Continuing on my “extended” birthday adventures, Krissy and Faye took me to Hapa Izakaya for some Japanese eats. With it being one of Vancouver’s first gorgeous days this season, we sat on their sunny Yaletown patio to properly enjoy the weather.

Words that came to mind to describe Hapa Izakaya’s atmosphere would be sleek, modern, and lively. Because many of their menu items are tapas and share plates, I recommend coming with a group of friends to really get the most out of it.

With Hapa’s trusty allergy sheet in hand (Faye is allergic to dairy, shellfish AND usually eats a vegan diet!) here’s what we ordered:

Ebi Mayo
Tempura wild prawns tossed in a spicy mayonnaise sauce

Crab Tempura Roll
Dungeness crab, avocado and asparagus

Hapa Taster Plate (Choose three from their Taster list)
Beef short ribs, karaage & wild salmon

The best item hands down was the Ebi Mayo. In addition, I loved that the beef short ribs were topped with sesame chili sauce, which added flavour without it being overwhelmingly spicy.  The Karaage was tender and really good as well! Next time, I would probably branch out and order the Bintoro and other tuna dishes (which at this point I still have a weird thing with not liking tuna).

So that’s all for this lovely casual Yaletown Japanese joint, which I highly recommend if you’re in the area. Happy food adventuring!

Hapa Izakaya is located at:
1193 Hamilton Street
Vancouver, BC
http://hapaizakaya.com


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