110 West Cordova Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 4K2, Canada
(604) 420-4272
BBP Full Scorecard
Voted “Top Five Izakayas In North America” by Bon Appétit Magazine in 2011; topping “Industry and Readers Choice” 2012 awards for Best Japanese and Best Izakaya in the Georgia Straight weekly: and “Best Casual Chain, Silver” by Vancouver Magazine in 2012, Hapa Izakaya offers a winning combination of a sexy room, well-priced portions of Japanese tapas, sushi, cocktails and premium sake.
For more info & other locations, please visit hapaizakaya.com
Ebi Mayo
Tempura wild shrimp, spicy mayo sauce
Hapa, oh, Hapa. After hearing so many glowing reviews, I decided to crawl out from the rock I live under and join some new friends for a casual Friday night dinner. Verdict? A pleasure for the eyes, but not so much for the taste buds.
The food is spectacularly average. Aside from the unique and esthetically pleasing presentation of the dishes, there wasn’t much about the flavours that made me want to do a food induced face plant. Even though some of the dishes were good, I couldn’t help thinking there are many other restaurants around Vancouver who can crank out the same thing, and just do it better. Some of the dishes were very salty, others edible but uninspiring, and one dish, although flavour-wise was pretty good, just had the texture of rubber.
Beef Tataki
Lightly seared AAA beef, sesame-chili sauce
Arubi Saba
Seared marinated mackerel sashimi
I love the modern fusion concept of the restaurant, and the decor wasn’t too shabby either. Many people have said the ambiance can be a bit of an intimate mood killer since it gets pretty loud, but I actually liked the robustness of Hapa. The yelling, the music, the cocktails and beers – maybe I’m just one of the few oddballs who believes a combo like that translates into something lively and fun.
I wouldn’t mind going here for a night out with the homies, but it’s definitely not a place I’d go to for a good meal. To be fair, it may have just been the W. Cordova location so hopefully the next opportunity out there will be at a more renowned location.
Spicy Chopped Scallops
Scallops, cucumber, egg crepe wrapping
Ika
Grilled squid, sake soy garlic marinade
Grilled Ika (squid) has always been my long time favorite. Tonight was deeelish! I totally sneaked more bites than the rest of group, guilty! However, this dish does has its good and bad days, tonight was definitely good. 😉
Hapa was the first Izakaya to join the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise™ seafood conservation program in 2012. Just handful of Japanese restaurant partners are in the program to date.
Karaage
Deep-fried boneless chicken, soy ginger sauce
Karubi
Apple and orange marinated, AAA beef short ribs; grilled
Bella Gelateria
Being in Coal Harbour, there are numerous fantastic places to eat, drink and play. One place that almost always has a line-up is Bella Gelateria. Famous for their Old-World Handcrafted Gelato, Bella won the People’s Choice Award in the 2012 Florence Italy Gelato Festival. When you walk by, BEWARE. There is a window showing them making the gelato behind the order counter….don’t have a Homer Simpson drool moment and walk into it, it’s like a mosquito to a zap light!
http://www.bellagelateria.com/
Murchie’s Tea & Coffee
As an avid tea drinker myself, I LOVE Murchies for its selection and knowledge. It doesn’t hurt that the founder, John Murchie, learned about tea while serving Queen Victoria during her residence at Balmoral Castle! Try the No.22 Blend at one of the five locations around to serve you!
http://www.murchies.com/store/
Bijou Blue Plate 