2012-01-03 Lunch @ Hapa Umi 海

909 West Cordova Street, Vancouver, BC

604-420-4272

THANK YOU MR. & MRS. CRISPY LECHON!!!

Mr. & Mrs. Crispy showered us with a Living Social voucher for Hapa Umi.  Initially, Buddha Girl and I planned to order just a bit over $60, then head over to VCC Cafeteria or Feastro the Rolling Bistro to top up the tank.  But our plan didn't go very well, we were packed...overstuffed.  Oh, btw, this was a lunch meal.

We arrived a bit after opening and was seated right away.  Our server quickly greeted us with tea.  The interior design was not very Japanese, instead, it's simple, chic and trendy, we liked it.

For some reason, I wanted a Negitoro.  There was a nice balance of rice and tuna.  The tuna was smooth, and was mixed nicely with the green onions.  Dipped in a bit of soy and this was simple and good, well recommended.

Buddha Girl wanted Spicy Scallop Cone, usually she's never in for sushi cones.  Surprisingly, as much as it looked like it's drenched in a lot of sauce, it wasn't.  The scallops were probably frozen, but were freshly frozen.  Honestly, this was quite nice, we both enjoyed this.

 

Kakuni and Scallop caught our attention, it's basically soy-braised pork belly and seared scallop.  The pork belly braised perfectly to fork tender, and, surprisingly, not salty at all.  The major flaw was the overcooked scallops.

Each order of Daily Fish Tacos came in two.  Our server was very attentive and separated the order to two plates and provided each with a small soup.  Not sure what fish was used but it was nicely cooked and seasoned.  The smooth guacamole and creamy serrano tartar sauce added a nice freshness to the overall package.  The tortilla was soft, tender and warm.  Fresh cilantro, lettuce and tomatoes all balanced well together.  The seaweed didn't really stand out, I would have preferred furikake instead. 

Getting close to the end, we had the Kani Pasta.  Al dente pasta with rich and creamy sauce, almost too rich.  The richness was too apparent that the crab was forgotten.  Honestly, the first few bites were good, but the richness gradually hit us.

Yup, I just had to have something deep fried, so Chicken Karaage it was.  The chicken was lightly seasoned and was very moist, but was nothing special.

We ended up ordering quite a bit for the two of us, well, when do we not?  After the voucher, we paid just a little under $30 (balance plus tips).  Overall, we enjoyed our visit and was satisfied with the food and service.  Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Crispy Lechon for spoiling us with this wonderful gift.

Yes, my wife's crazy, she even took pictures of the bathroom...thank goodness no residues in the toilet...