New Izakaya Outside My House

I don’t know if you’ve noticed but convenience stores seem to be going the way of the dinosaurs. About five 7-Elevens in the Lower Mainland are now empty with “For Lease” in front of them…well, five that I know of. That includes the one at Garden City and Capstan that has been there since the day I moved into my house almost fifteen years ago. It was, for lack of a better word, convenient. It’s not hard to see why they’re disappearing though. I mean, prices are higher than supermarkets and supermarkets are everywhere.

So the 7-Eleven outside my place closed months ago and everyday, I drive by wondering what the heck they’re going to build there ever since the lease sign came down. They uprooted the gas tanks and basically demolished any resemblance to a 7-Eleven. Today, I got my answer as I saw some new signs up where the familiar convenience store used to be. I was pleasantly surprised that it’s going to be a izakaya!

For those of you who don’t know what izakaya is, it’s a Japanese bar that serves food. Not just peanuts and other snacks like some bars but real food. This food is called sakana and the best way for us to understand it is to compare it to tapas. Most dishes are small but you order a lot of them and share amongst your party. Common sakana includes yakitori (or grilled skewers, usually chicken), edamame (salted, steamed bean pods), grilled squid, and various types of Japanese grilled pancakes.

If you want to give this stuff a try, and you realy should…it’s delicious…Vancouver is home to several very good izakaya. The best, in my opinion are Ebisu, Hapa Izakaya (1479 Robson St.) and Guu with Garlic (1698 Robson St.). Being Vancouver, both feature some dishes that you probably won’t find in Japan but are delicious nonetheless. Guu with Garlic has some absolutely euphoric dishes including the salmon sashimi, which is quite different from what you’d expect. Rather than being the thick slices of salmon you’d normally find at sushi restaurants, it’s thinly sliced with a light vinegrette and deep fried garlic. It’s an explosion in your mouth and I highly recommend it. Meals are very reasonably priced as well. For my party of four, we spent about $25 a piece and were stuffed.

You sit on the floor and everything feels very warm and intimate. Neither is the quietest place to dine but both feel very authentic and the staff are usually very friendly and helpful.

Oh right, the place outside my house will be called Dozo. I looked and asked around but don’t have any more details than that. I’ll give it a try when it opens. In the meantime, I highly recommend you try out Hapa Izakaya and Guu with Garlic. Heck, if anyone wants to go, let me know!

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