Parq Vancouver’s D/6 Bar & Lounge is transporting the food, drink and feel of the beloved Izakayas of the Far East to the West Coast with the launch of its new Tower Izakaya experience at the popular downtown nightclub (39 Smithe Street) on Friday, February 16th.
The Tower Izakaya experience will take centre stage at D/6 Wednesdays through Sundays from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. and showcase starters, snacks, a selection of fresh seafood, sushi and sashimi, hot plates and sweets paired with a wide array of creative cocktails and zero-proof libations, pitchers of Japanese beer, rare and artisanal sakes and Japanese whiskey flights.
The new direction is spearheaded by The Victor restaurant’s sushi chefs Jae Cho and Akira Yamada, who took their cues from the Izakayas — casual spots where guests can enjoy small, typically inexpensive dishes to complement drinks — have long been a staple of the Japanese hospitality and bar scene.
Both chefs have been greatly influenced in their careers by both Japanese cuisine and the quintessential Izakaya experience. Originally from South Korea, Cho moved to Vancouver in his teens and worked his way up in kitchens at celebrated local spots like Cioppino’s, Minami and Miku before becoming Head Sushi Chef at The Victor in 2021. Born in Japan, Yamada came to Canada to pursue a career in the culinary arts and sharpened his skills at Richmond’s Kiyo Sushi before teaming up with Cho as sous chef at The Victor’s sushi bar.
Cho and Yamada’s food menu [insert link] features an array of starters like Kale Gomae-Ae, Hamachi Nobu Style and Edamame Peperoncino; fresh sushi and seafood dishes including the show-stopping Jae’s Seafood Platter (East and West Coast oysters, jumbo prawns, scallop ceviche, bluefin tuna poke, gringo salmon aburi skewers), hot plates such as Wagyu Beef Mini Dogs and ‘Little Mac’ Sliders, Crispy Panko Ebi, Chicken Kara-Age, Bulgogi Lettuce Cups, and more.
At the bar, D/6 will tap into drink features including Japanese beer on draught and in pitchers, more local and international beer by the bottle, flights of Japanese whiskeys like Suntory and Nikka from the Barrel, sake available in 3oz servings, bottles and flights, and signature cocktail and mocktail features such as the Tower Lemon Sour (lemon-infused shochu, lemon syrup, soda), Momotaro (nanoko peach sake, peach, sparkling wine), An Afternoon in Nara (bombay sapphire, sake, lillet blanc, yuzu, thyme, lime), Kiku (sake, chambord, pernod, lychee, raspberry, egg), Umeko (choya umeshu plum wine, lemon juice, soda) and more.
In addition to offering world-class culinary and casino gaming experiences, Parq Vancouver is home to two luxury hotel properties (The JW Marriott and The DOUGLAS Autograph Collection), The Spa by JW and numerous amenities.
For more information about Parq Vancouver or to stay on top of all the developments and receive exclusive offers available only to members of Parq’s e-newsletter, please visit parqvancouver.com.