Lea and Justin Ault of Vancouver’s hip Hapa Izakaya restaurant group will open a new restaurant, Hapa Umi, by early March 2011. Construction is already under way at 200 Burrard, at the former Metro Restaurant & Lounge location, across the street from the Vancouver Convention Centre.
Umi means ocean in Japanese, and with the restaurant’s prime downtown waterfront location the Aults seized the opportunity to launch a concept they’ve been developing for some time.
“Hapa Umi will offer a more sophisticated and upscale version of the Hapa Izakaya experience with a sustainable seafood forward menu, sushi bar, and more refined service standards.”
Leading the kitchen brigade will be long-time Hapa chef Tomoki Yamasaki. He’ll be joined by new recruit Tetsuya Shimizu, a kaiseki trained chef who was most recently sous chef at Blue Water Cafe’s raw bar. At the front of the house, Justin will be joined by recently appointed general manager, Kevin Banno. Kevin brings a wealth of experience from his tenure as a general manager in the Cactus Club Café organization; he was most recently their Yaletown GM.
Once again, the Aults are turning to M Studio for their interior design expertise. Expect an understated elegantly modern room with finely textured textiles, and rich walnut wood. The restaurant boasts loads of windows with outside views, a real departure from the underground and insular design of the existing Hapa restaurants. The 150 seat restaurant spans a large bar, lounge, and private dining room, and in warmer month a 50 seat patio with wonderful views of the vibrant neighbourhood.
Hapa Umi will be open for lunch Monday to Friday and dinner nightly.
About Hapa Izakaya
When Lea and Justin Ault introduced Hapa in 2003 they exploded the izakaya concept in Vancouver. Hapa Izakaya’s combination of a sexy room, well-priced portions of Japanese tapas, cocktails and premium sake took the city by storm; Hapa set the bar high for the host of contenders that followed. In 2010 Hapa was the first izakaya to join the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise™ seafood conservation program and one of only a handful of Japanese restaurant partners in the program to-date. Hapa Yaletown is open for lunch weekdays, and all three locations — Robson, Kitsilano and Yaletown — are open for dinner nightly. Reservations by phone are recommended. Visit www.hapaizakaya.com for information or follow @HapaIzakaya on Twitter.
