The Wooden Spoon

Pops and I never get to eat out very much due to our busy schedules.  But in the Summer, we have the chance to rectify this.  Since he lives out in White Rock, it gives me the opportunity to visit his hood and ultimately try out some spots as well.  Now, the default would be to eat along Marine Drive with all of the other tourists and visitors.  However, Pops suggested something off the beaten path in The Wooden Spoon.  Looking more like something along Main Street in Vancouver, it brings a little bit of hipster into White Rock.

Pops decided on the Spoon Burger which looked mightily impressive.  He remarked that the pork and beef patty was moist and juicy while the soft bun held everything together despite the moisture.  With a bevy of ingredients such as maple bacon, aged cheddar, arugula, house made pickles, tomato jam, crispy onion ring and smoky garlic aioli, the burger hit all of the taste buds.  For myself, I had the Wooden Spoon Poutine complete with fried jalapenos, pulled pork and 2 fried eggs on top.  Served on a sizzling cast iron plate, not only did the fries on the bottom remain crunchy, the gravy, cheese and runny egg yolks cooked into a tasty mess.  I loved the house-cut fries as they remained somewhat crunchy even with the thick and mildly salty gravy on top.  I found the pulled pork to be tender while dressed in a sweet and slightly acidic BBQ sauce.  Strewn throughout was legit cheese curds as well as crispy and tangy jalapeno slices.

As you know, 2 dishes doesn't make for a great blog post, so I returned with Viv a few weeks later.  We shared 2 dishes including the Crab Benny with warm rock crab atop a buttermilk biscuit, Hollandaise, dill, capers, chives, avocado and 2 poached eggs.  Served on the side were potato fritters and chickpea salad.  As evidenced in the picture, the eggs were runny as requested.  Although not very prevalent, the chunks of crab were light and fluffy.  We found the Hollandaise to be creamy and mild-tasting while the capers dominated with their tart-saltiness.  The potato fritters were hard, dense and really forgettable while the chickpea salad had some nice textures especially from the celery.

For our second item, we had the Chicken Sandwich constructed with pan-seared chicken breast, brie cheese, onion jam, Okanagan apples, arugula and balsamic mayo on soft focaccia.  We opted for the Roasted Tomato Soup on the side.  This was an enjoyable sandwich with soft bread that caressed all of the ingredients.  The thin chicken breast was mostly moist and was nicely accented by the creamy brie, sweet onion jam and slightly sweet apples.  We would've liked to see more salt added to bring the chicken to life though.  As for the soup, it was really good.  Smooth with just the right consistency, the soup was appealingly tart with a background sweetness.  It was the brightness that the mild-tasting sandwich needed.  After these 2 visits, I have taken a liking to the Wooden Spoon.  Sure, there could be a few improvements here and there, but otherwise, they dish out solid eats.

The Good:
- Well-prepared eats
- Natural and friendly service
- Nice relaxing vibe

The Bad:
- On the pricier side