You don't need us
to tell you what to do
Remote control your fate
as it bears down upon you
Secrets reveal themselves
outside the lines
Calling the names out
of who puts in the time
Another Tuesday, another Taste! This week, we're diverting away from North American style cuisine and into another overseas import from an island nation across the Pacific ocean. It's Torisho!
While they haven't arrived in Canada/Toronto with the same hooplah as Filipino export Jolibee did a few years back (lineups around the block), Torisho is a (mostly) take-out fried chicken chain with a substantial presence in Japan. Originating in Osaka (known for its street food scene), the story of Torisho seems to begin when business owner Kiyoyuki Nagoshi noticed the consistent long lines outside his friend's fried chicken stall, despite there being several other chicken options in the immediate area. Presumably (Torisho's Canadian website doesn't say any of this and I could only find one interview with Nagoshi translated to English) they joined forces/there was an investment involved with his friend, and soon this special recipe was expanding to multiple take-out stalls in Osaka and eventually throughout Japan.
Expansion to North America was surely imminent (Nagoshi comes across as very globally ambitious in that interview) and indeed it was. First was a location in Long Beach, California, opening late last year. Sticking with that beach theme... the very first Canadian location happens to have opened in the Beaches neighbourhood here in Toronto. Which is where I come in!
Torisho Beaches is an extremely new addition to the Queen East stretch, finally opening (after much online teasing) in late-June. Early one typically humid Toronto summer afternoon, I set course with only a vague idea of exactly where on Queen Street East it was... discovering their small storefront tucked in about three blocks further west than I'd thought.
To my unexpected fortune, they were featuring a quartet of discounted specials for the ongoing Beaches Jazz festival. Thinking with my stomach (which I think we're all guilty of on occasion), I ordered two of these specials: their chicken katsu sandwich (my initial intended choice), plus a combo of four pieces of their Momo fried chicken with two potato beef croquettes.
Starting with the chicken sandwich, I was semi-concerned upon seeing it contained two separate pieces (I recall trying Popeye's flounder sandwich that did the same thing, very awkward). Thankfully, Torisho has the good sense to pair theirs together horizontally instead of side by side. Not that it would really matter either way... because hot damn this sandwich is truly something. Breaking down the components: you've got your flat fried chicken(s), pickles, some coleslaw and tomatoes on top and a lemon-peppery mayo prominently slathered throughout. Even if the chicken were merely ordinary, these toppings work so well and harmoniously together: the slaw and mayo giving a sweet creamy crunch, the pickles a slight tang and sting, while the tomatoes are tomatoes. Not saying toppings of this quality and specific combination could save a complete boring dud like Pizza Pizza's chicken sandwich (though geez it sure would make that one somewhat memorable).
Comparing Pizza Pizza fried chicken to Torisho's though is an insult to the concept of ordering food. This chicken is simply excellent: tenderized and flattened to the point it reminds of schnitzel, yet lacking that particular dry stringyness you can sometimes find on the edges of schnitzel sandwiches that perhaps aren't breaded and fried to order. Actually, this chicken has a softer juicy texture resembling something mass produced like a McChicken... except this tastes legitimately real! No suspicious oily taste in the meat itself, or bites perfectly minced and manufactured to match the bite before and after it... this here finds that right fluctuation in texture and flavour within its own delicious properties. As for the exterior... it resembles a light flaky tempura that crumbles softly but doesn't impose with greasy presence or an absurdly heavy crunch. Nor do you get any bites that are all just breading. There's tasty chicken every chomp you take of this thing, and considering how well the other fixings compliment the main attraction... god damn.
Can't say completely that it's the best fried chicken sandwich I've ever tried here in Toronto (Chica's and PG Clucks are very different than this but great in their own ways, plus I like the option of spice which was lacking here)... but Torisho may easily be the best chicken sandwich I've ever reviewed. Dave's Hot is interesting and definitely worth trying, but this is another level. Really, really damn good.
Onto the second special: the boneless Momo chicken pieces and croquettes. Unlike the sandwich, this is dark meat chicken (thighs I believe) and after the wonderful lean tenderness of that first entry the increased fattiness here did throw me off somewhat. Still, these were plenty enjoyable in their own right. You can taste a faint soy-like and sesame marinade on the exterior of these large-bite sized fellas, while the meat itself is plenty soft and juicy in texture. Almost like a well made fancy chicken nugget, with the external softness of a puff pastry. Different, but I liked it okay.
As for the croquettes... let me say that (as someone with Irish and Ukrainian background) it is hard for anything potato to completely disappoint me. It has been done countless times: bad or boring french fries are littered throughout fast food joints that give potatoes no care beyond closing a freezer door. Same with baked potatoes... they can get dull without proper preparation and secondary additions (excesses of butter, sour cream, green onions etc).
I'm not entirely familiar with croquettes (going in I assumed them to be something akin to a fancy hash brown) and boy-oh-boy did these open my sights. Unlike a hash brown, which is usually a rectangular disc of shredded potato that's fried until it can make white paper transparent, these croquettes had soft mashed potato inside their lightly crispy shell. As I (possibly) mentioned during my Jolibee review, I love making mashed potatoes at home for myself and adding various dairy (milk, sour cream) to them has been my trick to fluffen them up a bit. I've then tried pan-frying those leftovers and have achieved limited success: the crispy parts of the potatoes tasting delicious but the whole operation never stays cohesive and I have to scrape my pan a lot. Clearly I'm doing something wrong, which these Torisho croquettes expertly sidestep (it's called breading and a 'deep fryer' I figure) to genuinely create a dynamic of crispy outside, creamy potato inside... and the contrast is just heavenly.
They offer a corn or beef filling (I went beef) but you don't notice the beef that much to be honest, and you don't really have to. There are tiny bits of sauteed mushrooms inside also, which are more of a presence via their richness and very welcomed. The creamy mashed on the inside is the attraction of course, wanting to droop out at the first sign of freedom, yet somehow structurally it all holds together thanks to a similar but tighter batter than the chicken sandwich (this is a bit crunchier). Flavour-wise, it's simply hard to describe beyond: tasty lightly fried thing filled with delicious mashed potatoes, plus some beef and mushroom bits. Sometimes that's all you need.
Speaking of simple... overall Torisho is simply fantastic. Coming into this I wasn't exactly certain what made Karaage chicken different or unique amongst other fried chicken options. Still not entirely sure from a technical viewpoint (the marinade seems to be most crucial, were I to guess), but after trying it I can solidly say I enjoyed this immensely.
For deep fried food this is all very light... you don't get any of that harsh stomach regret or zapped energy from heavy greasiness encasing your very being. There's subtle lemony sweetness and soy saltiness abound but they mix in with the background of all the other flavours and textures dancing about. The Momo chicken bites were good, but I enjoyed the hell out of the sandwich and croquettes... so from that I strongly recommend checking them out. Especially while they still have their specials for the jazz festival until the end of month. I'm closeby and definitely happy for an excuse to go again.
Burnt Ends -- Finally something to report that isn't a food review! Took a while to edit the damn thing (and to stop myself from adding to it) but at long last my look at the Spoon discography is up and posted.
What's next? Radiohead? (I already wrote some of it a year ago... should probably finish that eventually). Queens of the Stone Age? I have to do a Canadian band at some point... the Hip? Sloan? Broken Social Scene? The options are limitless.
Also, as much as I love David Bowie... that's a big catalogue and there are really only 10-12 albums I'd want to talk about to be honest. I mean... maybe those 80s albums could be fun to throw plentiful jabs at, but then I'd also have to listen to them. Bah.
This Week's No Context Looney Tunes Image --
(Can't you just hear Bugs Bunny's voice saying this as you read it?)
Angry Jays Rant -- Okay... this isn't exactly angry, nor is it a rant exactly. Hey, it's like 3 AM Tuesday morning as I type this and I'm thinking more about just getting this last part of the weekly review done instead of that horrible display of baseball my unfortunate eyes were subjected to Sunday afternoon.
But subjected they were. What the Blue Jays did on Sunday is just not the kind of stuff you see from a professional team, like ever. Now sure, sometimes you get those odd hilarious plays that bad MLB teams make... such as the clueless first baseman of the Pirates who inexplicably chased Javier Baez (the batter) down the first baseline, or just any of the general weirdness that can happen at unfortunate moments in a baseball game.
Sunday for the Blue Jays though... that was Mr. Burns' famous declaration "Nine separate misfortunes? I'd like to see that!" playing out over the span of a nine inning game. All without the aid of quack hypnotists, questionable nerve tonic, drunken bar fights over British prime ministers or treacherous "Mystery Spots". Instead, you get a ball somehow going through the laces of a glove at the worst possible time, a pitcher becoming Nuke Laloosh with multiple wild pitches (I seriously though Mayza was going to hit the mascot that inning) and a catcher dropping a simple pop-up that (while a tricky play that someone probably should've called him off for) is a catch I've seen made in my various recreational leagues regularly without extreme difficulty. Nevermind that an old playoff nemesis is the one who did in the Blue Jays two games in a row, hitting three home runs in the span of four at-bats (after having a total of four in sixty games beforehand).
What even am I saying? Is there a point to this sporting diversion in a food review? I don't know. Maybe this 2022 team is cursed? Beats the hell out of me trying to figure this out. An evil curse would explain why the Yankees just never lose anymore (how fun). For a team still with a winning record, the Blue Jays are pretty damn grim and depressing at the moment... a statement that will hopefully look silly in a few weeks time (and not predictive of future unthinkable horrors).
Tuesday Tune --- Here's something from a band I mentioned above, sung by their member who always writes the weirder songs. This also came out in 2018, making it one of the most modern choices I've selected for this bit. Enjoy!
That's all for this week. After what happened here in Canada this past weekend, I'm glad this is called the 'Tuesday Taste' and not the 'Friday Foodie' or something... nobody would be able to read this (and not just because 'Friday Foodie' sounds kinda terrible). Anyhow, stay safe, keep on enjoying that summer and don't spill that mustard.
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