Oh My Calico!: Re-Up BBQ

One of the best things that happened in Vancouver, food-wise, was that the City of Vancouver created a pilot project for new street food carts. Although the carts have been slow to pop up, their arrival brings about a refreshing change from the usual hot dog stands.

Re-Up is probably one of the early success stories of the project; almost from the beginning, there were lineups during lunch hour. The tiny silver cart is located on Hornby near the Vancouver Art Gallery, near the fountains and Olympic clock. My friend Brigid and I went for on our lunch break to check it out. I first tried Re-Up the week after it opened (without my camera), and I was curious to repeat the experience.

The odd thing about Re-Up is that it's not very clear when they open - the first time I visited they opened at around 11:15am, but on this particular day they opened for business a little after 11:30am (generally the opening time is 11:20am). There were a few people milling about, and it was pretty obvious that they were eyeing the little silver truck.

We both had the sweet tea ($2), which was sweet, strong and very refreshing. The tea had an intriguing floral flavour that I couldn't quite place - a little of rose or violet, which was very unusual. It was very good.

Now we come to the goods. Re-Up has only one thing on the menu - the pulled pork sandwich ($6). The pork is smoked off premises and is warmed before serving.

The Portuguese bun is warmed, stuffed full of pork, topped with vegan BBQ sauce and coleslaw. The result is a sandwich that's overflowing with meat and crunchy cabbage. Don't wear your dress clothes with this one, folks. It's a messy bite, but so incredibly delicious. The pork is tender and moist, with a nice smoky flavour, and the sauce is wonderful - slightly spicy and nicely tangy. I've never liked coleslaw, but this coleslaw is surprisingly good.

We sat on the steps of the art gallery in the sunshine and ate our sandwiches, enjoying every mouthful, and sipping cool, sweat tea.