Alright, we were in North Van today shopping at Michael's. Let me rephrase that, Viv was shopping at Michael's and the family accompanied her there. As much as I don't mind scrap booking and arts & crafts, I'm not all that excited about going to Michael's. Being the typical male, I'd much rather be at Futureshop or The Hockey Shop. I think the kids were having a good time, playing with the craft supplies as if they were toys. We took advantage of being in North Van to visit Wally's Burgers in Cates Park (Whey-Ah-Wichen). Kevin (604Foodtography) and Kim (I'm Only Here for the Food!) have already visited the newly revived burger joint and feeling left out, I finally made it out there.
The drive out to Cates Park from the Second Narrows Bridge is roughly 10 minutes if you are following a slow car (#$(&#$()#*$)# which we were). Or 7 minutes if you had no one in front of you (on our way back). Arriving at Cates park, there is a noticeable sign stating that Wally's Burgers is in the park. Located right next to the waterfront, Wally's is really non-descript. It is basically the old concession stand, now with a large Wally's menu in the front. It was nostalgic to see the ol' items from the old Wally's on Kingsway near Earles. However, the prices are definitely not the same as before. I decided to go full on and order the Deluxe Chuckwagon with cheese. Viv got the Combo Burger with cheese and mushrooms. For our sides, we got the Onion Rings and Yam Fries. Both came with a roasted pepper dip. With 2 bottles of water, our bill was in excess of $26.00. Cheap eats this is not.
After a short wait, we anxiously opened up the wrapper to get at our burgers; well, after I took pictures that is. Note to self, do not take pictures with sunglasses on, everything looks too dark! I opened up my Chuckwagon to find the requisite 2 patties, lettuce, tomato and enough sauce to make White Spot jealous. Viv's Combo had the one patty, a large split hot dog wiener, mushrooms, cheese and a little less sauce than my burger. I have to say I agree with Kevin and Kim, the burgers are... nothing special. They weren't bad; in fact, they are better than most concession stand fare. However, either there is something different about these Wally's burgers or maybe they aren't that unique anymore. It doesn't help that the burgers patties are frozen too. My hypothesis (oooo... big word!) is that I've tried many really good burgers lately and it's possible that Wally's just isn't as good. I much prefer going to Burger Burger for their $5 special which includes fries and drink.
On the other hand, we thought the sides were very good. The yam fries were crispy and sweet, while the onion rings were crispy and not oily. The roasted pepper dip was a bit bland, it was more sweet and mayonaissy (is that a word?), rather than spicy. After finishing up our meal, we took the kids to the playground and it was a great, albeit brief family outing. I had to leave because I had a hockey game (yes, I played hockey with a Chuckwagon digesting in my stomach). Funny thing was, we could see where we lived across the water in North Burnaby. Too bad we had to drive all the way back to the bridge and back again. As much as I prefer other burgers in the GVRD, I think at the very least, Wally's at Cates Park is in a unique location. If you were there anyways enjoying the scenery or hanging out, grabbing a Wally's burger just adds to the experience.
The Good:
- Beautiful, if not stunning setting
- Nostalgic
- Everything is made to order
The Bad:
- Meat was a bit dry
- Not cheap
Wally's Burgers
Posted by
Sherman Chan
on Saturday, June 13, 2009
Labels:
Burgers,
Kid Friendly,
North Vancouver,
Take Out
6 comments:
Being linked to by you and KimHo has given me such a big boost....even Buzz Bishop linked me, haha!
Burger Burger for dinner for me tomorrow. woot.
You're welcome Kevin, remember you are a "gem". LOL....
OK, this is sort of wacky sign: the three of us took the same picture of the park entrace (though I have the rights to call shotgun on that one!), not to mention the same burger was ordered by the three of us!
Not sure if I will completely agree with the "adds to the experience" part. If I were driving all the way there solely for the park, I am sure I will be bringing some food along (if not a portable grill!).
C'mon Kim, I had to say "something" positive! ;)
I just tried Wally's in the Killarney market. While I didn't order the fries that I always used too when I was a kid, I tried their yam fries. Not bad. They were crispy and the price point ($4) wasn't bad.
The mushroom burger was messy but not as good as Burger Burger. I would rather have this than a White Spot burger because it's cheaper, but if given the choice, BB still beats them.
I guess it's more nostalgia than being the best burger for me.
Ditto... Nothing beats Burger Burger in terms of value.
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