I wrote the UFE in 2012. If you're an accountant you know what that is, and if you're not an accountant, Google it. It was brutal. Stephen was actually writing it at the same time... we were a really happy couple that summer....not. About 2 weeks before the big exam, I couldn't handle studying any more. I didn't want to be within 50 feet of anything accounting related. Obviously the first of those 2 weeks was spent worrying that I was going to fail and go through a summer of hell next year. To take our minds off the UFE, during the second week Stephen and I had the brilliant idea of participating in Montreal Burger Week. Not only participate, we challenged ourselves to go to every single burger place on the docket. There was a point system in place where you earned points every time you Facebook checked-in or tweeted that you were at one of the burger restaurants or when you voted if the burger was good, and you could convert the points to prizes. After about 9 burgers in 3 days, I caved. I just couldn't handle any more beef and bun. However, we were among the top points earners. Unfortunately, despite emailing the organizers of Montreal Burger Week like crazy, they only sent us half of the prizes we earned. Still waiting on my $100 gift card for Mbrgr guys!!
Anywho, we love burgers. I'm not going to reveal too much, but our wedding menu has burgers on it! Get excited invitees!
We had heard about Romer's from a few co-workers, and decided to try it out even though it wasn't in the Top 50. These would be the first Vancouver burgers we have indulged in.
Though they had a Dine-Out Vancouver menu, we opted for à-la-carte since we didn't feel the need for 2 appetizers, 2 burgers and 2 desserts. The menu is pretty comprehensive. Besides burgers, they offer Mac & Cheese, fish & chips, street tacos, and salads (for that friend who couldn't possibly order something with red meat on a bun... oh no carbs and calories oooo... GTFO). They also have lots of interesting starters like deep fried pickles. Obviously we ordered them. I love pickles and I love deep fried, so what could go wrong? These tempura-battered wedges of pickle genius are amazing. They don't taste the way you think they would. Right now the flavour you have in your mind is swallowing a big glug of pickle juice, but its nothing like that! Trust me, they're delicious. Crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside, the fried, un-salted batter tames the saltiness and vinegary tang of the pickles. The blue cheese dressing adds a much needed creamy element to the starter. We're going to have to talk to our caterer about adding these to our menu.
After much deliberation, we finally decided on the Man's Man Burger and the Magic Mushroom Burger. We had debated ordering the The Chorizodor and Romer's Righteous Rib Burger, but we asked our waitress which burgers she thought were best, and ordered what she recommended. Actually, to paraphrase her: "All our beef is organic and our buns are fresh, so you could order just the meat and bread and it would be great." We didn't go that route, but her other recommendations didn't disappoint! The Magic Mushroom had perfectly caramelized onions and portobello mushrooms that weren't drowning in oil and salt. It's surprisingly hard to get those two right. The herb Boursin cheese was the creamy and salty element, which was balanced out with much-welcomed bitter arugula. The beef was well treated and was thick, juicy and cooked perfectly medium. In terms of taste, there was nothing special about the bun. However, the bun to filling ratio is very important. A great burger shouldn't fall apart in your hands, with the filling falling out the back end. The bun should be big and spongy enough to handle all the condiments and toppings. Romer's buns kept my burger intact and my fingers clean, so it was a winner.
The Man's Man Burger was also pretty fantastic. It had ooey-gooey amber ale cheddar, amazing thick-cut applewood bacon, and crispy onion strings that put it in our Top 3 Burgers Ever list. It's up there with Montreal's Art:Brgr. Romer's makes all their own sauces (except Heinz Ketchup and Frank's Red Hot). This burger had both their whole-grain mustard and olive oil mayo. The bacon was the real star of this burger. I'd order a few pounds of it for Sunday brunch if I could. I'm not sure how many strips were in it, but every bite we took had this bacon in it. It was an awesome staple burger.
As a side, we ordered the share-able fries. They have 3 kinds: sea-salt, truffle oil and parmesan and garlic. We got half sea-salt so we could test out their basic fries, and half garlic because I'm not a huge fan of truffle oil. Real truffles or bust. Don't try to fool me with truffle oil. That shit ain't fancy. The fries were meh. They were fresh, but weren't crispy enough. They had the same texture as frozen McCain fries. I've seen and tasted more sea salt on fries at Wendy's, and thought he garlic scent was intoxicating, the fries just couldn't handle it.
I was ready to get the bill after that, but then our waitress told us about their Drunken Donuts: 10 freshly fried mini-donuts, with 3 alcoholic dipping sauces. Stephen's eye's lit up when she told us about them, so even though I'm not a huge donut fan, I couldn't say no. What arrived was a glorious tower of soft and fluffy fresh delights, drizzled with just enough glaze for a hint of sweetness. The dipping sauces, in ascending order of deliciousness were, Kahlua-Nutella, Maple-whiskey and Limoncello lemon curd. Adding alcohol to the sauces was brilliant given the sweetness that needed to be broken up a bit. These are definitely not to be missed. Keep a little space for them!
In terms of decor, the place is pretty standard red on black. It has a bar in the middle, one wall of banquettes, and a dozen or so tables of 2 or 4. Everything is clean and new, but it's nothing special. It looks like a regular sports bar. Service was quite good and quick. Our waitress told us about each burger without reading off the menu, recommended burgers, and easily sold us on dessert.
Overall, it was a solid introduction to Vancouver burgers and we're looking forward to tasting more!
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| View from our table of the bar |
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| Pickles & Beer! Amazing deep fried pickles! |
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| Magic Mushroom Burger... that cheese was sooooo yummy! |
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| Stephen's Man Man's Burger... Monstrosity! |
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| Beautifully cooked. |
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| Drunken Donuts with fantastic dipping sauces! |
THE STATS - Out of 10
Taste: 8.5 - Amazing fresh ingredients with great combinations in their burgers. The fries were boring though.
Creativity: 7 - If you look at the menu overall, there are some pretty creative dishes. Some of the burgers are standard, but deep friend pickles get extra points.
Service: 7 - Friendly service, and gave us a great sales pitch on each of the burgers and dessert
Bang for your buck: 6 - The burgers are priced a little high for what they are. They are an average of $12 each, without sides. I'd like to see them up the price by $1 but include fries.
Overall experience: 8 - Great burgers and dessert, mediocre fries, good service, pretty plain decor and vibe.
Would I go back? Definitely. Just look at the menu. You can't possibly try everything you'd want to in one visit. I want to try a few more burgers and their mac & cheese. We'll see if they can maintain these stats the second time around!
Who would I recommend it to? Couples and small groups. The place isn't huge, and I didn't see any tables of more than 4, so having a big gang there might be tough. It's a good place to hang out and have a few on-tap craft beers. I wouldn't really recommend this place to families, though I did see a few small children there. This isn't Boston Pizza. Leave your kid at home.
For what occasion? This isn't a place for special occasions. It's a great Friday night go-to place. You probably wont stick around for very long after your meal if you do go with friends. They do have tv's all over the walls, so it might be a good spot to catch a game.
It was better than: Stephen says it's better than Montreal's Burger Bar, but I disagree.
It wasn't as good as: In my opinion, Montreal's Burger Bar and Art:Brgr. At least Burger Bar has decent fries.
Expect: Just a great burger. There wasn't a line at 1pm on a Saturday, but I'm not sure if you'd have to wait in the evening or for a weekday lunch. The atmosphere is very casual, so don't bring a hot date here, unless she's the pizza and beer type.
Top 50 Worthy? Nah, but we knew it wouldn't be. If there is a Top 50-worthy burger out there though, we sure would love to hear about it!
Creativity: 7 - If you look at the menu overall, there are some pretty creative dishes. Some of the burgers are standard, but deep friend pickles get extra points.
Service: 7 - Friendly service, and gave us a great sales pitch on each of the burgers and dessert
Bang for your buck: 6 - The burgers are priced a little high for what they are. They are an average of $12 each, without sides. I'd like to see them up the price by $1 but include fries.
Overall experience: 8 - Great burgers and dessert, mediocre fries, good service, pretty plain decor and vibe.
Would I go back? Definitely. Just look at the menu. You can't possibly try everything you'd want to in one visit. I want to try a few more burgers and their mac & cheese. We'll see if they can maintain these stats the second time around!
Who would I recommend it to? Couples and small groups. The place isn't huge, and I didn't see any tables of more than 4, so having a big gang there might be tough. It's a good place to hang out and have a few on-tap craft beers. I wouldn't really recommend this place to families, though I did see a few small children there. This isn't Boston Pizza. Leave your kid at home.
For what occasion? This isn't a place for special occasions. It's a great Friday night go-to place. You probably wont stick around for very long after your meal if you do go with friends. They do have tv's all over the walls, so it might be a good spot to catch a game.
It was better than: Stephen says it's better than Montreal's Burger Bar, but I disagree.
It wasn't as good as: In my opinion, Montreal's Burger Bar and Art:Brgr. At least Burger Bar has decent fries.
Expect: Just a great burger. There wasn't a line at 1pm on a Saturday, but I'm not sure if you'd have to wait in the evening or for a weekday lunch. The atmosphere is very casual, so don't bring a hot date here, unless she's the pizza and beer type.
Top 50 Worthy? Nah, but we knew it wouldn't be. If there is a Top 50-worthy burger out there though, we sure would love to hear about it!
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