Torafuku — Vancouver, Canada

The phenomenon of city food trucks enabling talented chefs a creative platform has come full circle. The success of Vancouver’s beloved Le Tigre has given founders Steve Kuan and Clement Chan the opportunity to open a bricks-and-mortar establishment sited on the edge of the city’s Chinatown in a dual-fronted building dating to 1901. Local architects Scott & Scott have translated the terroir of the street into a minimal space centred around a large communal table and a bar where diners can view the kitchen’s theatrics. A coolly utilitarian interior of raw concrete and timber was installed to age and adopt a handsome familiarity, a theme bolstered by informal benches, linear pendant lights and tables. The stripped-down aesthetic allows the modern Asian dishes – a mash-up of Chan’s classical training and love of East and South-East Asian fare - to shine. The picture-perfect octopus salad with jalapenos is plated with tuna crudo and nutty romesco sauce, but it’s the addictive rye and gochujang-marinated chicken wings that regulars return for.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
958 Main Street
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
The ultimate amenity in this Canadian apartment building? A trio of scene-stealing restaurants
Part of Citizen on Jasper, a new residential tower, Va!, Olia, and Mimi offer a thrilling day-to-night dining experience
-
These sculptural mirrors embody the relaxed spirit of the Med
Photographed in a Mallorcan residence designed by local studio Munarq, these new sculptural mirrors by New York furniture company Ready To Hang are inspired by the sea
-
African brutalism explored: from bold experimentation to uncertain future
Discover the complex and manifold legacies of brutalist architecture in Africa with writer and curator Fabiola Büchele
-
The ultimate amenity in this Canadian apartment building? A trio of scene-stealing restaurants
Part of Citizen on Jasper, a new residential tower, Va!, Olia, and Mimi offer a thrilling day-to-night dining experience
-
Six brilliant bars for your 2025 celebrations, hot off the Wallpaper* travel desk
Wallpaper’s most-read bar reviews of the year can't be wrong: here’s inspiration for your festive and new year plans, from a swanky Las Vegas lounge to a minimalist London drinking den
-
Montreal Navigator: a guide to the city, from modernist marvels to gastronomic gems
Montreal, Quebec’s largest city, is a creative whirlwind, offering up a vibrant mix of arts and design venues, great restaurants, and a crowd-pulling cultural calendar
-
Vancouver restaurant Elio Volpe evokes a sun-drenched Italian beach club
Experience the laid-back feel of coastal Italy in Elio Volpe, a transportive new restaurant designed by Ste. Marie Studio
-
Take off with Wallpaper* June 2024: The Travel Issue
The Wallpaper* June 2024 Travel Issue is on sale now, ready to whisk you to the best of Ho Chi Minh City, Caracas’ modernist marvels, classy Canadian cabins, a Swiss sleep retreat, and more
-
Ama Bar, in Vancouver, is sexy and a little disorienting
Ama Bar features ‘Blade Runner 2049’-inspired interiors by &Daughters
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico
-
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland