Earls. Port Coquitlam BC Canada

Earls has, for the time being, redeemed themselves. The last burger I had at Earls in Chilliwack was a terrible disappointment. This is a major turn around.

The Bronx Burger (I didn’t know the Bronx was famous for their burgers?) is a half pound patty, 3 beer battered onion rings stacked high, roasted garlic aioli, red pepper relish, aged white cheddar, rocket and the bun made fresh from scratch everyday.


This is a solid 8.5/10 burger. How could it not be? Bake your own bread everyday, most outstanding. And the bun was just the right size for the 8 ounce patty which was perfectly chard on the outside, semi perfect on the inside and had great flavour. The standout for me was the addition of the rocket. It added a nice bitter component to the combined symphony of flavours from all of the other ingredients.


Surprisingly, you would think that the beer battered onion rings would add some crunchy texture to the party but they turned mushy and greasy. This part of the burger needs a rethink.


Earls is batting 500, lets see what the next one has to offer. Stay tuned.

FatBurger Burnaby BC Canada

Fatburgers has been popping up all over the lower mainland. I’ve been avoiding going. I’m pretty sure I know what to expect.

I was correct and I was pleasantly surprised. FatBurger describes itself as “the last great hamburger stand”. Yes this is very burger shack burger like, although it also sort of startles the line between shacky fast food and a gourmet burger. The “stand” has been modernised and licensed the burger is kicked up to a fresh AAA Alberta beef, yet that fast foodish taste lingers. It reminds me of a Red Robin or Five Guys burger. I had the King Cheesburger with bacon, fast foodish yes, fresh yes and still a respectable 8/10. I can not deny that Fatburger makes a pretty darn tasty burger.

The Gillnetter Pub. Coquitlam BC Canada

My buddy’s b-day. He's in denial. Yes we are all getting old. It’s nothing that a couple....or more tequila shooters won't temporarily cure.


So here we are at the Gillnetter Pub. Home of the Pitt burger a 6oz charbroiled prime rib patty, topped with Cheddar,cheese & bacon, served with mayo and our special sauce.


They almost named this burger correctly...except drop the p and add sh and you've got yourself a pretty good description of the burger. Perhaps the worst burger I've had this year. I'm not even going to rate this thing. On the surface it looks ok, a standard pub burger, the patty is frozen but everything else looks good. And then you pick it up and try and eat it. The ciabatta bun was so old and so hard I couldn't even bite through the burger. This is brutal. They might just as well have used a couple of thick pieces of corrugated cardboard.


Pass me the tequila shot.

Minnoz Restaurant, Nanaimo BC Canada

This was a nice surprise. I almost didn’t order the burger. I’ve had a number of mediocre to bad meals at Minnoz in the past, but it was pissing rain outside it looked miserable and I just didn’t feel like going anywhere. Once again stuck in the hotel restaurant.

The menu says fresh homemade patty but the server told me it was frozen. That’s why I almost didn’t order the burger. I ordered reluctantly and excepted the average generic crap to arrive. I was wrong. This burger, frozen patty and all was very very good. Out of good conscience I can not possibly rate any burger over a 7.5/10 if the patty is frozen no matter how good it its. And this one was good, so much potential. This could easily have been a 9, instead a 7.5 dressed as a nine. (My apologies to Trooper).

Fantastic soft pretzel bun (the menu said Kaiser), the onions and the bacon melded beautifully, great flavours great juices, and then, unfortunately, the rubber, tasteless, salty burger product for a patty. Uhg, so close.

It’s a sad fact but this frozen pseudo burger is the best burger I’ve had in Nanaimo. Really? Can someone please point me in the right direction? Nanaimo deserves better.