I don't know about you, but I am generally not a fan of pub-style or craft beer eateries. Loud, stuffy, and overcrowded, these places just never seem like a good place to spend Friday nights. So as you can imagine, I was feeling a bit iffy before checking out the newest craft beer eatery located on West 4th and Cambie. However, to my surprise,
Big Rock Urban Eatery (aka BRU) was pretty darn awesome, both in terms of food and ambiance. To check out what I nommed, click......
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| Inside Big Rock Urban Eatery |
Simple and spacious, Big Rock Urban is equipped with roomy family-style tables and there are no big flatscreen TVs in sight. If you are going to a bar solely to watch the game, this isn't going to be your joint because the folks at BRU want to create a relaxing social environment where the focuses are good conversations and good beer (and food). I love the rustic decors and the open high ceilings. I kind of wish they brought in some board games since those tables are perfect for a good old game of Catan.
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| Inside Big Rock Urban Eatery |
The head chef here at Big Rock Urban Eatery is very big on the idea of shared plates so the menu is filled with lots of splittable tapas and appetizers. I visited the place with
Nosh & Nibble and ordered three items from the menu.
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| Chipotle Buffalo Wings |
First up we tried a crowd favorite, the
Chipotle Buffalo flavored
BRU wings. I'm not sure if it was by coincidence. but nine of the ten "wings" were actually legs. I love legs so I am definitely not complaining. The "wings" were flavorful and juicy enough on their own that we didn't really need any dipping sauce. The chipotle buffalo flavor is quite on point without being too spicy. I do wish that the outside was a bit more crispy.
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| Eggplant Pizza |
Although both of us are meat lovers, we tried the
Eggplant Pizza because we had to get our servings of veggies somehow, right? The medium-sized pizza (about 12 inches) comes on a ceramic/rock slab. It is a simple tomato sauce pizza topped with a hefty piece of fried eggplant with a thinly sliced piece of cheese.
The pizza crust is not as crunchy as I'd like, but the eggplant is very yummy and filling. The flavors feel very homey and I think the vegetarians would definitely appreciate a slice.
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| Eggplant Pizza |
For the last dish, we went a little adventurous and tried a
Cornish Hen. Marinated with their own BRU beer (made in their in-house brewery), this is one heck of a delicious hen. Every bit of it is juicy and flavorful and I enjoyed the glaze slathered on top. The veggie sides are a nice addition, but the brussel sprouts were quite over-seasoned.
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| Cornish Hen (for one) |
Overall, I really enjoyed this place and it's one of the few pub/tapas-style restaurants I would return to. I highly recommend the wings and the hen. I would also like to make a plea for BRU to install a board game cabinet. Those long, wide tables cannot go wasted!
