Re-Up BBQ (Westminster Quay)

Back when Re-Up was a single small food cart off to the side of the VAG (Vancouver Art Gallery for those who were thinking otherwise!), I remarked that their pulled pork sandwich was good except that it lacked something. That something was a real BBQ/Smoky taste since it had been vacuum-packed, reheated and then served. Hey, not much they could do about it since a food cart is pretty restrictive as to what can be done (especially their tiny and shiny little cart). Well, Re-Up has finally opened up an actual food stall in the River Market at Westminster Quay. They have also expanded their menu to include other meats and sides.

I mentioned this to Whipping Girl in hopes she would join me for lunch. It wasn't meant to be as she flatly declined. And she wonders why I begin to forget her sometimes! Never fear because Rich Guy was near. Literally. I gave him a last minute text and he was actually not too far away. he hightailed it over to the Quay in order to meet me for lunch. Now that's a dedicated eater! Dedicated is one thing, but as many of you know, he likes the "finer" things in life. Hence, he was a bit taken aback at the food stall/basic seating arrangements. For me, I could even eat in a washroom if needed, so it didn't bother me (well, maybe not Chinese restaurant washrooms though...). To get a taste of everything they offered, we shared the 3 Meat Platter (with the addition of ribs to make it 4 meats) which included Chicken, Ribs, Pulled Pork, Brisket and 2 sides (Chili & Biscuit). This came out to $30.00 + $2.00 for the extra ribs.

Starting with the positives, the BBQ Chicken leg was smoky and relatively moist. By virtue of being dark meat, it was not dry. The large buttermilk Biscuit was also pretty good being crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The Chili was a nice combination of beans, red pepper and corn which made for a multitude of textures and flavour. It had a nice sweetness and kick. The addition of cilantro sour cream really added a brightness and cooling effect which tempered the spiciness. As for their signature item, the Pulled Pork, it was smokier than the one I had at their food cart, yet also drier. I did enjoy their BBQ sauce which exhibited a good balance of tart, sweet and spicy.

Now for the bad... The Ribs had a really significant bark on them which was good and problematic at the same time. Where the bark was not too thick, it was tasty and had a nice chew. However, at the end of the rack, the bark was so thick, it was inedible (which meant one full rib was wasted). If we didn't look at that part, the ribs were okay. What was less than okay was the Brisket. It was really dry and a bit mealy. Part of the problem could be the cut, as it was quite lean. If there wasn't a good amount of BBQ sauce on it, it would've been difficult to eat. When we initially went to pick up our order, we were a little confused at our plate since it didn't look like $35.00 (including tax) worth of food. However, after we finished, we were full, so I think the plate they use is far too small and it makes the amount of food look miniscule. As for the BBQ items, some were good while the rest were unimpressive. I had high hopes and it ended up to be mostly so-so.

The Good:
- Balanced BBQ sauce
- Good chili

The Bad:
- Meats are pretty dry (except for the chicken)
- It's a food stall, tables are hard to come by when busy