Big Sur, Staunton Street

Thank God for American BBQ!

Being British BBQs usually end in one of two ways. Firstly, in one of those glorious albeit fairly infrequent British summer evenings the sun shines and a group of family or friends would get together and enjoy a delightful evening. Spent laughing, frolicking in the last rays of the British summer and generally wondering if life could get much better. Secondly, in one of those more common British evening it would bucket it down with rain. Everyone would run inside and some poor bloke would be stuck outside holding a brolly whilst poking some increasingly soggy looking sausages around a BBQ generally feeling life can only get better.

However, both scenarios have a number of things in common. For one there is plenty of booze, once the ice has melted it tends to be luke warm beer. This inevitability leads to one person who needs to be taken home early or of course there’s always the option of the particular comfortable looking flower bush. All the men will stand around the BBQ comparing cooking techniques and generally trying to outdo one another (if you want to see a PG rated d**k measuring contest look to British men at a BBQ). And of course the one thing that unites the majority of British BBQs, overdone, soggy and food that generally tastes more of charcoal then what it was originally intended. I think we can agree us Brits have a lot to learn from our cousins across the pond around the art of the BBQ.

So when the chance came to sample some American BBQ food at Big Sur the Scot and I roped in another couple and off we went. We were not disappointed.

Big Sur is named after the winding highway in California, located on Staunton Street it occupies the bottom of a new building and I can confirm that these guys bring American BBQ techniques and know what to do with them! Of course they have imported a smoker from the US, how else where they going to make it this good.

Wanting to sample as much as possible we ordered far too much and left with full bellies and slightly slurred speech. See told you there was always too much booze at a BBQ.

To start we had the taco’s, two each of the Baja and BBQ Pastrami. Not a bad way to start, the brisket in particular was cooked to perfection. Smokey without tasting like an ash tray, succulent with many hours in the smoker and the coleslaw added an additional touch which meant these weren’t too heavy. The Scott and her partner in crime for the evening devoured the Baja (complete with prawns and signature sauce) but I was told it was very good.

Next we went for the mixed BBQ plate. Not wanting to miss out on anything we thought this would be a good introduction. Consisting of Tri Tip (a cut of steak), pulled pork, ribs and supplemented with home made baked beans. As if we hadn’t ordered enough food we supplemented this with polenta and to top this all off went for the marinated halibut and burnt end fried rice.

Starting with the mixed plate, I most enjoyed the pulled pork. To used to having pulled pork which is sickly sweet through having been smothered in BBQ sauce, this was a welcome change. Cooked for god knows how long this was pure pigginess. The ribs weren’t half bad either. Falling off the bone and juicy as anything. The tri tip was the most disappointing, not because it wasn’t good just compared to everything else it seemed to lack.

The sides worked well with this mound of meat, the beans brought back memories of campfire cooking. Or at least they would have done if I had ever cooked beans on a campfire, but the depth of flavour was a wonderful surprise. The polenta was….well its polenta it was never going to blow the barn doors down.

The halibut, cooked on the bone, was meaty and the marinade gave a lovely different taste to strong flavours of the BBQ.

Finally, the burnt ends fried rice. WHY HAVE I NEVER HAD THIS BEFORE! This needs to become a thing now! Oh it was rice on a different level, the burnt ends added so much meatiness to the dish and as if it needed anymore umami (pretentious term I know, deal with it!) the addition of mushrooms kicked this into 5thgear. If god ever invented a hangover cure surely it would be this.

My view on what can be done with a smoker and a BBQ has been changed, my eyes have been opened and god help the poor soul who next tries to serve me an overdone burger in a soggy bun.

Go, don’t just stand in the terrace and drink from the excellent wine list. Go and enjoy some damn fine food.

Love,

The Galloping Ginger

P.S. The photos really don't do this place justice.

Big Sur

Ground floor 22 Staunton Street, Central

https://bigsur.com.hk