Japanese is one of my favourite cuisines. There are plenty of Japanese restaurants around that serve sushi, but the one thing Alberta needs more of is Japanese izakayas. Edmonton is lucky to have Izakaya Tomo, but I wish there were more casual options for post-work drinks and tapas. This is why I was really excited when I heard Hapa Izakaya was opening its first Alberta location in Calgary.

Hapa Izakaya - 816 11th Avenue SW - Calgary AB

On one of my recent trips to Calgary I finally had the chance to visit Hapa. I had my first taste on a visit to Vancouver years back and couldn't wait to see what menu items they brought over to Alberta. Hapa Izakaya is located downtown on busy 11th Avenue, where parking can be a challenge to find depending on the time of your visit. The space is large with an open concept design and the large windows in the front of the restaurant allow plenty of natural light into the restaurant. Come sundown, the dark decor and dimmed lighting give a more intimate feel.

As with many izakayas, there is a regular menu and a fresh sheet outlining daily features. I noticed that the menu seemed to be smaller than that in Vancouver (the menu has expanded since my visit!), but there was still a fair amount of options to choose from. In addition to ordering a la carte off the menu, Hapa offers a 12 course prix fixe menu at $35 per person and has a 'Hapa Hour' menu from 5:30-6:30 pm with certain plates offered at 50% off.

Our meal started off with the Bintoro ($12), which is a seared Albacore tuna sashimi in ponzu sauce. The thick cut slices of the lightly seared tuna were so fresh, and I loved the slightly tangy ponzu sauce. The greens, seaweed, and garlic chips were a great accompaniment to the fish. I could eat this tuna all the time.

Hapa Izakaya also has a decent selection of sushi rolls, so we went with the Kin Roll ($15) and Umi Roll ($15). The Kin Roll is made with asparagus tempura, onion, miso mayo, yuzu rind, and topped with yellowtail that is torched tableside. The fish is fresh, asparagus still slightly crunchy, and the sweet miso brings all the flavours together. The Umi Roll on the other hand is made with chopped scallops and avocado then topped with Ahi tuna and pickled onion vinaigrette. The Ahi tuna carries flavours similar to that of their ponzu sauce. The rest of the roll is less flavourful, but that allows you to taste just how fresh and sweet the raw scallops are.

When I visit izakayas, Takoyaki is always at the top of my list of things to order. The Takoyaki ($7.50) at Hapa Izakaya is on the fresh sheet, so unfortunately it isn't always available. However, if you get the chance definitely order it! These crispy balls of octopus in smooth batter are something you don't want to miss.

Finishing off our orders was the Spicy Pork Ishi-yaki ($12). Served in a hot stone bowl, rice is topped with minced pork, garlic sprouts, tomato, lettuce, spicy miso, and a raw egg. Similar to Korean bibimbap, this rice bowl is mixed up table side and allowed to sizzle in the pot. There was plenty of sauce to coat all the ingredients and the crispy rice. I loved the punch of spicy miso and garlic flavours, and it's a bowl of rice that will definitely warm you up on a cold night.

Offering something different compared to the traditional Spanish tapas, I'm sure Hapa Izakaya has been happily embraced by those who enjoy going for post-work drinks and small plates. Our server was knowledgeable and attentive, and it was a great upbeat environment to dine in. I'm a little sad that Hapa Izakaya hasn't expanded up to Edmonton, but there's always hope!

After surviving my last three hour final exam for the semester, I knew the best thing to do was NOT to sit and home and sulk. It was a time for celebration, and what better than to head out for dinner with my best friend at Edmonton's first izakaya?

Izakaya Tomo - 3739 99 Street - Edmonton AB

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, an izakaya is the Japanese equivalent of a bar or lounge, where people typically go for a drink after work and have a variety of small dishes with their drinks. In North America, the concept has become a Japanese tapas bar. I've had my fair share of visits to izakaya's, but this past summer when I first heard of Izakaya Tomo opening, I was more than excited. The Japanese food here in Edmonton doesn't exactly cut it for me after being spoiled by numerous trips to Vancouver over the years.

Walking into the restaurant, the space was very clean and we were greeted by a cheerful group of employees which is typical of an izakaya. The all wooden interior really does bring images of Japanese establishments to mind, and the dimmer lighting gives the environment a laid back vibe.

Living up to their name, Izakaya Tomo has an extensive variety of sake, shochu, beer, and even cocktails available on their menu. An impressive display of the different bottles are lined up on a prominent wall with all the different available types - and they even offer a tasting flight of 3 sakes for $4.95. Owner and Chef Tomoya Mutaguchi has really poured his heart into the details of this establishment - each different food item available has been paired with recommendations for beer, shochu and sake.

For dinner, we went ahead and ordered six different dishes which was more than enough to share between the two of us. First up was the Aburi Saba ($4.45): torched sashimi mackerel. If you know me, you'll know I can't eat completely raw fish, so having the mackerel slightly cooked made me feel a little better. The four slices of this fish were served with green onion and ginger, which helped combat the notoriously fishy taste. The meat itself was creamy, and buttery soft, with a hint of lemon to it.

Our next dish was the Simmered Pork Belly ($6.95), which was served with daikon radish in broth. Each piece of pork came with a hefty chunk of fat, but the meat was very tender and flavourful. I had imagined the accompanying daikon to be quite soft, so the hard texture surprised me! The radish was soft enough to bite into while maintaining the hard structure, and flavoured like the broth.

The third dish to our table was the Beef Tataki ($8.95): seared sliced beef with butter ponzu sauce which came to the table just the way I like it. Deep red, rare, and tender. The presentation was beautiful and it was interesting pairing the thick cut beef with shredded cabbage. The ponzu was tangy and not overly salty, but there was no trace of butter that I could taste.

Our next dish was probably the most interesting of the night - Carbonara Udon ($11.95): Carbonara pasta with udon noodles. Bacon, onions, black pepper, cream, egg yolk, parmesan cheese. I honestly was so curious to see how an Italian classic would taste with udon substituted in there, and it worked well. The soft udon held onto the creamy sauce, and the smokiness from the bacon really cut through to give the dish its flavour.

The last savoury dish for the night was the Tamago Don ($4.95): Egg, green onions and sesame seeds with special sauce on top of the rice. When the dish arrived, I looked around for the aforementioned "special sauce" - which turned out to be the raw egg yolk. We mixed all the ingredients together, and it was amazing to see how much creaminess the yolk added to the rice. However, it was pretty bland since the whole bowl just tasted like egg yolk. It needs a little extra help to give it some oomph.

To finish off our meal, we were torn between two options, but opted for the Ice Cream Puff ($6.95): Matcha ice cream puff with red bean matcha jello and mochi. First off, the presentation was beautiful, and I could tell that this dessert definitely had housemade elements to it. The pastry shell was definitely made in house, and I believe the mochi pieces were as well. The matcha ice cream went very well with the red bean, and the pastry had a nice chew to it, lending the dish a different textural element. I was not a fan of the mochi though, as it was very dense and sticky and without any sweet flavour - definitely different from any mochi I've ever had before.

Having just opened two days prior to our visit, I didn't expect the establishment to be very busy at 6 PM on a Monday night. I was totally proven wrong when the approximate 45 seats in the restaurant quickly filled up by 6:45 pm! Definitely grab a reservation if you're going to checkout this new izakaya! The food was pretty good for Edmonton standards, and I wouldn't hesitate to return and try other dishes out. However, I will have to mention that the dishes are very safe - no dishes stand out as being very unique like the other izakayas I have visited before. Service was great until the restaurant started to get busy - it took about 25 minutes for us to try to get our bill sent to the table when we were done, but with time I'm hoping the little kinks are worked out.

During the meal I had the chance to talk to Chef Mutaguchi, and it turns out that throughout his 9 years with Mikado, he worked with a lot of my close friends who worked there as well. What a small world. He is so proud of his new business, with almost all the staff on site being Japanese, which adds to the authenticity of the experience. Izakaya Tomo is well on its way to being a very popular spot in Edmonton.