Hapa Umi is now open at 909 West Cordova in Vancouver, looking out over Coal Harbour and Canada Place. It’s the “big sister” restaurant to the beloved Hapa Izakayas around town (on Robson, in Yaletown, and in Kitsilano) that serves up full dinner items that are big enough for one and plenty enough sharing family-style.
The lounge area has television screens (and last night they had a $3 Sapporo special during the Canucks game) while the main part of the restaurant has comfortable booths or bar seating in front of the open kitchen area. I missed the group media tasting on Monday so they invited me down for a dinner that included samples of some of their best menu items (as such this is not a review post, it’s a recap).
Cocktails
Hapa Umi offers some of the same signature cocktails found at other Hapa locations. With fruit, citrus, and crisp, refreshing ingredients.
Start
Halibut Ceviche
lemon-lime soy marinade, shiso-infused olive oil
Edamame Ravioli
edamame and ricotta-stuffed housemade pasta with yuzu brown butter, truffle oil
Mains
Sablefish Yuanzuke
yuzu-miso marinade, koshi-hikari rice, marinated baby bok choy
Peach Country Lamb
braised lamb shank, pommes puree, yuzu-shio gremolata, umeboshi emulsion
Soy-Glazed Chicken Breast
Maple Hills organic chicken, soy sake butter, fondant potatoes, sautéed wild mushrooms
Desserts
Green tea opera cake, Yuzu tart, Blackberry sorbet
I have heard online that it’s a popular place for the business lunch crowd and based on our experience last night, it’s worth checking out after work hours as well. The prices are as-expected for a restaurant that’s a notch above your everyday Izakaya but once again allow for sharing with others. Our favourite dishes of the night were the edamame ravioli (we could have each enjoyed a bowl of our own), the chicken, and the lamb.
Follow @HapaUmi on Twitter for updates and daily specials.
Disclosure: cmp.ly/2 I missed the media tasting luncheon so Hapa Umi hosted us for dinner.
Vancouver Craft Beer Week is steadily approaching as the city gets ready to celebrate craft beer from around the world. From Belgian wheats to Brooklyn brews and the very best of BC, you can enjoy events that feature multi-course beer pairings or pub crawls around town. One of these events is taking place next Tuesday, May 10th at BierCraft.
When Tuesday, May 10, 2011 from 8:00pm – 11:00pm
Where BierCraft Bistro (3305 Cambie, Vancouver)
What Phillips Brewmaster’s Dinner: Five course beer-pairing dinner featuring delicious beers from Vancouver Island’s award winning Phillips Brewery. Chefs Don Farion and Stephen Chandband present a locally inspired menu designed to pair perfectly with the fantastic hand crafted beers of Matt Phillips who will be in attendance to discuss his beers and answer questions.
Tickets are $55 and there’s room for about 30 more people (at the time I have written this post). I also have a pair of tickets available for giveaway until Friday, May 6th at 10:00am. Here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment on this post with the name of a Phillips beer (1 entry)
Hint: you can look in the beer fridge or at the labels in this post
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
Must be 19 years of age or older to enter and win. Please enjoy responsibly and plan a safe ride home from Vancouver Craft Beer Week events. Miss604.com is a proud sponsor of Vancouver Craft Beer Week 2011.
Update The winner is Ryan – congratulations!
The City of Vancouver has taken many steps to become green; from bike lanes and rain barrels to composting and recycling initiatives. Throughout the month of May the “Keep Vancouver Spectacular” campaign will bring neighbours together through community litter pick-up campaigns.
According to the City of Vancouver: Last year, 16,000 volunteers in 150 groups came together to fill more than 6,600 bags with litter. You can sign up to be a block captain and organize a neighbourhood cleanup, or find one where you can participate.
Frequently-discarded coffee cups, wrappers, and cigarette butts (among other things) cause for a lot of litter on our streets and in our parks. With the sun shining there are more opportunities to get out and about in local parks, on beaches, and in neighbourhoods so please remember to put your trash and recycling in appropriate bins.
The BC Travel Tuesday series is gaining momentum with over 1,200 entries over the last few weeks through comments and Twitter. I hope that this means locals love to travel locally, and if you’re like me – there’s so much more of BC yet to discover and experience. In case you’re just finding out about the campaign, I have partnered with backyardbc.com for a series of giveaways for properties and destinations around BC over the next 10 weeks.
backyardbc is a new travel website designed specifically for residents of British Columbia. Essentially a “be a tourist in your own backyard” program, participating hotels & resorts offer residents of BC exclusive rates and specials, designed to motivate BCers to travel more within the Province. Each offer has its own unique reservation code, and all bookings are done directly with our hotel and resort partners. Visit backyardbc online, on Twitter, or Facebook and see more of BC!
The winner of “BC Travel Tuesday: Week 3 Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort” is Holly Johnston (and she has been contacted by email). This week’s featured property is back in our province’s capital, on the outermost point of the harbour that leads into the historic city.
Inn at Laurel Point
Website, Twitter, Facebook, backyardbc listing
Location: 680 Montreal Street, Victoria, BC
About: Decks give way to gardens. Glass walls invite natural light. Museum-quality art graces hallways, and wide open space gives you room to breathe. Book an in-room spa or dine al fresco on their oceanfront patio, or yours.
Prize: 2 nights in an Erickson Wing Studio Suite.
Value: $688
To enter to win, leave a comment on this post and/or post the following on Twitter:
Winners will be announced every Tuesday on the latest BC Travel Tuesday contest post until the 10 weeks are up. Gift certificates for hotel and resort stays will be sent directly to each weekly winner so they can arrange their visit personally with the property. Some restrictions apply, based on availability.
Update The winner is Kristine (@KristineSostar)!
View all posts in the series by following or subscribing to my BCTravelTuesday tag. Open to residents of BC.
Having previously featured photographer Leonard Frank I wanted to profile the photography of another Vancouverite who helped document our city during a specific era. Scanning the Vancouver Archives, I found a collection from someone I’ve featured many times before in some of my history posts or “Then and Now” photo collections: Don Coltman.
1940 – Skier on top of Mount Seymour. Archives item# CVA 586-127.
1940 – Captain Vancouver statue at City Hall. Archives item# CVA 586-164.
1942 – CNR employee shoveling coal. Archives item# CVA 586-888.
From the Vancouver Archives: “Don Coltman worked as a commercial photographer from 1940 to 1954. In 1944 he purchased the Steffens-Colmer Studio. He operated his company under the names of Steffens-Colmer Studios Ltd. and Don Coltman Photography Co. Don Coltman was recognized internationally for his documentation of leading western industries – lumbering, agriculture, fishing, mining, pulp and paper plants, oil well drilling, foundries, canneries, retail businesses, sawmills, shipping, shipbuilding and tourism. During the war years, 1940-1945, he documented civil defense activities throughout the province as well as fund-raising activities of the National War Finance campaign.”
1942 – Salmon cans on tracks after the Interurban collided with a truck. Archives item# CVA 586-910.
1944 – #3 Davie route streetcar. Archives item# CVA 586-1872.
1944 – Canadian Pacific Airlines. Archives item# CVA 586-2284.
1946 – Vancouver hockey team. Archives item# CVA 586-4280.
You can find more Don Coltman photos by using the Vancouver Archives’ online directory, searching his name or Steffens-Colmer.
Did you know the Vancouver Archives have a blog? Check out AuthentiCity for more photos, stories, researchers, and information about the Vancouver Archives.
