Not A Very Hapa Experience

Hapa Izakaya
Japanese Cuisine / Izakaya
1479 Robson St,
Vancouver, BC
V6G 1C1 Canada
Tel: 604-689-4272

Hearing mixed reviews about restaurants gets me more intrigued to try it out. It makes it kind of a mission to pick a side. I first heard of Hapa Izakaya from my teacher in a bartending class. He was gushing about how good it was and naturally I made a mental note to myself to try it but my friend who is in love with Japanese food had nothing good to say about it and I was a bit turned off. I stalled on my Hapa Izakaya experience and made a full round in the downtown area -- which the restaurant is situated, trying out other Japanese Izakayas until my sister and her boyfriend took me there for some after dinner drinks. The sleek black interior was very modern Japanese which surprisingly exudes a cozy atmosphere maybe because of the no-windows design and warm lighting that hides you from the outside world. I liked the ambiance but their cold sake was the one that sold me. It was served in a bamboo pitcher with little bamboo sake cups. It definitely made it more special and having it on a warm summer night was surely a treat. Since we were there for drinks I wasn't able to give their food a try but suggested a Hapa Izakaya dinner to a friend

My friend picked Hapa Izakaya for her birthday dinner but we were a bit put down that there was a no-reservation policy. We had to look for back-up just in case. Thankfully, we were able to get a table and were approached by our very helpful sever. I ordered the cold sake right away for everyone as we carefully discussed our choices and like myself, my friends were awed at the cold sake's deadly but refreshing taste and of course its unique pitcher and cups. We chose Hapa's version of Bibimbap, Ebi Mayo, Crab roll, Tuna tataki, Chicken Kaarage and their Avocado salad. As we were waiting for the food, we noticed the scantly dressed servers which gave the restaurant a bit of a modern day geisha house impression. Our server though was an exception since she was not parading around to be seen and hoping to be gawked at by the male customers.

The Ebi Mayo was the first dish to arrive. The prawns were huge and the mayo dip gave it enough flavour that I was a bit disappointed when this dish disappeared in an instant. The Tuna tataki and the Crab roll came shortly. The Tuna tataki was good was good not exemptionally the best but good enough. The Crab roll was more interesting and gave a different approach to the regular roll. All our other dishes arrived shortly. Hapa's Bibimbap was a disappointment lacking in flavour but the Avocado salad was refreshing and the Kaarage was the same as the Tuna tataki, good but not the best. The Ebi Mayo was the winner dish and so we didn't hesitate to order it again, we needed more of those yummy deep fried succulent prawns.

Dinner is never complete without dessert and we eagerly asked our server for the dessert menu right after the last Ebi Mayo disappeared. Given the choices, we opted for the Matcha Cream puff and the Chocolate Cheesecake. Unfortuantely, both desserts were dry and unsatisfying. The matcha cream was just made it a little better than bad and we wished that we have ended our dinner somewhere else.

After our Hapa Izakaya experience, I thought that I would finally pick a side. Either gush about it or rant about it. I was actually wrong. I am indifferent about this restaurant. It's not good or bad, it's just strictly in the middle. Nothing great, not the worst, it was just alright. They didn't have any standout dishes since I also have tasted topnotch Ebi Mayo in other Izakayas. Their sake has saved them but the geisha house feel lost another point for me but would probaly gain an extra for the boys.

Sweets for My Sweet

Cupcakes by Heather and Lori
Dessert Shop
1168 Denman Street
Vancouver, BC
V6G 2M9 Canada
ph: (604) 974-1300

Having a sweet tooth is dangerous. I should know, I work extra hard to stop myself from finishing a whole package of mint milanos, hoping that extra cookie will not make me balloon up like a blimp - or make me develop diabetes. Desserts surely make life sweeter but not exactly healthier. It's just way too hard to resist all these calorie-laiden goodies that leave you in an almost orgasmic state. Having stumbled upon a very popular cupcake store on Denman St. simply called Cupcakes was bittersweet. I am happy to have found it and at the same time I regret knowing it.

You can spot this store from a mile. If not the cutsie baby pink sign, the sweet butter cream scent will surely lure you into this Cupcake store and once you're in, there's no turning back. Trays of cupcakes with a smorgasbord of flavours are laid out for you to salivate on in this cute retro-inspired store. Maybe it's curiousity or my gluttony that made me try almost all cupcake flavours but I did pick my favourites which I eventually got stuck with before finishing off the whole list of flavours. Sweet Sixteen, the very simple vanilla cake with vanilla butter cream icing is hands down, my all-time favourite. Having its pink icing and candy sprinkles look a little too sugary for me, a bit too candy but I have to say, the first bite of this cupcake didn't give me that too-sweet cringe. It was just the perfect sweetness that did not make me reach for my water bottle right after having one. Koo koo is another personal favourite. Coconut cake and cream cheese frosting, topped with shredded coconut, this just makes me coco loco. The other flavours are top notch as well but I can't seem to stop getting these two flavours time and time again. I have yet to try Red Velvet with its red cocoa cake and cream cheese frosting that made my fellow "connoisseur" friend (at least we'd like to think ourselves as that... yeah, right!) give it a two thumbs up.

Before discovering The Original Cupcakes, I would have those cheap-ass, crappy grocery-bought cupcakes that made me only eat the icing part because the rest of the cake tastes so blech, well, I don't have to overload on calories for something that is mediocre. Cupcakes on Denman (and on West Broadway and North Van --3 stores that serves Vancouver) will satisfy that cupcake craving and leaves you with just a tiny little bit of guilt you can sleep off the next day because cupcake this good, you know it's worth it.

* picture stolen from danandcarmen.blogspot.com

Will not be a Habit

Habit Lounge

Contemporary Cuisine
2610 Main Street,

Vancouver, BC

V5T 3E6 Canada

ph: (604) 877-8582

Being tagged as "the best" is the downfall of a lot of restaurants. Customers just expect great food, great service, great everything and if the restaurant failed to deliver, disappointment becomes more that it actually is. It's always best to take top critical acclaim with a grain of salt because sometimes the restaurant should have gotten a little less praise than they deserve. Enter Habit Lounge.

Habit is located in the southern part of the artsy Main Street which serves contemporary cuisine with a touch of global flair. Their space is picture perfect, very well-interiored with a nice modern wall on one side and on the other, a wall decorated with hand painted wooden planks for a hippie touch. The citrus coloured straw lamps and the warm orange benches completed its unique look, I was impressed. The service was also good, friendly and fast, however the food was not up to par.

There are many interesting dishes on the menu and it was a toss up between the halibut lettuce wrap and the tuna salad but we thought that the halibut was more intriguing and went with that instead. The Moroccan spiced chicken wings and the crispy tofu was easier for us to pick. Starving, we were excited as the halibut came in no time. We carefully created the lettuce wrap starting with the fish flakes then the crunchy noodle, pickled carrots (looked like carrots to me), peanuts and we topped it with the ginger sauce for the first perfect bite. Ummm... the fish was bland. It definitely needs to be more seasoned and maybe a slice of lemon, it will help A LOT. Even if you put a generous amount of ginger sauce it was still missing something. It was nothing great. The chicken wings arrived shortly after. It was drenched in sauce, a little different from the usual chicken wings and as we tasted it, we were happy. The flavours were very unique. The sweet exotic pomegranate sauce definitely made it. I liked this dish a lot but with many restaurants offering a different twist to this pub grub favourite, I was still expecting for more and was hoping that our last dish will redeem it. The cripsy tofu came nicely presented, topped with shitake mushrooms, eggplants and and bean sprouts, it definitely looked promising, but unfortunately, it just wasn't exciting. It tasted like a less flavourful version of agedashi tofu. The sauce needed something more than just soy sauce and sugar, well, at least that's how it tasted to me. Once again, it was lacking.

Despite our disappointments, we finished every dish down to the last bit and when our server came and asked us if we wanted dessert we said we were good but remarked on how we did a good job polishing our plates. We smiled and she said, "I can't blame you, it's very good food". Yes, it was OK but not very good. My taste buds were not jumping up and down for joy and my growling stomach was more to blame for the squeaky clean plates. Extra points though for the great interior. This restaurant was definitely visually stimulating but not really deliciously satisying.

* picture stolen from habitlounge.ca

Kadoya Never Fails

Kadoya
Japanese Cuisine / Sushi
1063 Davie St.,
Vancouver, BC
V6E 1M5 Canada
ph: (604) 608-1115

It is an understatement to say that Vancouverites love sushi. They are crazy about it. In fact, you can find a sushi place in every corner of the city. These restaurants don't produce mediocre creations, the chefs spend extra time and even squeeze their brain for some ingenuity to find new ways of jazzing up this most loved hand-rolled delight. Back home in Manila, I was more accustomed to having the traditional teka maki and negitoro but moving to Vancouver, it introduced me to the world of creative sushi that is actually art. Having said that, there is an unspoken battle of which restaurant holds the title of the best sushi in Vancouver and believe me, many will have their own opinion. Maybe it's their own preference, the price or the dinning experience that made everyone pick a personal favourite but I'm sure everyone has a reason for that choice. As for me, Kadoya is my top pick, this little hole-in-the-wall restaurant just never fails.

Kadoya's special rolls were huge, inventive and every bit delicious, it was hard to pick what to order, I wanted them all but after some trial and error (the error only happened once), I fell in love with the Canucks roll. It was an amazing combo of tuna and tempura bits topped with salmon and bonito flakes, I could eat that everyday. The crunch of the tempura bits and the added flavour of the bonito flakes just made this roll unforgettble. Their tuna tataki is another must-have. The grade A perfectly seared tuna with a garlic soy dip had a buttery aftertaste I just can't get enough of. I promised myself to have the other dishes and rolls on the menu but I just find myself having my usual Canucks roll, tuna tataki and spinach gomaee and it was definitely a habit that will be hard to break.

There are other Kadoya special roll winners and must-tries. The Sakura roll with its chopped scallop and the Spider roll which has more than just the usual soft shell crab are also on my list. I have never tried their regular sushi but why would I? Offering these one of a kind rolls makes Kadoya a special place but you have to come early for dinner or line up. This tiny restaurant decorated with "I love Kadoya" written by their customers from all over the world fills up in a blink of an eye. The price is also good, definitely worth it for the portion and the quality. The service may be inconsistent depending if you a get a friendly or a bitchy PMSing server but all will be forgiven once you have piece of their Canucks roll -- works for me.

* picture stolen from dineouthere.com

Cuckoo for Chicken Wings

Phnom Penh
Vietnamese-Cambodian Cuisine
244 Georgia Street East
Vancouver, BC
V6A 1Z7 Canada
ph: (604) 734-8898

Venturing out to the bowels of Chinatown at night without a car is an ordeal. Being in a dark alley with shady people lurking in the shadows, you don't know if it's instinct or paranoia that drives you to walk at a speed of light. You're just hoping to get to the place of redemption: the bus stop, but once you're there, you find yourself cursing under your breath hoping to see that bright yellow "15 Downtown" light -- this is what you have to go through for a plate of Phnom Pehn chicken wings. Is it worth it? Every bite.

Phnom Pehn is a Vietnamese-Cambodian restaurant with a menu so long it reminded me of a karaoke song book where there is a numerical equivalent for every dish, "I will have #35, please, thank you". The service is fast but if you come at the restaurant's peak hours then you might be one of those unlucky ones waiting in line for a table watching people eagerly clean up their plates. Thankfully, they accept reservations but if you don't feel like calling, consider going for an early dinner preferably before 7 pm. The restaurant is clean and straight-to-the-point without any fancy shmancy interiors. It has four white walls, tables and chairs, a kitchen plus staff and it's good to go. You go there for the food, not for the ambiance. It's not exactly a date place unless your idea of a romantic dinner is watching your date accumulate chicken grease on her fingers. The price is a little more than the usual Vietnamese restaurant but it makes up for the serving.

If you have a more exotic palate and love carpaccio, I highly recommend the butter beef. It's a dish of thinly sliced half-cooked strips of beef swimming in a vinegar-garlic-cilantro concoction so good that I didn't mind the pinkness and the texture. Of course you can never skip the chicken wings if you visit this place, unless you are a vegetarian. It is by far one of the crunchiest and tastiest chicken wings I have ever put in my mouth. You just find yourself savouring it, wing after wing even without dipping it in the tangy lemon-pepper sauce. There are a lot of other interesting dishes on the menu from the more popular Vietnamese dishes like the lemon grass chicken and spring rolls which is also good but not exemptionally the best compared to the hundreds of other amazing Vietnemese hole-in-the-wall restaurants but Phnom Penh also have unusual dishes of deep fried frog legs which the other restaurants don't offer. Remember, you have a whole lot of variety in this menu to explore, go crazy!

* picture stolen from The Daily Kimchi -Korea Blog