Where to eat in Vancouver, Canada: Japa Dog

15. July 2008 Vancouver, Canada 1

Walk around downtown Vancouver and you’ll come across several hotdog stands flocked by a diverse group of people. I come from a city where there is a hotdog stand on every other block and where a Japanese guy stuffs his face with Nathan’s every Fourth of July, so I’m not new to the Japanese-hotdog combination, but the hotdog from Japa Dog is definitely one of the most satisfying snacks I’ve had in a very long time.

We’ve been walking all day and the last thing the Dr. wanted to hear was my request to keep walking towards the other direction to buy a hotdog. I tried to explain that the hotdogs have a Japanese flair to them, but there are plenty of days when a Korean boy just won’t listen. I spotted the line of Japanese girls across the street before I realized we were finally on Haro Street. We crossed and joined the queue for the first hotdog drawing that caught my eye.

The Oroshi is a bratwurst sprinkled with grated daikon and finely chopped scallions with a “special” soy sauce. I was halfway into finishing it when the Dr. finally asked for a taste. I tried to deter him from sharing it with me by telling him, Eh, it’s just a hotdog, but my eagerness to finish it didn’t help. The last bite made an impression on him and he encouraged me to join the queue again to buy another one. This time, I chose the Terimayo: hotdog with mayo and fried onions in teriyaki sauce and nori. If dinner wasn’t in the next hour, I could have eaten another. And perhaps another.

I pretty much rested my case with the second dog. I might make you walk miles for your food, but most of the time, the work is worth it.

Japa Dog is on Burrard Street on the corner of Haro in downtown Vancouver, Canada. For five Canadian dollars, you can join the others who have come before you: Ice Cube, Anthony Bourdain, and oh, “that Asian guy from Lost“.

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