Hapa Izakaya

Hapa Izakaya
1479 Robson St, Vancouver

New izakaya places are springing up all over this city and most are just a dime a dozen. But when you mention Hapa Izakaya, there is a certain air of reverence that comes along. This is probably one of the best reviewed izakaya places out there and their popularity has led to an new room opening in Kitsilano. Well with such a great reputation, you know that i'd be hitting this place up sooner or later and so with a fellow foodie, we went to check this place out!

There is a back story to my actually going here tho. I had arranged to go with my friend Alan on a Friday night but given that there seems to always be a line up, we decided to go earlier and make a reservation at 6pm (apparently, you can't make resos anytime after that). Well that night, I was running a bit late and I had called Alan to tell him so. He says okay and hangs up but 2 minutes later, he calls back and says that he's actually still at home and fell asleep! He informs me that he had already called the restaurant and made an excuse to say why he was going to be late...HE HHAD GOTTEN INTO A CAR CRASH! Well i guess you either go big or go home! Well it worked cuz when i got to the restaurant, the host said that Alan is the most considerate person ever, calling a restaurant about a reservation after a car accident. I could only smile and nod. Well I was sitting there on my own for a bit and I ended up ordering some food while waiting....

So the food. Well the menu looked typical of a izakaya restaurant. They had the ebi mayo, beef tataki...etc. Maybe it's my dislike for jap food in general but to me, it's all pretty much the same. I mean the food here was decent but I wasn't blown away by it. The one thing that I thought was good was their korean rice dish. Now I don't usually eat rice but this was pretty interesting. It's presented in a stone bowl and they have to mix it before you can eat it. The mixing definatly adds a dimension of interaction to the meal and it was quite tasty. Alan ordered this seafood salad thing at the end and I have to admit it did not agree with me. I'm sure the problem was that I didn't know what was in it and when I took a bit, I must have gotten a piece of raw fish or something cuz I felt like puking rite then and there. I tried to be discreet about it but I had to find some rice and tea stat! That was not a good feeling....

I think the main appeal of Hapa is the room and their servers. The space is very minimlaist with a black on grey palate. They cooks don't really scream random jap words out and even if they did, it wouldn't have the same effect since the room is quite big. Apparently they have an upstairs too where I guess you can have a private party or a more intimate setting. The servers are all girls with long hair and nice bodies. Not your typical Japanese girls but hey wut do I know?

In all, I would say Hapa was good but again, not outstanding. I would come back again but I don't know if it's a "Barbara Recommended" place....i'll get back to you all after round 2.