coconut jelly, grass jelly and I think maybe mango stars as options.
On the table:
Pudding Slush Bubble Tea 4/6
$4.00 + $.50 with tapioca pearls - $4.50
This was my first time ordering pudding slush. Again it was like ice cream, they do a good job, however the best pudding slush bubble tea is still at Tri-ty.
This was very good, but I wasn’t a fan of the pudding pieces at the bottom. That’s how it’s supposed to be served though, but I just didn’t like them that much. They’re jello like and not that flavourful for me…so I found it more distracting.
The drink part is a sweeter drink and it tastes like vanilla pudding, but in slushy form.
The pearls are great. Nice and chewy and cooked perfectly. They give you lots too!
The drinks are pretty big and filling, but they’re delicious!
Chambar has always been one of my favourite restaurants...and it still is one of my favourites. I rarely ever say I have a “favourite restaurant” but this one has yet to disappointment me. I usually have certain dishes I like and that’s what I will recommend rather than the restaurant itself…however everything here is more or less amazing.
It is a Belgian restaurant, but the food is more contemporary with slight French and West Coast influences. It is more or less a fusion restaurant.
A bit steep in terms of price, but in the category of casual fine dining. The portions are reasonable although they look smaller until you start eating them.
They really let the ingredients speak for themselves here and they don’t go overboard by trying to enhance every single item with seasonings and spices. It’s simple, but tastes so complex. That’s the magic of Chambar.
This was the best of the sampler. It was pretty much a vanilla panna cotta. The vanilla was very strong and the texture was very rich and creamy.
The bottom layer of this is almost pure vanilla bean seed puree. It was delicious, but I wish they had used it for the top or maybe throughout the panna cotta. I just felt like it was such a waste of vanilla bean seeds to leave them at the bottom. The bowl was square so it was hard to scrape up too.
Espresso and Kaluah Ice Cream 3.5/6
This was a very icy ice cream so it was almost lighter than regular ice cream. It was very refreshing and not too strong in flavour. It wasn’t too sweet and it was quite simple, but still good. No surprises here…except for it being icy in texture.
Sour Cherry Phyllo Purse 2/6
I’m not sure if that was the exact name, but that’s how I remember it. It's the triangle between the chocolate mousse and the panna cotta.
There was too much phyllo and too little cherry. I was very crispy and flakey with a sweetness and tang, but the phyllo was distracting.
It was topped with a whipped marscapone cheese I think...or goat's cheese? (I don't quite remember) It was very mild in flavour and added a creaminess that offset the tang of the cherry...I just wish they had given more cherry.
Chocolate Mousse 4/6
This looks A LOT sweeter than it really is. It’s not that sweet at all actually…and that’s because they’re using a dark and good quality chocolaote. The texture is actually quite rich yet still frothy but the sweetness is very natural so it doesn’t tastes too heavy.
The decor they used was a thin chocolate brittle that tastes like there wasaquite a bit of espresso in it. I liked it!
Truffles 3/6
These aren’t truffles…these are chocolates. They’re good, but just not truffles.
Dark chocolate truffle 4.5/6
Amazing. I love dark chocolate. This was like a homemade Ferraro Rocher. There were nice big pieces of hazelnuts on the outside and then the inside wasachocolate ganache. It wasn’t that creamy and was actually quite thick.
White chocolate truffle 1.5/6
No. I don’t like white chocolate so this was much too sweet. Even if I did like white chocolate I still think it was too sweet. Not for me.
Plateau de trois fromages - Plate of 3 Cheeses 5/6
Trio cheese platter with spiced blueberry compote, fruit & nut bread. $18
Brie, Aged White Cheddar and Stilton or Blue Cheese?
The bread is fantastic! It’s house made hazelnut and rasin bread and they give you a lot! There’s huge pieces of hazelnuts and lots of them!
They toast them up so it’s nice and nutty.
They serve it with a spiced blueberry jam/compote with real whole blueberries in it. It’s actually noticeably spicy and I think it's from ginger and maybe some cinnamon.
The cheese are generous servings and this is definitely worth it. I like the added pear and apple slices as well. It went great with the compote.
Le Gateau Poire - Vanilla Pear Cake 6/6
Vanilla cake baked on top of pear compote served with raspberry creme anglaise & lemongrass ice cream. $11
I had to save the best for last. Well the best out of what we ordered.
Delish! They changed the raspberry cream anglaise to a coffee espresso cream anglaise. I think the raspeberry cream would have been even better although this was still good. You pour the coffee espresso (centre glass) in the middle of this soufflé and eat it together.
It’s soft, warm, sweet, slightly bitter from the espresso, not too sweet and just the perfect flavour of everything. I was suprised the espresso didn't overpower the pears.
The pear is so ripe and yet not overcooked so you can still taste the pieces and bite into them. I loved this!
They serve it with ice cream and a little brown sugar decor...and drool I want it right now! I don't recall it being lemongrass though...so they either changed the recipe for that or the lemongrass flavour wasn't as distinct and overpowered by the espresso and pears. Now I want to go back and try it again...:D
Cuisine: Fast.Food/American Last visited: February 11, 2010 Area: Multiple locations – Vancouver, BC #120 - 1055 West Georgia Street (In Royal Centre) PriceRange: $10 or less
1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!
Crème Brulee McFlurry : 2.5
I finally tried the Crème Brulee McFlurry. It’s been the McDonald’s holiday special for sometime now and I guess it’s been doing pretty well considering it’s still on the menu and the holidays are way past.
The inspiration to try it was actually thanks to Kim. We were on a pre-dinner break so decided to give it a try while walking by. Although I’m not a fan of crème brulee I do love McDonald’s ice cream and can pretty much have it at all times of the day. In fact I think I have it at least twice a week.
They launched the Crème Brulee McFlurry around the same time as the S’more Pie, and I actually prefer that more than this. Actually, I prefer my own creation the S’more Pie Sundae even more.
On the table:
Crème Brulee McFlurry 3/6
Vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and toffee bits
Okay first off, I really enjoy McDonald’s ice cream
I’m not really a fan of crème brulee, caramel or toffee
It’s too sweet for me – I think there’s 2 pumps of caramel sauce and 2 heaping spoonfuls of ground toffee bits (for a small size) and then they blend it all up
If you like Skor – you’ll like this (except there’s no chocolate)
If you like caramel sundae – you’ll like this
It doesn’t taste like a crème brulee, but it’s a nice imitation for McDonald’s
I think they’re just mimicking the burnt sugar part of crème brulee with the hard/crunchy toffee bits
I still prefer my S’more Pie Sundae or best yet my Apple Pie McFlurry!
Unit 2800-4151 Hazelbridge Way (In Aberdeen Mall) Range: $10-20
1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!
Food: 2
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 2
Additional comments:
Specializes in Taiwanese beef noodle and soup bowls
Taiwanese/Chinese (China) chefs/cooks
Fresh, made upon order
Homemade, everything made from scratch
Handmade noodles, dough etc.
Prepared in small batches
Large selection of drinks (bubble tea, brewed tea etc.)
Selection of desserts (shaved ice, Frappe Bliss)
Large selection of tradition Taiwanese snacks
Very long line ups at peak hours
Open/display kitchen
Lots of seating, quick service
Popular to locals/Chinese
Lunch and dinner
Offers snacks and bubble tea
Private room available
Open 7 days
**Recommendation: Noodle topped with ground pork sauce, Pan fried ground pork cake
Chef Hung is getting slammed left, right and centre.
Yes, it’s a bit overpriced, but they do give you a lot of meat. Yes, it’s not worth the long line up, but it might be worth checking out if there is no line-up and if you’re still curious. Yes, it’s overrated, but do I regret trying it? No, because I still had to see what the hype was about; and when there’s a 30+ min. line-up for over a month now…they must be doing something good right?!…errr maybe not…nonetheless I tried everything I wanted to try to make sure I wouldn’t have to line-up again to give it another chance.
For me it was a cross of Taiwanese and Shanghainese food, and in this case I could get better of each cuisine elsewhere. The broth just wasn’t as flavourful or rich to match the authenticity of Taiwanese or Shanghai cuisine. They’re charging a couple dollars more than Japanese Ramen Noodle places and a lot more than Wonton Noodle places and the food is surprisingly bland. The portions are really deceiving because it’s a big bowl with not a lot of noodle, yet a significant amount of meat. The noodles are deceiving too because although they don’t give you much, but they really expand and fill you up fast. You have a choice of either flat noodle, thin noodle or vermicelli and most people seem to be getting the flat noodle.
I do appreciate how everything is homemade and fresh, but the flavour just wasn’t there. It is a relatively quick eat – after all the line-up doesn’t die down during dinner. They’re not rude about it and there’s a lot of staff so the food comes fast and they don't hesitate to ask when you need your bill.
On the table:
Champion beef shank with noodle in soup 2.5/6
Champion beef shank with noodle in soup $10.95 – Flat noodle
For $10.95 I should be getting either a big portion, or really amazing noodles and soup. I got neither. This is their hot ticket item and it was only ok. That’s kind of embarrassing.
If I only order this I’d be really disappointed because this itself isn’t worth the wait. The bowl is big, but not the portion too.
The broth was very basic and light and almost watered down in taste. It wasn’t very flavourful and the beef taste wasn’t as potent as it looks for sure.
The noodles were great though. They’re cooked in small batches just until al dente. This is a tricky word – al dente is actually more “undercooked” than one may think. So these noodles come across as undercooked but they’re not. They’re chewy, hand made and it absorbed the flavour (as little as it had to offer) of the soup well.
They do give you a lot of meat though. The beef shank is quite tender, could be tenderer, and the fat is almost interwoven in layers.
They also have 2 slices of seared beef which is individually hand seared with a torch. This part was good as well.
**Noodle topped with ground pork sauce 3/5
Noodle topped with ground pork sauce $6.95 – Flat noodle
Beef is their specialty, yet this pork noodle bowl was better! I still like it better at other authentic Taiwanese places though – like Lao Shan Dong in Burnaby, or even Zephyr in the Sky in Richmond.
This noodle bowl is only supposed to come with a little soup, just enough to wet the noodles and then some. The soup again is a bit bland although it looks rich. It’s sweeter, saltier, thicker and richer than the soup in the beef bowls.
They give you a lot of ground pork which is quite tender and lean. It’s actually quite chunky and not minced like other authentic Taiwanese places would serve it. It’s pretty good though, very marinated, but not saucy and it could have been saucier. I think there were bits of tofu in it, but it wasn’t apparent.
I do like the al dente chewy and slightly hard noodles. Although I think the thin noodle would have matched the dish better since the meat was ground.
Marinated Beef Crispy Pancake 2/6
Marinated beef wrapped in crispy pancake $5.95
This dish is much better at Shanghainese restaurants.
It was a homemade crispy pancake/crepe rolled with marinated beef slices, green onions, cucumbers, and Hoisin sauce.
It looks better than it tastes. The pancake part was good and crispy and there was lots of filling, but the dominant taste was raw green onions.
I could barely taste the meat, and it was very crunchy but there was too much onion and they needed more cucumber. It was slightly spicy from the onion overload.
Overall it was a bit dry although not oily, but I needed more Hoisin sauce for sweetness and more flavour in general.
Fried Chives Pancake 1.5/6
Fried chives pancake (2 pcs) $3.95
This was stuffed with vermicelli, chives, and scrambled eggs.
The pancake was a very thin crepe and not crispy but soft. It was quite floury and left a powdery layer on my lips.
The filling was a bit oily and bland with a slight white pepper taste. If anything else it tasted like sautéed onions, with just the natural flavour of the onions and nothing else.
**Pan-Fried Ground Pork Cake 4/6
Pan fried ground pork cake (2 pcs) $3.50
I think this is the best thing I ordered and it was worth it. If anything I would come back for these if there was no line-up and it was convenient.
They dough is homemade and it’s very crispy and thin almost like dumpling skin but more doughy.
It was the most savoury, but not necessarily flavourful and I wonder if it would be more flavourful than the beef cake. After all the pork noodles were more flavourful than the beef was.
The pork was really juicy and when you cut into it the juice even leaks out. It reminded me of those Pan-fried Shanghai Pork Buns.
They’re very crunchy too because they mix the pork with green beans.
They’re made completely in house and you can watch them doing it. They’re very oily though, but I would order them again.
Pan Fried Sliced Radish Cake 1/6
Pan-fried sliced radish cake (2 pcs) $3.50
Ok, no. I like the sliced radish in pastry they serve for Shanghai dim sum better than this.
I really like radish too, but this was just really bland and fishy tasting. It was fishy tasting because they put some dried shrimp in it as well as Chinese mushrooms although it was way too little and you couldn’t taste them.
It was packed with filling and really juicy and crunchy, but the dominant flavour was just fishy.
This was also very oily and I preferred the pork version hands down.
Dessert
Mango Shaved Ice 4/6
$3.50
This dessert is from Frappe Bliss - a franchise, so they just bought the machine that makes it.
There is an actual store front for Frappe Bliss in the Aberdeen food court upstairs and it’s better there because you get more variety for toppings. Toppings here are limited and +$1 each.
This dessert is still amazing and it’s a pretty decent bowl for the price.
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.
