Expectations were high given the Michelin star awarded. Food was mediocre. Steak was chewy and sauce was bland. Not much flavor in any of the dishes served. We had both the tasting menu and a la carte dishes. Very average overall. Very hard to find parking as well.
JeffP
Terrific food! The decor seemed to be an afterthought as if all the money went into the Kitchen and then some paint was added along with tables. The noise level reflected the near lack of ability to absorb noise from the patrons. The service started very well, attentive and pleasant. It remained pleasant but the attentiveness dwindled. Our food, appetizers and main course came out item by item separated by few minutes each with the last entree being 10 minutes after the others. Again, we enjoyed the food very much but the rest of the experience was mediocre.
SarahR
Last night was my second time at Torafuku and I have decided that it is now my favorite restaurant in Vancity. Not only were the drinks delicious but every single plate of food was cooked to perfection. The only suggestion would be that our table of five wanted to do the tasting menu but they were unable to accommodate it and asked us to order a la carte. Not a big deal. I will definitely be going back.
EvyT
Unfortunately, lunch was a disaster. We ordered right away and it took almost an hour to get our food. Appetizer and one of the main dishes came at once, we had to wait an extra 10 mins for the other main dish to come. We also had to point out to our server that our dish was incomplete and didn't fit the description on the menu. Then we had to wait another few minutes for the poached egg to come. To top it all, there were pieces of eggshells floating on the egg. I've never seen anything like this in Vancouver.
Everyone can skip the magic mushroom. It is definitely not magical. The presentation looks great but once you mixed the ricotta cheese in, it looks very unappetizing. Not sure what the chef is trying to present but it is not getting anywhere. The taste is too acidic, not balanced. We also ordered the kale salad, the black-cod and the Japanese buns (since it is recommended to complement with the black-cod fish). The kale salad is too salty, not sure if it is because they salted the roasted quinoa. The black cod is lacking salt and the presentation is lacking as well. Nothing special to be honest. Not sure how it gets recommended by Michelin. For those foodies, I will recommend you all to skip it. We did provide feedbacks to your servers, nothing was done about it. They just apologized. Anyways, I don't always write experience on here but I think I should let you all know about this restaurant.
ChiaraM
I went with my 3 adult children and there was something for everyone! Even the picky one! 2 of us shared the 7 course tasting menu and everything from the Appetizers, mains and desserts was music to our taste buds. The other two ordered from the A-la-cart menu, Roasted Duck dinner and Magic Mushroom bowl, spicy cornbread and pain au lait. There we no leftovers and if they could they would have licked their plates clean lol. Our server was also amazing. He was friendly, talkative and had great recommendations as well as able to describe the flavours of everything from food and beverages. He definitely enhanced our experience. We highly recommend Torafuko! They also provided great portion sizes :) We will definitely come back :) Chiara
Darren
I went for dine out Vancouver. I really liked the atmosphere to start with as it's got some cozy, Japanese style simple mood. But I was not given the menu 15 mins after I was seated. This was really disappointing considering its fame from Michelin guide. Of course, the table came after me was already given the first course I finally got my menu. I ordered a drink and it came at my second course ‘after' I asked about my drink. I could not be more disappointed than this coz servers kinda knew they've let me wait for menu for a long time, but allowed my drink to be served in their order. I believe there should've some sort of compensation. The servers seemed fairly nice and gentle to other customers, so I think they just did not know what they could've done. $65 per person was understandable as their striploin (main) was well sized while the other courses were well rounded portion size. The taste was fairly good considering it was a dine out season. I would try one more time to see how they do on their regular basis, but there are arguably many other restaurants in chinatown that could be compared.
We got a reservation for dinner at 9:15 PM during the Dine Out Vancouver Festival on a very busy Friday night so we were seated almost 25 mins later. But that's okay because the food was worth the wait and the staff were one of the friendliest we have ever encountered. Shoutout to the bartender as well who made us amazing cocktails! Will definitely be back! ?
NatashadianneYVR
We ordered the beef noodle soup, pork with crack rice and basque cheesecake with blueberry jam. Everything was well balanced and full of flavour. Our server was attentive and cheerful. Can't wait to go back and try more items.
MLewa
The Dine out Vancouver option is not worth the $65 per person because you are sharing 1 order. Not enough food for the cost. Wouldn't kill them to offer 2 bowls of salad or 2 bowls of rice or 2 orders of dessert. Drinks were way over priced. Don't recommend dine out here.
My friend and I really enjoyed eating here. We came during the dine out fest and had a really good time. The food and cocktails were really good and the staff were really friendly.
JordanY
Ordered the Dineout menu but found it was disappointing. Food tastes great except for the cod we ordered. One corner of the fish is super salty and the other corner was tasteless. We did mentioned this to our server but unfortunately she didn't do anything about it. Not even sure if the management team was notified. To be honest, I don't see the value for $65 per person. Portion was quite small comparing to other Dineout restaurants. I can probably finish 2 person's portion all by myself. Atmosphere-wise, I think the space between tables were too tight. You almost sit shoulder to shoulder to the person next table.
Roses
Enjoyed a Dine Out experience with my girlfriends. We loved everything that was presented. The wait staff were very friendly and attentive. Space has a great vibe. We had an awesome time.
ChristineC
Came here for their dine out experience. Was a little disappointed. The dishes were a hit or miss. Some dishes were too salty. Portions were too small for the price that we paid. The chairs were very uncomfortable.
Chasingflavours
The dishes are exceptional here. Every bite is an explosion of flavours and you get to watch the chefs create food in front of you if you sit at the bar! Yuzu lemon cocktail was incredible, and hard to pick a favourite dish but that black cod was to die for.
Expectations were high given the Michelin star awarded. Food was mediocre. Steak was chewy and sauce was bland. Not much flavor in any of the dishes served. We had both the tasting menu and a la carte dishes. Very average overall. Very hard to find parking as well.
Terrific food! The decor seemed to be an afterthought as if all the money went into the Kitchen and then some paint was added along with tables. The noise level reflected the near lack of ability to absorb noise from the patrons. The service started very well, attentive and pleasant. It remained pleasant but the attentiveness dwindled. Our food, appetizers and main course came out item by item separated by few minutes each with the last entree being 10 minutes after the others. Again, we enjoyed the food very much but the rest of the experience was mediocre.
Last night was my second time at Torafuku and I have decided that it is now my favorite restaurant in Vancity. Not only were the drinks delicious but every single plate of food was cooked to perfection. The only suggestion would be that our table of five wanted to do the tasting menu but they were unable to accommodate it and asked us to order a la carte. Not a big deal. I will definitely be going back.
Unfortunately, lunch was a disaster. We ordered right away and it took almost an hour to get our food. Appetizer and one of the main dishes came at once, we had to wait an extra 10 mins for the other main dish to come. We also had to point out to our server that our dish was incomplete and didn't fit the description on the menu. Then we had to wait another few minutes for the poached egg to come. To top it all, there were pieces of eggshells floating on the egg. I've never seen anything like this in Vancouver.
Everyone can skip the magic mushroom. It is definitely not magical. The presentation looks great but once you mixed the ricotta cheese in, it looks very unappetizing. Not sure what the chef is trying to present but it is not getting anywhere. The taste is too acidic, not balanced. We also ordered the kale salad, the black-cod and the Japanese buns (since it is recommended to complement with the black-cod fish). The kale salad is too salty, not sure if it is because they salted the roasted quinoa. The black cod is lacking salt and the presentation is lacking as well. Nothing special to be honest. Not sure how it gets recommended by Michelin. For those foodies, I will recommend you all to skip it. We did provide feedbacks to your servers, nothing was done about it. They just apologized. Anyways, I don't always write experience on here but I think I should let you all know about this restaurant.
I went with my 3 adult children and there was something for everyone! Even the picky one! 2 of us shared the 7 course tasting menu and everything from the Appetizers, mains and desserts was music to our taste buds. The other two ordered from the A-la-cart menu, Roasted Duck dinner and Magic Mushroom bowl, spicy cornbread and pain au lait. There we no leftovers and if they could they would have licked their plates clean lol. Our server was also amazing. He was friendly, talkative and had great recommendations as well as able to describe the flavours of everything from food and beverages. He definitely enhanced our experience. We highly recommend Torafuko! They also provided great portion sizes :) We will definitely come back :) Chiara
I went for dine out Vancouver. I really liked the atmosphere to start with as it's got some cozy, Japanese style simple mood. But I was not given the menu 15 mins after I was seated. This was really disappointing considering its fame from Michelin guide. Of course, the table came after me was already given the first course I finally got my menu. I ordered a drink and it came at my second course ‘after' I asked about my drink. I could not be more disappointed than this coz servers kinda knew they've let me wait for menu for a long time, but allowed my drink to be served in their order. I believe there should've some sort of compensation. The servers seemed fairly nice and gentle to other customers, so I think they just did not know what they could've done. $65 per person was understandable as their striploin (main) was well sized while the other courses were well rounded portion size. The taste was fairly good considering it was a dine out season. I would try one more time to see how they do on their regular basis, but there are arguably many other restaurants in chinatown that could be compared.
We got a reservation for dinner at 9:15 PM during the Dine Out Vancouver Festival on a very busy Friday night so we were seated almost 25 mins later. But that's okay because the food was worth the wait and the staff were one of the friendliest we have ever encountered. Shoutout to the bartender as well who made us amazing cocktails! Will definitely be back! ?
We ordered the beef noodle soup, pork with crack rice and basque cheesecake with blueberry jam. Everything was well balanced and full of flavour. Our server was attentive and cheerful. Can't wait to go back and try more items.
The Dine out Vancouver option is not worth the $65 per person because you are sharing 1 order. Not enough food for the cost. Wouldn't kill them to offer 2 bowls of salad or 2 bowls of rice or 2 orders of dessert. Drinks were way over priced. Don't recommend dine out here.
Restaurantji Recommends
My friend and I really enjoyed eating here. We came during the dine out fest and had a really good time. The food and cocktails were really good and the staff were really friendly.
Ordered the Dineout menu but found it was disappointing. Food tastes great except for the cod we ordered. One corner of the fish is super salty and the other corner was tasteless. We did mentioned this to our server but unfortunately she didn't do anything about it. Not even sure if the management team was notified. To be honest, I don't see the value for $65 per person. Portion was quite small comparing to other Dineout restaurants. I can probably finish 2 person's portion all by myself. Atmosphere-wise, I think the space between tables were too tight. You almost sit shoulder to shoulder to the person next table.
Enjoyed a Dine Out experience with my girlfriends. We loved everything that was presented. The wait staff were very friendly and attentive. Space has a great vibe. We had an awesome time.
Came here for their dine out experience. Was a little disappointed. The dishes were a hit or miss. Some dishes were too salty. Portions were too small for the price that we paid. The chairs were very uncomfortable.
The dishes are exceptional here. Every bite is an explosion of flavours and you get to watch the chefs create food in front of you if you sit at the bar! Yuzu lemon cocktail was incredible, and hard to pick a favourite dish but that black cod was to die for.