New Izakaya Hits Yaletown

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VANCOUVER — When Lea and Justin Ault introduced Hapa Izakaya in 2003 they exploded the Izakaya concept in Vancouver. Now, seven years later, the couple has opened their third location in Yaletown, just in time to welcome Olympic fans.

The resto, with a combination of sexy ambiance, well-priced Japanese tapas, cocktails and premium sake, is helmed by Chef Hokuto Yamanaka, who moved from the company’s Robson St. to open the new location.

Chef Yamanaka will be highlighting a menu of Hapa favourites, including the original ebi mayo (tempura prawns, tossed in a spicy mayonnaise sauce), gindara saikyo yaki (sablefish, marinated in sake and miso and baked) and saba (marinated mackerel sashimi, seared table-side).

Fresh-sheet features making their debut in Yaletown include: Tai herb salad (cured Japanese snapper on a mikuni salad with a citrus dressing), chan chan yaki (local spring salmon, miso mushroom sauce and rice cooked in a Korean-style hot stone bowl), beef kasuzuke (sake-marinated and roasted AAA beef), yaki kamo (roasted duck breast with grainy mustard miso, pickled beets and cauliflower), burikuwayaki (Teriyaki-glazed yellowtail) and, for dessert, sake-poached pear with matcha ice cream.

Come February, the restaurant group will install a Le Verre de Vin wine preservation system in all three of its locations. And, to appeal to discerning drinkers, the restaurant becomes the first in the city to feature a comprehensive sake list with more than 20 premium sakes, available by the glass.

 

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