I saw this Groupon deal for Hapa Izakaya recently and thought it would be nice to try out this restaurant with my friends. The deal that we got was $15 for a $30 worth of food and drinks for at least two people. I called in to make a reservation just to confirm that it is available on the day and time we wanted. The staff told us that only 6:30 time slot is available on that Saturday night and that we have to leave at around 8 because a large group of party will be dining at 8:30. I actually didn't think it was really welcoming for a first time customer to get an early leave request on their initial visit. But, anyway, reservation booked. Groupon bought. On the Friday, I got a call from the restaurant confirming the time and again they asked us if we could leave at around 8 because of the party. Okay! I get it. Then, on the day of, we arrived at exactly 6:30 pm sharp. The staff greeted us when we asked for our table and for the third time they asked us if we could leave at 8 pm for the party to come in after. Wow. Pushy much? I haven't even sat down and ordered yet.



Walking into the restaurant, I feel that they are more upscale and going for the higher class approach. Not exactly the loud and down to earth environment that I'm familiar with from traditional Izakayas. Also, judging from their choice of waitresses, they are very much like the ones you would see at Joey's.  Then, browsing through their menu, I thought, yup, definitely catered to more of the western type of crowd. Overall, I find their dishes are mostly uninspiring fushion with soy sauce.

{Special menu at Hapa Izakaya}

{Beef Tataki with sesame chilli sauce - $9.99 at Hapa Izakaya}

{Aburi Saba - $8.99 at Hapa Izakaya

{Volcano Roll $9.99}

{Negitoro (Tuna Belly with garlic bread) - $8.99 at Hapa Izakaya}

{Pork belly with lettuce wraps - $9.49 at Hapa Izakaya}

{Mentaiko kimchi udon - $9.99 at Hapa Izakaya}

Overall, the food was average, nothing spectacular and a bit overpriced than other Izakayas. My favourite of the night is the Kimchi udon, creamy and wonderful flavour! The beef tataki was alright. I kind of enjoyed the Negitoro as well, thought it has an interesting taste on the garlic bread. The pork belly, for me personally was a disappointment, a bit too dry and chewy. The roll and the mackerel were both fair. We are thankful that we have the Groupon deal so the total per person comes to about $17 each for the three of us. We weren't all that full at the end and still had room for dessert.

If you are planning to go, I really recommend to get the Groupon deal or visit during their Hapa Hour from 5:30-6:30 pm, where their tapas cost $2-$5 each.  But the good thing about Hapa though, is that there's no line ups and you can make reservations.

Oh and we also left and returned our table at exactly 8 pm and went to grab desserts somewhere else. Guu still remains to be my favourite Izakaya. How is your experience like at Hapa?