Brave Bull’s House of Steaks
1298 E Hastings St
Vancouver, BC
Whenever you think of steak in a restaurant, one thing that might come to your mind is the cash you have to fork to pay for it. So, six years ago, when I passed by The Brave Bull’s House of Steaks and saw the prices, my first thought was “you gotta be kidding me…”. Furthermore, the fact it is located in the intersection of Hastings and Clark Drive, in the east side of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside should make you wonder what they can offer… With all these thoughts in mind, I braced myself and said to myself, it is time for me to find out.
OK, let me make things clear here: this picture was NOT taken 6+ years ago…
After seeing this board, I thought myself appearance might be deceiving. Unless they were filling the board themselves, the only (logical?) explanation was that they actually had customers coming in.
Now, I have mentioned this previously and I will mention it again: Unless I simply can’t help it, I try NOT to take picture of the customers. However, in this case, it was not that much of a problem. Only two other tables were occupied.
OK, just at the top right of the picture above shows, cash only! Given the prices, that should not be a problem right?
An old lady soon – I soon found out her name is Linda – greeted me and told me I could sit on any (open) table. Not long after, I was given the menu:
It is quite obvious from the first picture the “tonite specials” have not changed in ages. And, needless to say, the prices have neither changed. As for what I ordered…
The drink
My order comes with a soup – I had the option of chowder or vegetable and beef and chose the later. It was quite decent, however, too salty for my liking.
And here is the main item: prime rib (medium), which also came with garlic toast (above picture) a roasted potato (had the option for mashed) and some steamed vegetables. One those small plastic containers, from top, clockwise, sour cream, “bacon” bits and… Well, the last item I am not sure what it was… I guess it should be horseradish but I couldn’t really “taste” it.
Obviously, at $9, I should not expect a big piece of meat. In fact, I was surprised at the size of the “cut” I was given. And, indeed, it was medium, though not too warm. The gravy was actually tasty in its own way. The vegetables were OK, nothing spectacular. At this point, you might think “indeed, you get what you pay for”. Well, that’s true; however, I learned something quickly… Hmmmm… Probably “learn” is not the correct word, rather, it reminded me of something I forgot long time ago.
See, while I was waiting for the food, a small family (of four, plus a toddler) walked in. Just like me, they were quickly seated. However, it seems they were long time customers, as Linda was talking with them, with the conversation centered around the toddler and how fast he/she was growing. What does it have to do with food? Absolutely nothing; rather the fact there is a person there, he/she (in this case, Linda – despite her 70+ years) can still remember who his/her customers are and can establish a relationship with.
Would I come back? Despite the food was not spectacular, I think I will. Not necessarily for the food, rather as a lesson of humility.
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Love this review
I think some places receive higher reviews because of the people who work there, who actually remember and care about you, as opposed to the quality of the food.
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