Japadog
Burrard St. & W. Georgia St.
Vancouver, BC

I can finally say I’ve tasted the best of what two cities can offer for Japanese fusion hot dogs.

Last year, I was in Seattle and found Gourmet Dog Japon a few blocks away from my hotel. In Vancouver, Japadog has a truck right across the street from where I’m staying. While I missed an opportunity on my first night here for Salvadoran food, I still have two days left … if I can tear myself away from Fan Expo.

I tried Japadog’s Spicy Cheese Taramayo ($6.50 before taxes) since the combination of flavours looked very attractive. It combined three different cheeses into the dog and there’s a claim that the dog is infused with the flavour of a jalapeño. Well, if it had slices nestled within, I’d be sold. What I tasted certainly had a light kick, but true to how these dogs are manufactured, most of that spiciness is pureed product more than anything else.

The three cheeses—swiss, cheddar and jack if I remember right—certainly make this meal very hearty but is it a winner? I’d call this dog above average and on par with what the Seattle operation offers. The one big difference I could note was a larger variety of condiments to go with the sausages. Pork and/or beef are an option and can be combined.

They even sell the original ‘dog that started it all, the kurobuta terimayo. This particular meat has a particular flavour to it that should be tasted at least once. I do have to give this operation points for the variety of seasonings that can be placed on a french fry. If I survive the shopping mecca exposition without going broke, I’ll be back to snag some fries and try another dog.

Or I’ll have to come back another day to Vancouver for a more culinary exploration. I still need to make room for eating Skippy. I’m not passing up an opportunity to at least check a restaurant from down under that’s set up shop north past the equator. At least some things doesn’t go unnoticed even though I don’t go to Vancouver often.

3½ Blokes out of 5