Slideshow: Vancouver's Japaribbean restaurant

The Lion’s Den Cafe is Vancouver’s only “Japaribbean”  restaurant, owned and operated by Ken Brooks and Junko Tanabe. Brooks hails from Nassau, Bahamas, while Tanabe is from Chiba, Japan. The duo combine flavours from their cultural backgrounds to serve Caribbean-Japanese dishes like jerk chicken okonomiyaki or jerk salmon B.C. rolls.

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Brooks takes the time to explain the history of the restaurant — opened in 1999 — to any new face that comes through the door, with an aim to bring a smile and a chuckle to a customer’s face. Guarded by a stuffed lion, with walls adorned by pictures of Bob Marley and murals of tropical locales, the the Lion’s Den itself is as much an experience as the food.