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The Stock Room, hidden bar

I enjoy a good surprise, a secret this, or a hidden that. And this is the latest, residing in the old home of Donnelley Group’s New Oxford, and the Globe Bar before that. This is the Stock Room, although nothing about it screams storage facility.

The entrance is by way of the new location for Hundy burgers, in Yaletown. Hundy has long since moved from their former Kitsilano outpost, and are no longer sharing a space with mochi dough and imported snack cafe: Their There. And now have carved out their own space serving burgers, fries, and beers. Majority of their patrons, beeline it to their counter to place their orders and then post up on one of their barstools to wait for it.

However, for those who decide to veer off the course, you are rewarded with a trip to this hidden tropical bar with leafy plants, taxidermy-ed animals, and rattan lighting. Other than that, the space looks similar to what it once was as New Oxford.

The physical bar is the focal point and as a result, that it where we sat; at the end with a vantage point of everything before us. At the back of said bar is a series of cubbies, each block filled with either a bottle of spirit or a foreign treat. Both of which are available on their menu.

We would enjoy a few of their house made cocktails across 2 rounds. They were all described as being intentionally created for easy drinking; and they delivered!

The “Ahhh pamplemplemousse!” was prepared with Fandango mezcal, sons of Vancouver quadruple sec, agave, lime, fever-tree sparkling pink grapefruit, and mint. And upon first sip it does make you go “Ahhhhh”, it is refreshing with a back splash of smokiness. I can see why it is their most popular cocktail.

“Captain brunch” is a mix of Beefeater gin, aperol, sons of Vancouver quadruple sec, and fluffy grapefruit pineapple. The “fluffy” last ingredient refers to the drink’s foamy consistency. It drinks like a spiked smoothie, and I have never had another cocktail like this.

The “Castaway” features Appleton 8 year rum, lime, pineapple, falernum, mint, soda, and black pepper. A very herbaceous mix that is lightened with the fresh mint. The highlight is the seasoning crumb on the pineapple wedges that transforms the drink once you take a nibble of it, followed by a sip.

The “Night Owl 2.0” is Bruichladdich whisky, Alvear medium dry sherry, angostura cacao and aromatic bitters, cold brew, demerara, and chocolate. It doesn’t taste directly like chocolate or coffee, although is bitter like either; if I have to describe it. I appreciated the fact that it comes with an edible chocolate straw for drinking out of. This is one of those unique sippers that has you going back for more because: one it is interesting, and two you are trying to wrap your head around it.

And what better pairing with unique cocktails, than equally unique snacks? As mentioned earlier Stock Room carries an ever-updating selection of rare and unusual international snacks, much like Their There cafe did (where Hundy was originally based out of on West 4th). A few such items were listed on the permanent menu, but the whole of it can be rattled off by the bartender who stands in front of them, on display.

We narrowed down our selection to just 2, although it was hard. Thailand has a Lays 3-in-one grab bag with popcorn flavoured chips. A mixed assortment of buttered corn, cheddar cheese, and caramel. It was fun to guess which was which. The distinct light texture of the Lays chips was there, but the flavours all their own.

And being a pickle lover I had to indulge in Germany’s super gurken pickled gummies from Hasbro. I knew they would be sweet given that this was candy, but still expected some semblance to the tang you would get from a pickle. I did not get any, and could not help but to consider that even sweet gherkins can make you pucker.

And you can’t see a Hundy burger on the menu and not try it. They are definitely one of the better burger/sandwich options in the city, in my opinion. Served handsomely in a packed tray, travelling from the Hundy kitchen to our seat at the bar.

My guest had never had a Hundy burger before, so we shared two. There are 4 available options: a regular beef burger with or without cheese; and/or a chicken burger in regular or spicy.

The Bacon cheeseburger comes with bacon, cheese, pickles, lettuce, and Hundy sauce. This is a classically done burger, made well and hearty with a juicy patty. It lands when you are craving a burger. Although, I just could have used a pickle for some balancing acid in the odd bite.

We both preferred the Hot chicken sandwich done Nashville style with ranch and zucchini pickles. We had the option of adding-on bacon, which we requested, but never got. Just as well, as we didn’t notice or miss it until a couple of bites in. This was a quality piece of white neat chicken in a crispy breaded shell. It gave you immediate heat from a tingling spice, this coupled with the crisp vegetable was a nice pairing. Although, like the above I still wanted an actual brined and tangy pickle to pucker up on.

For sides we got the only two options available: the classic thick cut, potatoe-y fries with packets of ketchup.

And a gravy laden poutine with cheese chunks. This wasn’t my favourite gravy for poutine, but I was still appreciative of how generous they were with it. It was creamy and heavy, flat and salty. I would have liked some seasoning in it to give it more depth, but it did well as side kick to either of our burgers.

In closing, Stock Room is a great spot for fun cocktails and exciting snacks, playing hide and seek in a classic burger and fries joint. Can and will recommend!

Worth noting is that during the evenings and weekend the basement transforms into a lounge space with a very district, luxe yet rustic vibe. Hard to describe, better to see the photos and decide for yourself.

The Stock Room
1144 Homer St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2X6
(604) 609-0901
freehouse.co/stock-room

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