White Rock Burger Co.

For all the places that boast smashburgers, not many actually do it right.  Sure, they are indeed smashing a ball of ground beef with a cast iron burger press on a flattop.  However, only a few places create a maillard where we have that nuttiness and aromatics.  Furthermore, a smashburger isn't a smashburger if there aren't crispy edges.  That is why Between 2 Buns has been my goto place for a proper smashburger.  Yet, there maybe a serious contender with White Rock Burger Co.  We dropped by to check them out and their take-out window at the back of the Wooden Spoon.  They operate from 4:00pm on from Wednesday to Saturdays.   

To get a baseline of sorts, we ordered the Big Rock sporting 2 smashed patties, double American cheese, pickles, caramelized onions, lettuce and co. sauce on a potato bun.  Remember when I mentioned that smash patties should have crispy edges?  This had it in spades where the fully seared meat was also nutty and aromatic.  Nicely seasoned as well where the cheese was a bit crispy as well.  Having the sturdy potato bun helped keep things together without being too dense.

Fully-loaded and sporting 2 slices of crispy pepper jack cheese, we had the Fuego with double patties, pickled jalapeños, pickles, caramelized onions, shredded lettuce and chipotle mayo on a potato bun.  This was monstrous with the crispy and nutty cheese as well as the equally crispy beef patties.  Lots of tanginess and bite from the crispy fried jalapeños.  Extra spice was provided by the earthy chipotle mayo and extra crunch from the pickles.

Another large burger was The OG on brioche and stuffed with double patties, aged cheddar, thick cut bacon, crispy onion rings, shredded lettuce, dill pickles and co. sauce.  Since they used a brioche bun here, the bread was lighter and just slightly less sturdy. However, that allowed the crunchy breaded onion rings and crispy bacon to be the main textures.  They piled onto that with crispy cheese and of course, the seared edges of the smashed patties.

Going in a different direction, but also maintaining a crunch of some sort, we had the Spicy Southern Fried Chicken.  I found the chicken itself to be fairly moist with a uniformly crunchy coating.  It was definitely spicy and a touch sweet.  Those bread & butter pickles provided crunch and another layer of sweetness to cut the spice.  However, fried jalapeños provided more tang and spiciness as well.  This was also served on brioche and that is the proper bun for this in my opinion.

Last burger was the Cajun Chicken which featured a grilled chicken breast.  It was well-charred being smoky and a bit spicy from the Cajun rub.  I wouldn't have called it juicy, but the chicken breast was far from dry.  It was nicely complimented by the crispy thick-cut bacon and that tangy tomato jam.  Completing the burger was some melted cheddar, lettuce and co. sauce.  Once again, this was on a brioche bun which was soft and light. 

Naturally, we had to get some sides too!  Fries were crispy with some potatoness left.  Really enjoyed the Mac & Cheese as they used Cavatappi which held onto the cheesy sauce well.  Poutine was solid with a mild gravy and legit cheese curds.  Loved that their Onion Rings were breaded (my preference).  They were very crunchy where the onions didn't fall out.  Lastly, my favourite was the Dirty Fries as they were completely coated being spicy with the cooling of the mayo sauce.

We tried some of their Dips including the Garlic Aioli, Co. Sauce, Spicy Honey Mustard, Cool Ranch BBQ and Chipotle Mayo.  For me, the classic aioli was the best as it was creamy and had big roasted garlic flavours.  Chipotle mayo was great too with earthy, smoky and spicy vibes.  Honey mustard was great with the onion rings with its spicy sweetness.  I found the Cool Ranch BBQ to be tangy with some herbaceous notes.

For drinks, we had one each of the Sparkling Lemonade and the Strawberry Sparkling Lemonade.  Truly refreshing to wash down the big burgers with measured sweetness and some fizziness.  Overall, we were really impressed with the smash burgers at White Rock Burger Co.  They do their patties right with crispy edges and compliment them further with crispy cheese.  Great textures and accompaniments.  Will be back in a heartbeat.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:

- Smashburgers done right

- Textures on point

- Large burgers

The Bad:

- Only takeout, so better have a place to eat it if you aren't going home

Overflo Dessert Cafe

With me needing to head down to 24/7 Parcel in Blaine, it was convenient for us to drop by Overflo Dessert Cafe in White Rock afterwards.  Located right on the Marine Drive strip, it was a great place to hang out on a beautiful sunny day.  Upon walking into the place, we were greeted by small trinkets with plenty of Sanrio characters.  There was also a photo booth with all the accessories to capture moments with your friends.  But we went straight for the menu and tried a selection of their wares.

We began with their Fresh Ade with the Lemonade, Blue Lemonade and Passion Fruitade.  These were pretty to look at and would be great for a hot Summer day.  Well, it was Winter, so we had to pretend it was hot.  At least the day we were there looked like Summer.  These were sparkling and were super refreshing and lightly sweet.  My favourite was the passion fruit as it had the classic tropical taste.  Both the lemonade and blue lemonade were quite similar with a light sweetness and light tanginess.  I found the blue one to be more floral for some reason.

From light, we moved onto something with more body in the Special Jolly-Pong Shakes.  We opted to try the Original and the Cookies & Cream.  Piled high with Jolly Pong cereal, it needed the domed lid to keep everything from spilling out.  The sweet nuttiness of the Jolly Pong was enjoyable enough by itself, but there was a shake underneath.  I found the texture of the shake to be more like a Starbucks Frap with a milky iciness.  Now it was pleasant though as it was blended quite well.  Hence it was somewhere in between a Frosty and shaved ice.  Both drinks were lightly sweet with the cookies & cream being sweeter.

Trying something from their coffee menu, we had 2 iced coffees with the Dalgona Latte as well as the Oat Lavender Latte.  So far, I'm sure that you have noticed that their drinks are visually-appealing.  Well, it wasn't any different with the iced coffees.  For the Dalgona, it was topped with a considerable amount of Korean crunchy toffee candy.  Thankfully, we didn't have to lick it like in Squid Game!  Anyways, the coffee itself was aromatic and strong enough to stand up to the sweetness of the dalgona.   As for the Oat Lavender, it had a cute little ice bear on top.  It had a background floralness of the lavender.

We had their Soft Serve Ice Cream as well, still thinking it was Summer.  There were several flavours available including plain, but we went for the more interesting ones in the Earl Gray and the Thai Tea.  I found that base vanilla soft serve to be somewhere between creamy and icy.  So once again, it was more like a Frosty in texture but thicker.  It was lightly sweet with a definite milkiness.  For me, the Thai Tea was my favourite of the two with a strong tea flavour combined with the usual intense sweetness of condensed milk.  As for the Earl Grey, it was mild-tasting with its usual floral notes.

In their display case, there is a selection of cakes and macarons.  We went for the Basque Cheesecake and it was great.  To get things out of the way first, the actual cheesecake was more like a NY-style, which is not exactly typical, but I felt it was exactly what I wanted.  This had the usual burnt and sunken appearance on the outside while having the rich cream cheese texture of the classic NY version.  It was purposefully sweet and was super creamy and firm.  As for the Macarons, they were not bad with a crispy shell and chewy interior.

We moved onto their small selection of savoury items with the Rose Noodle Tteokbokki consisting of udon, fish cake ribbons and rice cakes.  I thought this was quite good with a thick rose sauce that was creamy with only a touch of spice.  The udon was still al dente while the fish cake ribbons had a nice bounce to them.  Rice cakes were chewy but not tough.  The other available noodle was the Instant Nong Shin selection right next to the cool noodle soup heating station.  For some reason or another, eating instant noodles in an establishment is so much more satisfying than in your own home (for much more money).  Go figure.  In general, Overflo is a great place to grab a beverage on a nice day along the Drive in White Rock.  There are some trinkets for sale and a photo booth for those "friends" moments.  However, as much as I loved the Nong Shin ramen, not sure if I'd pay for it beyond my own home.  I'd stick with the Tteokbokki instead.  But if you want a drink, check Overflo out if you are in the area.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post* 

The Good:
- Large selection of various drinks
- Cool spot to hang out with friends
- Photo booth for those who want to capture the moment

The Bad:
- Loved the instant ramen and the cooking machine, but it is expensive

Bánh Mì Très Bon White Rock (Mother's Day Brunch)

We all know Mother's Day is special and restaurants take notice by offering brunch, buffet brunch and other options.  Some of us might take mom out to Dim Sum, sushi, pasta, Indian or high-tea.  So many choices, you can't go wrong.  Well, there is something a bit different where Bánh Mì Très Bon in White Rock is offering a Mother's Day brunch that is what can be referred to as Vietnamese High Tea.  Yep, at a very reasonable price of $65.00pp, one can dine on a nice selection of savoury and sweet treats.

The first item was the savoury with a 2-tiered tower with a selection of Banh Mi on top and a combination of mini Salad Rolls and Spring Rolls on the bottom.  I particularly enjoyed the meatball banh mi since it was stuffed full of tender spiced-pork.  Combined that with the crunchy baguette, it was a nice textural contrast.  The mini salad rolls were great with the peanut-hoisin sauce.  I wished that the mini spring rolls were just a bit larger as they were super crunchy with not enough filling.  Yep, as the picture suggests, there was also a mini-bowl of Pho included per person.  Choices include beef, chicken or vegetarian.  The second tower was more traditional sporting a collection of pastries and sweets including Lemon Tart, Chocolate Mousse, Creme Brulee, Key Lime Cream, Macarons, Peach Danish, Blueberry Danish and mini-Croissants.  This was a solid spread of little desserts where the lemon tart was my favourite.  It was tangy with a firm shell.  The key lime cream was also tangy and refreshing.  Macarons were on point with a crispy shell giving way to a soft and slightly chewy interior.  They were on the sweeter side. The last tower was a bevy of Fresh Fruit that consisted of honeydew, pineapple, strawberries, green grapes and Mandarin oranges.  Sure, this was just fruit, but all of it was fresh and ripe.  In particular, the honeydew was so sweet and soft.  Pineapple was also sweet with its classic acidity.  Strawberries were flavourful and all very fresh.  Grapes were firm and juicy.

They also have a Mother's Day Dinner Platter for $89.00.  It serves 4 people and consists of cubes of rib-eye steak, rice & watercress salad (not pictured), grilled pork & beef skewers, mini savoury crepes & woven vermicelli noodles.  We tried the main platter and the meats were well-charred and nicely marinated.  Great for wrapping in the delicate vermicelli noodle sheets with the herbs and fish sauce.

Also available are the Xoi Chien or sticky rice cakes topped with a tangy sweet & sour sauce of $16.00.  Absolutely loved these as the sticky rice was both firm, but also soft and chewy inside.  There was a meat filling and also meat in the sauce.  This made it hearty and robust. The sauce was full of impact where the sweet and sour was balanced.  But really, it was all about the textures in this dish.

Lastly, there are Mimosas available to compliment either the Vietnamese high tea or the dinner platter.  Options included orange, pomegranate or passionfruit for $15.00.  So there are the Mother's Day options at Bánh Mì Très Bon.  I feel that the high tea is a fabulous deal, not only because you get so much food for the money, but is also delicious.  Definitely something a bit different than the usual brunch or dim sum choices we have in town.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Something a bit different for Mother's Day
- Good value
- Tastes good

The Bad:
- Not so sure of those mini spring rolls

The Wooden Spoon

Wow, we are on a roll with restaurants I have not revisited in a long time.  This is especially true with spots in South Surrey/White Rock (there will be some more upcoming ones from this area!).  I originally dined at the Wooden Spoon over 10 years ago and then a few more times since then.  I always thought their brunch was very good and could challenge for the best in the GVRD.  We were invited back to try some classics as well as many new favourites. No, they didn't have to ask twice!

Going in order from the menu, we went for a Benny in the Bay Benny with crispy Cajun prawns, tomato jam, guacamole and smoked paprika.  This was very delicious where 

the Champagne 

Hollandaise was velvety and surprisingly bright-tasting.  Mind you, with the spiced prawns, these were the main flavouring agent in this dish.  Loved the chive cheddar biscuit as the base since it was buttery and soft with a crispy shell.  Egg was soft-poached and added moisture to soften the crispy parts.  Side of herb & garlic baby potatoes were soft and creamy on the inside with an aromatic taste.

Next up was the Pulled Pork Hash with house-made BBQ sauce, roasted bell peppers & onion, pulled pork, crisp baby potatoes, crispy shallots, chive gremolata and sunny side eggs.  This was a fulfilling and almost zesty-tasting concoction.  I say almost because it really wasn't spicy per se, but it was flavourful in an intensely sweet and tangy way.  The perfectly sunny side eggs added the silkiness of the yolks while the gremolata provided an herbed brightness.

Possibly their most classic brunch offering is the Sweet & Salty featuring French loaf, aged cheddar, double-smoked bacon, poached

eggs, Champagne Hollandaise, Maple syrup and chive gremolata.  As its name suggests, the whole premise behind this dish is that it meshes savoury with sweet.  It was completely achieved with the syrup mixing with the smoky saltiness of the bacon.  Moreover, the Hollandaise made the entire dish creamy, yet not heavy.  Nice textures were at play too with the crispiness of the bacon, crunch from the crust and also the stringiness of the cheese.

Onto the breakie sammie section of the menu, we decided to try the Sausage & Biscuit sporting pork sausage patty, scrambled egg, aged cheddar, garlic mayo and cheddar chive biscuit.  Looking at the picture, this had Pine State written all over it, except I liked the biscuit at Wooden Spoon more.  This was crispy on the outside, while full-flavoured and soft on the inside.  Add in the meaty home-style pork sausage with the melted cheese and creamy eggs, there was no shortage of classic breakfast flavours and textures.  You would be full on this sammie.

Looking quite inconspicuous, the Steak & Egg brioche bun hid shaved ribeye, house-made BBQ sauce, sunny egg, aged cheddar and horseradish mayo.  Unlike most breakfast sandwiches on brioche, this one had more richness due to the fatty ribeye.  The popped egg yolk provided the necessary moisture to soften the thinly sliced meat.  Horseradish mayo did its job providing a tangy creamy heat.  Side of fresh-cut fries were good too being crispy.

Off to something sweet, we tried Nana's House French Toast with banana mascarpone, caramel, whipped cream, chocolate chips and sliced banana.  We made it a Dad's Plate and added 2 slices of double-smoked bacon and a chicken apple sausage.  Yah, this was pretty awesome as the bread was properly soaked where it was custardy in the middle while the outside was aromatic and slightly crispy.  The banana aroma permeated through the entire dish while the sweetness was just right.

Going in a completely different direction in relation to the other dishes we had, the Smoothie Bowl brought back memories of Carioca Bowls in Portland.  It was a combination of fresh berries, coconut milk, almonds, pumpkin seeds and granola with a side of vegan banana bread.  It was almost like a palate cleanser with a cold and refreshing fruitiness.  Nice texture from the nuts, seeds and granola.  Oh and that banana bread... So freakin' awesome!  Super moist with a balance sweetness and a smoky caramelized bark.

From there, we ordered off the lunch menu with the BBQ Smoked Meat Poutine firmly in our sights.  This was made up of BBQ Montreal smoked meat ends, cheese curds, homestyle gravy, fries, crispy shallots and chive gremolata.  Oh yes, this was even better than it sounded!  With a base of the same crispy fries, it was a nice canvas for the rich (not salty) gravy and melted cheese curds.  Naturally, the tender smoked meat was the star.

Of course we were going to ordered the OG Spoon Burger as well!  This thing was pretty large with 2 smashed beef patties, aged cheddar, Co Sauce, double smoked bacon, crispy onion ring, pickle and arugula on brioche.  Yah, this was no sissy burger because they loaded up with the thick bacon and there was no shortage of moist beef.  The soft brioche formed to hug all the ingredients so we had a little of everything in each bite.

Completing our selections from the lunch section, we had the Mac & Cheese topped with breadcrumbs and parmesan.  We added bacon for good measure.  This featured al dente noodles that held onto the cheese sauce quite well.  There was enough of it to keep things saucy and cheesy.  I would've liked a bit more sharpness, but it was still well-seasoned and the bacon didn't hurt either.

So we ended things on a sweet note with the Cinnamon Bun and also the Sticky Toffee Pudding.  With a cream cheese frosting, the cinnamon bun was full of sweetness and of course, cinnamon.  It was soft and best shared (which we did) after such a filling brunch.  As for the sticky toffee pudding, it was moist and full of rich smoky sweetness.  It wasn't crazy sweet though compared to other versions I've had.

Our final item was something we were looking forward to since walking in the door.  They had 2 featured Malasadas that were as good as the ones I've had at Leonard's in Oahu.  They were light but still had an appealing chewiness.  They have rotating flavours, so be sure to call ahead to check.  Oh and don't go too late in the day as they sell out fast!  Gotta say this visit to the Wooden Spoon exceeded my expectations.  As mentioned, I've been here several times in the past and this time was even better.  Worth the drive out to White Rock!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this post*

The Good:

- Delicious food across the board

- Good portion sizes

- Those malasadas!

The Bad:

- Well, far for most people, but worth it!

- It gets rather busy, but yah, it is good duh...

Wing’n it Express

*Restaurant is closed*

As long as I can remember, I love munching on chicken wings.  Whether it be on game nights at a pub or just a late night gathering during my University days, wings were a go to option.  Fond memories of cheap wings at the King's Head or John B, and even AYCE wings at Malone's!  Since then, we have found restaurants specifically offering up wings as their main menu item in a dizzying array of flavours.  One of the newest is Wing'n It with 30 locations across Canada.  We recently visited Wing'n It Express out in White Rock along 152nd to try out their wares.

We ended up trying out several flavours of their wings including the Roger Victor Whiskey.  At first, I was a bit concerned with the amount of sauce on each wing, but my worries were for naught as the flavour was on point.  Lots of sweet BBQ tang and some taco seasoning while having a mild spicy finish.  The wings were large and meaty with moist meat inside.  Being fairly rendered, the skin was not flabby.   From that we moved onto the Kamikazee which were touted as the hottest flavour they offered.  I guess this depends on your tolerance for spice.  I thought they had a kick, but were hardly 5-alam.  However, for Roanna and Eileen, they went straight for the water.  For me, I enjoyed that they were not scorching hot because I like to taste my food and not have my tongue burnt off.

Next set of wings featured the International and the Double Ugly.  For the former, we found that the Mach 1 base seasoning was mild (as it should be) and slightly sweet.  The addition of parmesan provided both saltiness and nuttiness while the Italian seasoning definitely gave it some aromatics.  As for the latter, it was aggressively sauced with ranch, dill and honey garlic.  As expected, this ate rather sweet but also had nice dill flavour.

The last set included Angels and Jet Stream.  Beyond the spicy kamikazee, I liked the Angles the best with its combination of ranch dressing and a coating of mango chipotle.  It was creamy that helped bring down the slight sweet heat of the dry mix.  As for the Jet Stream, it was a combo of BBQ and ranch.  So essentially, you didn't need to dip these wings as they were already dressed.

For those who don't want to only dine on wings, they also have a selection of handhelds including the 3 Sisters Burger.  This had the potential of being a great burger - soft bun, lots of meat and cheese.  However, the patties were of the cutlet variety, hence there was a lack of meat texture.  On the other hand, the Original Philly Cheesesteak was fantastic as it has the beautiful beef texture that was tender and well-seasoned.  This was actually very good.

We also went with some sides such as the Dusted Fries with garlic parmesan (14 flavours to choose from!) and the Onion Rings (these can be dusted too if you want).  Fries were pretty good being crispy and plenty potatoey.  Loved the dusting as I didn't need to dip them into anything!  The thick battered onion rings were crunchy and featured plenty of tender onion.

Probably the most surprising item of the meal was the Funnel Fries with ice cream chocolate drizzle.  So rather than a messy and greasy funnel cake, we had crispy funnel fries that were sweet and delicious.  They were seriously addictive with a soft, almost eggy interior to compliment the crunchy exterior.  Dipping them into the ice cream gave it some Wendy's Frosty and Fries vibes and that is a good thing.

They also have a selection of Milkshakes and we got the strawberry.  It was creamy and just thick enough, so that we could drink it through a straw easily.  We did find it sweet, but it wasn't crazy sweet, so that was good.  Our last item was the Ice Cream Sandwich that partial proceeds go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  It was pretty solid with 2 chewy and soft chocolate chip cookies with hard ice cream in the middle.  As the restaurant name suggests, the real draw here is the wings.  I thought the flavours we tried were impactful while the wings were large and juicy.  Sides were pretty good too.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this post*

The Good:
- Meaty and moist wings
- Lots of impactful flavours
- Funnel fries!

The Bad:
- Maybe a bit too much sauce for some people
- Burger cutlet patty should be swapped out for a meatier version