Bin 4 Burger Lounge
#180-911 Yates St.
Harris Green Village
Victoria, BC
(250) 590 – 4154
… and I must say what I ate of the non-bovine persuasion was delicious. I’ve moved away from the beef here and eyed the chicken burger. When I noticed a double dose of bacon, featured as a slice of Fraser Valley ham and also infused in its aioli, I was sold.
I returned to the area of Cook Street Village to return videos to Pic A Flic and do what I planned on since reporting about this diner, and that’s to order their double double… well, a double patty burger. It was certainly much more filling and tastier. I could taste the grazed beef difference because of the volume, and has much changed?
Not really. With more meat to evaluate, it could do with some veins of bovine fat or being cooked with walnut oil (to bring out the flavour). Also, the condiments were not evenly spread out, but aside from that, I must say I commend their customer service.
I distinctly remembered that I ordered a double but when I looked at my bill afterwards, I saw that I paid for a single. When went to the counter to ask if a double is indeed coming my way, I was treated to a huge surprise. Not only did the staff corrected my order, but they did not ask me to pay the $2.25 difference. I received a complementary milkshake. There was even an apology by the manager which I found cool.
And since I got to try one their shakes, I have something new to report: I loved it. It was rich, creamy, and thick. The chocolate was not too strong. It even did not melt at all in the 15 mins it took for me to finish it off while on the way to town.
I have to say Big Wheel earned a huge point in its favour that day.
Big Wheel Burger
341 Cook St.
Cook Street Village
Victoria, BC
(250) 381-0050
J: My latest adventure with my roly poly compadre, Ed, brought me to the gentle little community of Cook Street Village. The area is known for Beacon Hill Park and for the tidy little shops that dot the Cook Street scenery. I managed to come away from this excursion with a bottle of Old Tyme pancake syrup (a product I used with frequency in the 1980’s) from Oxford Foods.
I also obtained fresh produce from Cook Street Market (established 1986) and I would’ve rented a British comedy DVD or two from Pic-A-Flic but I lacked the credentials.
E: We wound up in this area at the suggestion of Erin, who posted on our blog, suggesting we should review Big Wheel Burgers.
1209 Douglas Street
Victoria, BC
(250) 590-4142
Fatburger finally opened its doors in Victoria, and now a month past its grand opening, just how does it fare? For those hungry burger eaters who do not want to venture far from the offices, they’re better than their direct competitor that lies directly across the street. And competition will be stiff between them and Burger King.
When time is tight and I’m wanting to sate a burger fetish, these are the only two places I’d consider going to.
Against the gourmet burger joints, there is no comparison. Bin4, Jackalope and Mafia are safe from the invasion of the big corporations. They have tastier choices to support their product over the franchise operations.
Sizzling Tandoor Restaurant
637 Johnson St
Victoria, BC
(250) 388-5450
Temptation could not stop me today when I passed by the Sizzling Tandoor. The scents coming from this establishment have often been very enticing, but when the billboard advertising their butter chicken poutine ($6) hasn’t changed for weeks, today was the day I’d go in to try this tantalizing meal.
I wasn’t disappointed. The fries were satisfyingly good but not super exceptional. If I were able to say supersize me, I would’ve had a meal. The serving was appetizer sized, just enough for lunch, and the amount of chicken piled on top was light. It balanced out the other flavours, like the lightly spiced curry-like gravy. But a poutine isn’t a poutine without a heapful of curds.
La Belle Patate
1215 Esquimalt Road
Esquimalt, BC
250) 220-8427
J: Hidden away in the wilds of Esquimalt is a little taste of Old Montreal at La Belle Patate (The Beautiful Potato). This joint is famous for their poutine.
E: … or dive, for lack of a better word. Janine and I chatted about what used to be here and I heard that this place was a laundromat once. I’ll have to do some digging to verify this rumour and to learn some history about the area.
At least in what’s here now, it has an old world charm. Instead of wowing customers with a beautiful looking building, I’m wandering some dark and dangerous streets that resembles East Vancouver. I haven’t been to Montreal so I can’t make that comparison.But at least the area exemplifies simplicity: authentic style cooking. You can see the order being made right in front of you than tucked away. And they have killer poutine, and I mean that literally. That’s because customers can stack it high with the extras at a $1 per pop. And I don’t mean, “just the basics m’am.”
twohungryblokes.com 