Hapa Yakiniku Izakaya Bar is a cross between a traditional Japanese barbecue restaurant and sophisticated lounge. Hapa, a Hawaiian word that usually refers to people of mixed-race ancestry, refers to the fusion; yakiniku means grilled meat, while izakaya is the Japanese version of a tapas bar.
The interior is hip and stylish, with sleek black floors, ambient lighting, ball-chain curtains and flowers artfully arranged in display cases instead of vases. Hapa works as a nightspot because, unlike most yakiniku restaurants, the grilling is done in a kitchen. That means patrons can pop in for drinks and a meal and continue to nearby nightspots on Anhe Road with their clothes and hair mercifully free of the scent of barbecue.
As befits an izakaya, portions at Hapa are small and several different varieties of grilled meat and seafood are meant to be ordered and shared by a table. The observant wait staff certainly keeps your orders coming at a reasonable, but not overwhelming, pace. Food can be accompanied by a cocktail, glass of wine or sake from Hapa’s well-appointed bar. We ordered a carafe of sake (白瀧上善如水呤釀, NT$600).
Not all of the food at Hapa is grilled — we started with a sashimi combination (綜合四品, NT$360) from the sushi bar that dominates the middle of the restaurant. The four types of fish — fluke, tuna, salmon and squid — were presented on a bed of crushed ice and accessorized with sprigs of flower buds and bright green leaves that highlighted the colors of the sashimi, which tasted fresh (Hapa keeps its meat and other ingredients in cold storage, not a freezer). Standouts included the tuna and the slices of squid, which were sweeter and firmer than any other squid sashimi that I’ve tasted before.
Barbecued meats can be ordered separately in small plates from the extensive menu or in combinations if you aren’t up to combating the paradox of choice. The first plate of grilled meat to arrive at our table was a combination of four cuts of beef (老超值牛肉綜合盤四品, NT$470), which were marinated, sprinkled with sesame seeds and grilled until medium rare. The cuts were all satisfyingly tasty and juicy, but we especially enjoyed the plump cubes of filet mignon and savory boneless ribs.
In contrast, I thought that our plate of thinly sliced, salted boneless duck (櫻桃合鴨肉椒鹽, NT$180) was a little dry, at least when compared to the succulence of the grilled beef, but the flavor of the meat was pleasantly robust and gamy, a surprising and happy change from some of the blander (almost turkey-like) duck meat we’ve eaten before. We rounded off our meal with two seafood plates, the salted squid with garlic butter (軟絲蒜味, NT$220) and salted jumbo shrimp (大草蝦, NT$200). The pieces of squid were satisfyingly chewy and the garlic butter nicely subtle, but the dish was not especially memorable. The sweetness of the jumbo shrimp, complimented by a light dusting of salt and pepper and a spritz of lime juice, made a greater impression.
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