Hapa Izakaya

Arubi Saba ($8.99) - seared mackerel, always one of my favorites

Kinoko Ishi-Yaki  ($9.99)- rice, mixed mushrooms, iwanori served in hot stone bowl

Found this to be a tad salty for my taste, but it's very hot so good to eat on a cold day. The burnt/hardened rice (飯焦) on the bottom/sides is very crispy!

Spicy Pork Ishi-Yaki ($9.99)- rice, minced pork, garlic sprouts, egg, tomato, lettuce, spicy miso, served in hot stone bowl

A little spicy, a little tomato-y, a little soggy. The only thing I could taste/see was the tomato. Not as good as the mushroom one.

Karaage ($8.99)- deep fried boneless chicken, soy ginger sauce

Six large pieces of fried chicken. Inside was moist and tender but I wish the skin was crispier. I always thought karaage was like 雞軟骨 (chicken cartilage or salty Taiwanese style popcorn chicken)

Negitoro ($8.99) - chopped albacore tuna, spring onions, toasted garlic bread

Japanese-style bruschetta? The tuna was too mashed up that I couldn't really taste it (was expecting something with more bite like Moxie's tuna tartare). The sauce was a bit spicy and overpowered the tuna.

Halibut Taco ($7.49)- BC halibut tempura, house made bacon, shoestring potatoes, roasted jalapeno tartar sauce, wrapped in flour tortilla  

The tortilla was very soft!

I was really excited to try this new izakaya from Vancouver. It's recognized as top 5 izakayas in North America along with other food magazine/newspaper awards. The food seems more fusion and the restaurant itself is much more Westernized than I'd expected. Although the staff do welcome guests with a loud Japanese greeting when they enter, the decor and ambiance is more upscale/modern and the waitresses are all tan and speak fluent English - reminds me of something like Moxies or Joey. Overall, the food was alright but nothing really stood out.

www.hapaizakaya.com

Hola! Barcelona: Day 3 (post-cruise beach day)

What a nice day to wind down after 12 days of cruising and sightseeing around Europe. I love the beach!!! Though the water was not as blue and clear as the Caribbean ocean, it was very cold, relaxing and refreshing just standing in the sea and catching the waves. 

Toulon, France

Pisa/Florence

Leaning tower of Pisa - made of marble and after the third floor, it's built towards the other direction to balance it out. Spent the 30 mins here trying to perfect the touristy poses. 

Rome - history at every corner

Trevi Fountain - surrounded by hundreds of tourists, it appeared smaller than I'd imagined. (left side was under repair)

Naples - home of Margherita pizza

Margherita Pizza - (Red) Tomato sauce, (White) Mozzarella, (Green) Basil represents the Italian flag

Slightly salty thin crust, basic ingredients, delicious authentic taste

Linguine w clams

Drenched in olive oil with a salty clam taste. Again, al dente in Italy is much harder but more delicious!

My impression of Naples is that it's a very run-down, ghetto slum city. Old buildings, dirty streets and graffiti covered walls. Many beggars and vendors selling fake bags and watches on the street. This is not the most tourist-attractive place; better to visit the nearby islands of Capri and Pompei - heard those have amazing nature views/historical ruins. But the one good thing about spending the morning in Naples was that I purchased 2 Zara tops for only 10euros each! Zara is so much cheaper in Barcelona/Italy and carries a much wider selection.

Split, Croatia

super clean streets.. something about these tiles that make it much nicer than cement

I thought this was an Asian street food, surprised to see it here

looking out to the sea, our cruise ship ~ 拍下這個舒服休閒的感覺

So I thought Split was a small, boring old fishing village that I didn't even bring my camera or enough cash to shop, but it ended up being my favorite port! Sunny and clean with lively music, boardwalk lined with palm trees and cafes, small local shops and even a Zara! Even somewhere like this, my family ends up purchasing some clothes/shoes. A peaceful afternoon.

Venice

Dubrovnik, Croatia

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