Charming and Cheerful

A tradition and mainstay in Japan for hundreds of years, lively izakaya restaurants have been wildly successful in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, and are now arriving in Canada, creeping east from B.C. like a new — but most welcome — species.

In Japan, izakayas are homey pubs where businessmen kill time before boarding their evening commuter trains, and students let loose with friends. The idea is to toss back a few drinks while nibbling from small, sharing plates — basically Japanese-style tapas. Staples include yakitori (grilled chicken skewers), oden (winter hot pot) or nikujaga (stewed beef and potatoes). Savoury and spicy dishes and homemade noodles are the main event here — at authentic izakayas, you won’t find sushi on the menu. And these joints have a boisterous, at times even rowdy, atmosphere — not hushed and demure like typical North American sushi restaurants. The decor is comfortable, and the food is memorable and filling without being fussy in taste or presentation, much like a neighbourhood sports bar you’d find anywhere in Canada.

Homegrown izakayas are much the same — casual places for groups to kick back with food and drinks, but with an added flavour of the exotic. Canadian izakayas are not simply affordable and cheerful places for weary salarymen and penny-pinching students to let off steam. Picking up on current trends, many offer unusual dishes created with local and seasonal fare. That said, the sake, beer and liquor still flow freely — the perfect social lubricants to get diners sharing dishes amid sounds of clinking plates and glasses and animated conversation.

British Columbia — with its large Asian population — is where it all started, and today the province has at least a dozen izakayas, though they’re popping up so fast, it’s tough to keep count.

Ebisu is a small, family-run chain with two locations in Vancouver and one in Richmond. While they offer many time-honoured dishes, manager Deon Taw says, “We try to be different from other izakayas. We take traditional dishes and change them up.” Ebisu has Japanese chefs “coming straight from Japan with many years of intensive training under Iron Chefs” preparing favourites like oyster blowout (12 fresh, raw oysters served with various sauces and toppings) and sashimi salad. To complement these, Ebisu also offers an intoxicating array of cocktails.

From the beginning, Ebisu’s mission has been to “bring Vancouver what the locals have never experienced… a delicate fusion of the traditional, Japanese fare that Vancouver is well-known for, with exotic touches from our imaginative chefs.” And it’s working. Taw says his clientele ranges “from Canadian-born Asians, to Japanese people, Korean students... everyone.”

Globefish Sushi & Izakaya has three locations in Calgary. The first opened in trendy Kensington five years ago, and a second followed in Marda Loop a year later. The newest location is in Chinook Centre. Owned by Tammy Warabino, Koby Nakamura and Masa Ota, Globefish claims to be the first izakaya in Calgary.

Warabino says they started the restaurant because “we thought it would be challenging. Many people still do not know about izakayas. We are still asked by customers [about it].” Unique offerings include spicy tuna tacos and ebi chili mayo — both of which have been hits, despite Alberta’s beef-crazy reputation.

Moving east, chef and owner Shige Minagawa opened Bistro Isakaya, a family-run restaurant in downtown Montreal, back in 1999, and this pioneer is still going strong. Bistro Isakaya has tempting and unusual offerings such as usuzukuri (carpaccio of hirame with hot olive oil), chawanmushi (hot seafood egg custard) and eihire (fried fresh skate wings).

But does his bistro resemble izakayas back in Japan? Minagawa says, “It’s quite similar. We serve tapas-style, small dishes for Japanese and Canadians. We also have main dishes.” Minagawa relies on local and seasonal fare. “In September and October,” he adds, “the Canadian mackerel is beautiful.” He is adamant about never cooking with ready-made or frozen ingredients. Minagawa moved here from Yamagata over 35 years ago and now speaks Japanese, English and French. He spells izakaya with an “s” because, he says, the French “s” makes a “z” sound.

Not long ago it was unthinkable that North Americans would eat raw fish and seaweed, but in most sizable downtowns you can’t swing a mackerel without hitting a sushi joint. And a quick look at the expanding Asian food section in any grocery store suggests we are hungry for these flavours.

Food is only part of the izakaya experience. Just as important is the atmosphere: Disco-level decibels with good company and pitchers of chilled sake and beer. And here’s all you really need to know: The literal meaning of izakaya is “eat-drink place.” Kanpai! •

 

FOR THE (COOK) BOOKWORM

Izakaya: The Japanese Pub Cookbook
by Mark Robinson (Kodansha America, 2008)
Journalist Mark Robinson speaks to chefs of eight famous Tokyo izakayas, offering a comprehensive volume about izakaya culture and food, past and present.

Quick & Easy Tapas from Japan
edited by Meiko Baba (Joie Inc, 2000)
A fantastic resource of izakaya recipes with fabulous colour photos to get you started.