Japa Dog!

I love street food but Vancouver does not branch out much further than the hot dog. However, what Vancouver does, it does brilliantly. I already blogged about my post-exam hot dog experience on Granville and Broadway but I had been hearing of the Japa Dog from my friends at school and recently learned it's location--on the corner of Smithe and Burrard. I was on my way to meet Monster, so I decided to check out Japa Dog. There was a line already formed when I approached (I think there is pretty much always a line) and the stand even has its own celebrity "wall".















That's Anthony Bourdain in the top right hand corner. Apparently, he featured Japa Dog in his "No Reservations" TV show. I asked the cooks what their most popular dog was and then ordered it: the Takimayo.

















The Takimayo comes with tiny strips of seaweed on top which give the hot dog a deeper, smokier flavour. It came on a seseme seed bun and was smothered in onions grilled in butter and some kind of mayo/ketchup mixture that I couldn't fully identify.















As you can see, I had to take a bite before taking a picture.




















I will soon be back to try the other eleven hot dogs on Japa Dog's menu. And will be constantly on the lookout for more great Vancouver hot dog stands.