Dining: Japanese tapas

The best new alternative to sushi isn't a slab of $100 Kobe beef but the Japanese small-plates style of dining called izakaya. At the forefront of the movement is Vancouver, British Columbia, where there's a large population of young Japanese looking for authentic food, says Justin Ault, who, with wife Lea, owns the elegant Hapa Izakaya ($$$ U.S.; dinner daily; 1479 Robson St.; 604/689-4272).

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In Japan, izakayas were once smoky taverns frequented by businessmen, where small plates accompanied beer or sake. In Vancouver, izakaya has evolved into a distinct style: At Hapa sample kabocha squash-and-walnut salad and Norwegian mackerel, flamed tableside.

In the past two years, at least five more spots have opened around town. Our faves? Yaletown's Shiru-Bay Chopstick Cafe ($$$ U.S.; dinner daily; 1193 Hamilton St.; 604/408-9315) and cozy Guu ($ U.S.; lunch Mon-Sat, dinner daily; 838 Thurlow St.; 604/685-8817).

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