Quote:
Originally Posted by bcrdukes
I am slightly biased here (and in no way offended) but my lady friend and I are close friends with the manager at their Coal Harbour location (who once managed Kits and Yaletown.) We got to meet the owners of the restaurants who happen to be half Japanese/White so they've decided to take a twist on traditional izakaya fare, catering it to a "Western" crowd if you will.
Getting back to the food however, I know they do not serve straight up "traditional fare" but keep in mind the name of the establishment - Hapa, meaning "half" or "mixed." Like any restaurant, yes, they have their off days. I'm not going to defend the overall opinions of Hapa and again, being brutally honest and biased, we haven't been overly critical or disappointed in the food. And yes, this includes the odd off day here and there. To be fair, there are days where I'm just like "FUUUUUUUUUU! WTF is this?!"
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Oh I hope I didn't come across as I believed it attempted to be traditional and fell short. I've also met an owner on a few occasions as my old boss was quite good friends with him and he is a very friendly guy. I certainly don't mean to come across as I think it isn't good, I just don't think its usually worth the price the bill comes to. I can't go their with my girlfriend and spend less than 80 bucks, even if we only have 1 drink. I kinda wanted to make a point that it was "canadianized" for lack of a better word, so people knew what to expect, as someone seemed to be quite surprised that there was a high percentage of caucasians. If I wasn't a broke ass cook I'd be a little less concerned with my money when it comes to food, and probably enjoy going there a little more often, however value is very important IMO, as there is a lot of awesome food in this city.