I went to Hapa Izakaya (1479 Robson St) in downtown on Friday night. The location of the restaurant is quite hidden – although located on Robson between Nicola and Broughton Street (those names don’t mean anything to me – just know it’s closer towards Denman Street), the outside of the restaurant is quite dark. The first time I walked in, I was amazed to see such a small opening expand into a fairly spacious cavern of a restaurant.
.
Hapa Izakaya is known for its Japanese-style tapas. We were a group of 6 and didn’t make reservations (couldn’t until 8pm) and we ended up waiting almost an hour for our table. While we were waiting, we were seated around a small table and we had the option of ordering drinks and looking at the menu. Prices range from about $3 for edamame beans or octopus sashimi to about $7 for “ebi mayo” prawn tempura (highly recommended) to $10+ for featured appetizers consisting of seafood and meats. These dishes are meant to be shared but if you want to get an individual portion of something filling, try the “ishi-yaki”, a Korean rice bowl with egg. We watched the servers madly beating the raw egg into the rice and watched it cook against the inside of the hot stone bowl it was served in.
.
So go see for yourself – check out Hapa Izakaya. There is also a location in Kitsilano.

Looking for something to do? Every Monday morning, we present to you “Modern Mix Monday”, a brief but link-filled one-liner review of our past weekend loaded with suggestions to inspire you for your next!

I had lunch on Sunday afternoon with Miranda Sam of Style By Fire at Moderne Burger (2507 West Broadway). It’s such a cute little diner! The restaurant recently went through renovations and an expansion, but the joint has still managed to maintain its retro feel with mint-green walls and aluminum paneling. There were booths against the wall and windows, paper placemats and stools for sitting placed around the counter… As Miranda brought up, if this was in New York, the area would be much more crowded and less laid back with people rushing to eat their burgers while multitasking and reading the newspaper with a coffee in hand. The burgers were pretty good too – not much menu selection, but about $7.45 for a burger (ie. veggie, ground turkey, steak, etc.), and $1.25 for additional toppings including mushrooms, cheese or fried onions. I got a turkey burger, plain as can be, and it still tasted good. No fries, no milkshake .

Looking for something to do? Every Monday morning, we present to you “Modern Mix Monday”, a brief but link-filled one-liner review of our past weekend loaded with suggestions to inspire you for your next!

I probably bought my first pair of Mavi Jeans 7 or 8 years ago and have gone through so many pairs by wearing them until they got all holey and patched up. I remember wishing for a replacement program for people like me who would wear their Mavi jeans to shreds! But then, for a couple of years, the styles went through a phase with stiff, coarse denim instead of the stretchier denim I was used to. Think “American Eagle” rough denim. So I stopped shopping for that brand and only started taking an interest in the brand again when free-standing shops started popping up around Vancouver.

.
Tonight, on a whim, I went to the Mavi Store in Gastown (359 Water Street) and was pleased to discover a pretty big sale going on. 50% off most items – in particular, tops (for both men and women) including and jeans. I bought a pair of black/grey-washed low rise skinny jeans in the “Lindy” style, and two sizes smaller than I would normally buy. (My first pair of skinny jeans!) But I know from experience, Mavi Jeans stretch out a lot! (But I mean that in a good way). It started getting cold outside so I ended up buying the jeans and wearing them out of the store in hopes of stretching them out sooner rather than later.

Mavi philosophy is to build a brand around perfect fitting jeans that convey a Mediterranean feeling in terms of fashion and detail. Maviterranean is sexy, intimate, inspirational and breezy. Mavi, which means blue in Turkish, is known for high quality, great fitting and fashion-forward denim.

Looking for something to do? Every Monday morning, we present to you “Modern Mix Monday”, a brief but link-filled one-liner review of our past weekend loaded with suggestions to inspire you for your next!

Do you like electronic music? Trance, progressive house, and electro house – Believe on Saturday nights at Redroom has it all! The electronic scene in Vancouver is relatively small, but Believe at The Redroom (398 Richards Street) is filled with a crowd who enjoy and appreciate this music genre. The venue has a great layout with its open dance floor and a second backroom, but overall, it’s a little bit grungy and in need of some major upgrades and renovations. The beloved back corridor, with its black walls and neon space scene makes it a popular picture taking location. I remember when I first went to Redroom, I felt like I was in a maze with back corridors and passages and steps leading up, down and around the DJ booth. (There’s also a third secret room hidden in the wall, but I won’t get into that right now…) It keeps things interesting. I also like how there are separate entrances and exits to avoid crowding. Cover is $15 but there are a ton of “black cards” and VIP passes floating around so if you can get your hands on a couple of those, it’ll save you a ton of cash. Nonetheless, when party-goers congregate at a club solely for the music, nothing else matters. If you’re designated driver for the night, there is a parking lot just around the corner (on West Cordova and Richards) where you can park for $2 for four hours at night!!

Looking for something to do? Every Monday morning, we present to you “Modern Mix Monday”, a brief but link-filled one-liner review of our past weekend loaded with suggestions to inspire you for your next!

Despite the freezing cold weather and bare legs (thank goodness for nice bouncers and no line-up even at 11pm), we had another night out at Ginger 62. If there is such thing as a “resident club” that I frequent, this would be the one. But only on Friday nights with Canthrill’s Lobby Nights. And, what an appropriate way to celebrate my first Friday night out since exams, with a group of 10+ of us and DJ Kamm and Skilla spinning house tracks and a live percussionist and saxaphon(ist) on stage above a comfortably packed dance floor. All I drank that night were rounds of shooters – Red Dragons, Lemon Drops with a sugarcoated shotglass rim and my personal favorite – Pornstars, made with Blue Curacao and Sour Puss Raspberry. But do not be fooled by the sweetness – alcohol content definitely adds up. Ask for any of these 1-oz shots and they’ll know what you’re talking about – especially “Justin”, our bartender for the night.

Looking for something to do? Every Monday morning, we present to you “Modern Mix Monday”, a brief but link-filled one-liner review of our past weekend loaded with suggestions to inspire you for your next!

Despite being the the midst of exam season, I still managed to go out and celebrate a friend’s birthday at The Blarney Stone on Saturday night. The Blarney Stone is more “grungy bar” than modern Gastown joint. However, I was quite impressed by the size of the venue! Two floors with a pool table and a moderately large dancefloor on the bottom floor. On the second floor, picnic-style benches fit about six to a table – perfect for having a drink or looking out of the castle-like window openings to the floor below. However, despite spending my previous New Years Eve Celiah (”cay-lee”) dancing in Scotland, the live Celtic music at the Blarney Stone is not my preferred genre of music. Then again, with 2 for 1 shooters for $6.50, you could just drink a lot and drown out the music.

Looking for something to do? Every Monday morning, we present to you “Modern Mix Monday”, a brief but link-filled one-liner review of our past weekend loaded with suggestions to inspire you for your next!

On Saturday evening, I went to Wink Beauty Lounge (67 East Cordova Street) for The Style Spy’s Holiday Shopathon event. After a fifteen minute walk from Waterfront Skytrain Station, we graciously accepted a warm welcome into the brightly lit Wink Beauty Lounge in Gastown. The retail shop, with its whitewashed walls and clean white shelves, allowed its beauty and makeup products to colorfully stand out and be tried on.

.
The retail part of Wink reminds me a lot of Beauty Bar in Yaletown, but perhaps with lesser known brands. Brands which were familiar to me included OPI and Essie. The brands that I didn’t recognize were all packaged in a young and trendy fashion, such as 100% Pure, a bath, body and skincare line which boasts its lack of “synthetic chemicals, chemical preservatives, artificial fragrances, artificial colors, harsh detergents or any other unhealthy toxins“.
.
The part of Wink that I didn’t get to experience this weekend includes its extensive list of beauty services – particularly its eyelash extensions which start at $65. Other services include facials, waxing, manicures & pedicures and even a special section dedicated to guys who want clear and energized skin.

Looking for something to do? Every Monday morning, we present to you “Modern Mix Monday”, a brief but link-filled one-liner review of our past weekend loaded with suggestions to inspire you for your next!

Exam season is upon us. If you are still a student at UBC, sometimes it can get boring studying in campus libraries. On Saturday afternoon, my friend and I decided to study at Bean Around the World instead. The cafe on 4456 West 10th Avenue is a cozy, mid-sized café with forest green and dark red walls which correspond to its easily recognizable logo. Wooden tables and stools are scattered throughout the front half of the café, while low couches and a fireplace take up the back. He ordered a medium (16 oz.) chai tea latte for $4.35, while I got a chicken teriyaki wrap for $5.50, grilled “panini-style”. We spread out our textbooks, binders and notebooks on a large, wooden table and felt comfortable spending the entire afternoon studying leisurely without feeling like we were “taking up space”. In fact, there were other students there as well. The only distracting aspect of studying here is how the door opens every few minutes for customers and you can hear the loud traffic and rain from outside.
.
For those of you who live a little further East, there are two other Bean Around the Worlds on Main Street as well as other cafes on Granville, Cambie and North Vancouver (to name a few).

Looking for something to do? Every Monday morning, we present to you “Modern Mix Monday”, a brief but link-filled one-liner review of our past weekend loaded with suggestions to inspire you for your next!

It’s been a while since I’ve done anything on Cambie Street so when I went on Friday afternoon, I was pleased to walk by and discover a whole bunch of cafes and independent shops, despite the Canada Line Construction. I went to Beans Coffee Shop (3365 Cambie Street) and asked the barista for his recommendation. (I order Chai Tea Lattes alllll the time and wanted something different). He made me a a London Fog (half tea, half steamed milk) but instead of Earl Grey Tea, he steeped a strawberry tea instead. It smelled super good but it was slightly bland – perhaps next time I will add in some honey or sweetener instead. Was it worth my $4? Probably not but it’s always great to support local coffee shops!
.
Additional perks include free parking at the back and wireless internet – both of which we took advantage of!

Looking for something to do? Every Monday morning, we present to you “Modern Mix Monday”, a brief but link-filled one-liner review of our past weekend loaded with suggestions to inspire you for your next!

I am currently in Edmonton, Alberta and strangely enough, on my first full day here, I came across a Gravity Pope warehouse sale, just off Whyte Avenue. Gravity Pope is located on the West 4th shopping district in Vancouver, but its first location was actually founded in Edmonton in 1990. The retail shop has an incredible selection of footware from “Acne” to “Zinda“. In between, there are Converse sneakers and Ugg boots. In the words of my Albertan friend with whom I have been staying, “quirky but upscale footware – located in a place where most passer-bys would see only as a hole in the wall but familiar to all the locals”.
.
Speaking of shoes, on a side note, I’m only here for five days but I brought four pairs of shoes with me and I have already worn all of them at least once! Better to over-pack, right?