Happy hour deal at Shirakawa Gastown

By Diana (Foodology),
Special to The Post

As the week winds down and with holiday season in full swing, my favourite thing to do on Friday evenings is spend happy hour at a Japanese restaurant with friends. 
My latest find is Shirakawa in Gastown. Shirakawa focuses on serving the highest quality proteins and organic produce without sacrificing traditional Japanese culinary methods. They specialize in Japanese kappo, sushi, and teppan grilled high-end Kuroge Wagyu Beef from Japan.
Happy hour is everyday from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., with select dishes only $5 each, and Asahi Extra Dry draft beer at $3.50. They have a large dining area, which is great for large groups. Since this place is fairly new, it’s not too busy.
I ordered the Coffee Umeshu, which is coffee-infused plum wine. I thought this was a strange combination, but it was quite good. We tried Kakuni, a slow cooked pork belly, teppan finished with a sweet soy reduction and spicy mustard. You may not want to share this because it is so good. The fat just melts in your mouth.
We also tried the Buta Katsu, which has panko-breaded pork cutlet, harvarti cheese and black miso. The Spicy Tofu had a seasonal vegetable garnish with a spicy dashi broth. It wasn’t very spicy and it had about eight pieces of tofu, making it a good option for sharing. The Teba ($8) is fried ginger soy marinated chicken wings. It was crispy on the outside and the meat was tender and flavourful. It reminded me of my childhood since my mom loves marinating wings in soy sauce and ginger.
Overall, we each ordered a drink and two dishes each and it came out to be around $15 each person. With prices like these, it’s the perfect to start off the weekend. 

Foodology is a top ranked food blogger on UrbanSpoon. These are the tales of her dine-out experiences. Read more at www.foodology.ca.

We Rate Shirakawa Gastown: 3/5

115 – 12 Water St, Vancouver
www.shirakawagastown.com