Bin 4 (Burnaby)

Ever since my first visit to Bin 4 in Victoria, I've become quite fond of their burgers.  Are they best I've had?  Well no, but they are still good and since they include sides and also a choice of dip, I believe they are a decent value.  Even more so after 9:00pm as they have their 50% off special as long as you order a drink of some sort.  Therefore, we've made it a regular spot on Monday nights after softball during Spring/Summer.  However, I've never gone with my family as the closest one is on Granville Street.  Now they have a new location in the former ABC/Ricky's in the Accent Inn on Boundary.  Well, I guess we just had to go right?

So other than some appies (that seem to reuse many of the ingredients in their burgers, which is smart), their menu is focused on burgers.  My son went for the Big Spenny with Brant Lake Wagyu, aged orange cheddar, smoked bacon, Bin 4 burger sauce and lettuce (he omitted the tomatoes and pickles).  He found the patty to be a bit well-done but still moist and very beefy tasting.  That thick-cut and lean bacon was impactful texturally as well as being smoky and salty.  For his dip, he went for the roasted garlic aioli which was aromatic and garlicky.

For myself, I had the Black & Blue featuring 63 Acres premium beef (I went for a 1/2lb patty), Bin 4 blackening spice, Emrite blue cheese, crispy onions, chipotle aioli, lettuce and tomato.  I found the patty a touch dry since it was cooked a bit too much.  The exterior was a bit crispy and there was good meat flavour though.  Since there was so much blue cheese, the whole burger was quite sharp.  For my dip, I went for the curry aioli, which is my personal favourite.

My dad went for something a bit more healthy in Off The Hook with seared rare sesame-crusted ahi tuna, crispy wonton strips, sriracha cilantro sauce, fresh cilantro, tapenade, chipotle aioli, lettuce, tomato and red onion.  As you can see, the tuna was prepared perfectly.  It was soft and delicate while the crispy wonton strips added crunch.  Not sure if the burger needed all those condiments though as the tapenade was a bit too salty.  He chose a side salad rather than fries.

Viv ordered the Italian Job with Fraser Valley free-run chicken breast, smoked bacon, bruschetta, fresh basil, balsamic reduction, roasted garlic aioli and lettuce.  This was quite good with all of the flavours making an impact.  The chicken itself was a bit thin, but not dry though.  The bacon was quite pronounced.  Would've liked even more balsamic.  She had the red onion rings and they were good.  Loved the crispy breading.  For her dip, she chose the chipotle aioli that did have a kick.

My daughter ended up with The Bistro with the same chicken breast, smoked bacon, double cream brie, balsamic onion jam, roasted garlic aioli, lettuce and tomato.  This was all about the bacon and onion jam where it was both salty and quite sweet.  Nice soft brioche keeping things light and airy.  I haven't mentioned the kennebec fries yet and well, they were okay.  Not as crispy as I've had before.  Chalk it up to a new location with new everything?  She went for the truffle aioli for her dip.  My mom ended up with the same thing, so nothing more to talk about here.  All-in-all, the meal was good and considering how expensive everything is these days, it was reasonably-priced.

The Good:
- Specializes in one thing and generally gets it right
- Side and dip included, so decent value
- Easy to get to and easy to park

The Bad:
- Fries were not as crispy as I would've liked