With ramen all the rage in our fair city, a popular Vancouver izakaya is getting into the Japanese noodle game.

Hapa Izakaya is set to launch Hapa Ramen at its Robson Street location on Friday (January 8).

Owner Justin Ault told the Georgia Straight by phone that ramen became one of his favourite foods when he lived in Japan for 10 years.

"Vancouver obviously has shown just a great love and appreciation for quality ramen," he said. "It's food that all ethnicities can enjoy. It’s not like there's such strong flavours or textures that make some people go 'ew'. It really is cross-ethnic comfort food."

Hapa Ramen takes over about one-third of the 1479 Robson Street location, inhabiting the section closest to Nicola Street. A fabric wall separates Hapa Ramen, which seats up to 45 people, from the neighbouring Hapa Izakaya space, and each have their own entrance.

Ault said he realizes that Hapa Izakaya's decreased capacity may affect them on the weekend but added "it's a more effective use of our space overall".

Ault explained that the menu, which is being overseen by Hapa Izakaya executive chef Tomoki Yamasaki, will start with three main offerings. "Our focus is [on] getting it right.…We want to just have three really good ones to start and then move from there."

All the noodles, he said, are locally produced without preservatives, rather than frozen ones imported from California.

The soup base, tori paitan, is made from chicken and simmered for six hours. Three types of flavours will be offered: shio, shoyu (with ajitama, or soy-cured egg), and kimchi (with fermented chilli paste and ontama, or 63-degree egg).

Ramen aficionados can opt for maa-yu (black-charred onion oil) in the shoyu ramen.

All come with Hapa cha-shu (pork), sesame seeds, scallions, and nori (seaweed).

Side dishes include sesame cucumber, pickles, edamame, chicken karaage, Hapa cha-shu don, and tori sui gyoza.

Ault said they may eventually add items such as cold noodles for summer or tsukemen.

Hapa Ramen will add to the increasing cluster of ramen shops located near Robson and Denman Streets, such as Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, Motomachi Shokudo, and Kintaro Ramen. 

Hapa Izakaya, which opened in 2003, has locations in Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto. Their Kitsilano location, Hapa Beach, closed in August 2015.