Rejoice all ye lovers of all things meat or BBQ who live in Hokandara because you don't need to go to Colombo to get our meat on anymore.
Instead, you can check out one of the newer spots in the area for some solid pork or crab to make your evening.
Ambience
One of our favourite parts about our experience at Big Daddy's BBQ had to be the ambience. Fairy lights, open space, a few mosquitoes to make the whole thing bittersweet and picnic tables to help the pro's of the place win, we liked it.
Given how it's basically surrounded by houses and how we had to cross a paddy field (yes, there's a road) to get to it, the place is calm and just perfect for a chilled night out.
The BBQ
The menu at Big Daddy's isn't large, but the items on their menu somehow manage to cover a lot of the essentials of a good BBQ with the likes of Burgers, but also helps feed that little island girl in you with a crab curry and roast paan combo.
Cut up into thin, crunchy slices of roast paan that had been tossed onto the grill before being served, the Crab Curry and Roast Paan (Rs. 900) was a hit. The portion size is enough for 2 (probably 3 if you're not too hungry) and the flavours were a whole other story.
While the pol sambol helped with adding a bit of tang to the ensemble, the crab curry; albeit lacking slightly in the meat department, but was a delicious mix of things creamy, garlicky and spicy via the unexpected likes of nai miris. All in all, this goes as a definite recommend on our part, to be honest.
Then came the Chicken Burger (Rs. 650). A moist, sweet bun with layers of pickle, lettuce, meat and veggies and topped with a slice of cheese and sauce, the burger was honestly quite good. A sour note rang via the pickle, the lettuce added a crunch and the bun was fantastic. However, our only problem came through with the fact that the pattie wasn't actually a pattie. It was actually just another piece of superbly barbecued chicken, and that's all fine till you have to stop chewing a dig through the mush to find the chicken bone in it.
The Pork Chop (Rs. 890) was pretty good as well. Coming in a piece of meat that was more fat than meat, we still liked it. The chop had been cooked till it was tender and the fat had a lovely layer of charcoal surrounding to it, making it one of the nicest takes on pork fat we've had in a while.
Plus, the meat as covered in just the right amount of sauce so that there was a nice balance to both the flavours. The chips, on the other hand, were slightly too salty and oily for my liking, but would have gone beautifully well alone as a bite. The salad too had a few problems with it; especially given how they had used mayo as a dressing. It made the dish a tad too heavy for us, but if they had just swapped the mayo with a bit of vinegar, it would have been lovely.
To wash it all down, we also happened to get a Lime and Soda (Rs. 350) which surprisingly tasted like a regular lime juice than anything else. The soda fizz was barely there, and we felt like it has a little too much water.
Service
We really had nothing to complain about in terms of service. The staff was helpful but unobtrusive.
Conclusion
If you do happen to be in the area and is looking for a good spot to get some good BBQ to make your evening, we suggest checking them out. The prices aren't bad and the food is quite good.
