Japadog – Burrard & Pender
Japadog (Burrard and Pender)
510 Burrard Street
Also in 845 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC
Vancouver, BC
If people do a little bit of digging in Urbanspoon, they will find that the “best” restaurant Vancouver is not even a restaurant – it is a hot dog stand. And that hot dog stand happens to be Japadog, located in Burrard and Pender. Thanks to their success, they have opened a second location a couple of blocks down in the corner of Burrard and Pender. Would they able to carry the success? (On that note, I have blogged about Japadog previously. Check here).
If you check Eat, Snap, Repeat’s post, you will notice a long queue. Not in the picutre above. The secret? Go after hours! ^_^
Here is the menu, if you were wondering what they have…
Since I have been previously to their original location and, as per my previous post on Japadog, toppings is what makes the difference. In this case, I wanted to try something I have not tried previously. So, I ordered the okonomi, described as dog but kurobuta, a pork sausage made from Berkshire pigs, okonomi sauce, Japanese mayo and bonito flakes. And after I made my order…
Yeah, some habits die hard, hehehehe. Anyway, here is the goodie:
What looks like wood shavings on the top are the bonito flakes. Below it, not really noticeable, are some pieces of cooked cabbage. I guess that is part of okonomi theme (okonomiyaki, anyone?). It was a good option, as the sweetness of the okonomi sauces collided with the savoury/umami taste of those flakes. The only gotcha there was that that day, it was windy and blew some of the flakes away…
However, in the end, it is still a hot dog. Just as mentioned previously about Japadog in Burrard and Smythe, it is toppings that makes it different. In this case, it was good and a bit hyped. But, until it jumps the shark, if I want good hot dogs, I will go to either of their locations.
I like the Okonomi, however did you find that the casing is a bit tough. I was gnawing at it to bite into it. I still haven’t tried some of their new funky flavours with cheese and such.
Awesome! Love eating those! How come this stand does not have the Oroshi? That’s my fav! :p~
Sherman, tough? Other than that initial resistance from the casing when you bite into it, not really. Probably it was an off wurst?
Annie, good point! I have no idea why! But, if I have to guess, I will say so that people who want a specific topping will have to go to that specific location…
Yah, that’s right, the initial bite is tough. I don’t know, maybe I like soft casing? It’s just a minor point anyways because I like Japadog. Have you tried the newer ones yet? Like the one with mashed potatoes? Haha… an off wurst…
how very cool!
“it is still a hot dog” – something I totally relate to. It’s definitely a destination, even more so after Mr. Bourdain’s visit, but 95% of hot dogs taste alike anyways. It’s all about the toppings, just like with pasta.
I tried the mashed potato (Korokke) the other day and it wasn’t bad actually! With the mashed potatoes, it was very filling. The Okonomi looks delicious though…I love okonomiyaki so I definitely have to give the Okonomi a try the next time I’m there!
Hm, spicy cheese terimayo.
I’ll try anything that’s spicy!
This guy buys all his stuff at Costco I see him there a couple times a week. 6 bucks for a Costco dog? suckers.
Kerry, welcome? Long time ago, I read/heard of a story that goes like this: A couple who goes to a fair and the wife spots a trinket she takes fancy on. While haggling for that item, which becomes somewhat difficult because the seller simply does not want to lower the price, the husband proudly tells the seller “Why I should pay that much for it? That is something even I can make”, to which the seller comes back saying “sure, you could; but… Would you?”.
Hi KimHo,
I just posted on Japadog and Bakudanyaki Tenku and I provided a link to your excellent reviews on my blog:
http://mehungry-phyllis.blogspot.com/2009/07/vancouver-street-food-japadog-tenku.html
Cheers,
Phyllis
Phyllis, welcome! I went through some of your posts in Vancouver and I will have to admit some of the places you visited are, well, (1) taken for granted by a lot of us and (2) it is quite interesting/odd that people not “local” (from our perspective) have the same opinion on some restaurants. Thank you!