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

Tram Cream Coffee 5

After constant urging from my cousin, we finally relented and visited Tram Cream Coffee 5 in Newark (California).  This is one of their newest locations and it happened to be conveniently located near our hotel.  As their name suggests, they specialize in cream coffee, specifically Vietnamese cream coffee.  We did 2 visits to the place in order to get a decent variety.

To get a baseline, I had to order the Cream Coffee from their signature series.  This particular cup was a small and believe me, that was more than enough for me.  That Vietnamese coffee was predictably strong, intense and rich.  It wasn't as bitter as other versions I've had while it did have a slight chocolaty finish.  Of course the coffee was balanced off by sweetness provided by the cream.  Naturally, it diluted the strength of the coffee with the cream itself too.

We also had something from their Creamliner series in the Sesame Cream Coffee.  In addition to the sesame cream, we found Vietnamese coffee and also whole milk.  This itself made the coffee less of the focal point.  Rather, we got the full brunt of the nutty and aromatic black sesame (when mixed that is) and also the cool creaminess of the milk.  Coffee only added a bit of aroma to the drink.

On another visit, we had the Tiramisu from their signature series.  Of all the ones we tried, this was probably the sweetest of the bunch.  Due to the sweet cream, it more than balanced off the strong Vietnamese coffee.  I'm not sure if I necessarily got Tiramisu vibes from this drink.  However, it was creamy and sweet, which is great for those who want less bitter coffee notes.

The best drink in my opinion was the Creamy Hanoi from the signature series.  This was super creamy and with the addition of egg cream, it was richer and thicker.  I thought this was the best balance of the rich coffee and cream.  With some grass jelly, this added another layer of texture and a different bitterness.  In general, the drinks at Tram are solid and there are plenty of options.  Lots of locations for you to check them out!

The Good:

- Vietnamese coffee is impactful without being overly strong

- Lots of options including more coffee-forward to more creamy drinks

- Lots of locations

The Bad:

- Can be a bit sweet

Fairmount Bagel

Continuing our frenetic quest to bring stuff home from our last day in Montreal, it brought us to Fairmount Bagel.  I've already had St. Viateur the last time I was in town, so I really wanted to see the other popular spot.  Naturally, there was a lineup to get in and of course, we proceeded to queue up.  If you are wondering about the parallel line next to it, that was for the gnocchi at Drogheria Fine (yes, we got some of that too).

But before we got the gnocchi, we were here for the bagels and instead of doing a plain as a baseline, I went for the Sesame.  Once toasted, it was pretty apparent that the bagels at Fairmount Bagel are completely different than those from St-Viateur.  The bagel from Fairmount was dense, but less dense and less chewy than St-Viateur.  They were a bit sweeter too.  I can't say which one I prefer more because they are both good in their own way.  

Their All-Dressed Bagel (or Everything) had a combination of sesame, poppy seeds, caraway seeds, onion and garlic.  Hence the name and also lives up to it too.  Beyond the texture from the seeds and aromatics, we had the slight saltiness of the bagel.  The onion and garlic provide pops of sweetness.  I did notice that the bagel was not as salty as St-Viateur though and could be eaten cold with less chew.

We got a couple of fruity bagels in the Blueberry as well as the Cinnamon & Raisin.  Since the bagels at Fairmount are sweeter compared to St-Viateur, the fruit portion of the bagel helped make it taste almost dessert-like, even without the cream cheese.  I didn't mind it as it was tasty while the less chewy texture made it less dense.  As said before, these didn't need to be toasted to eat.

Our last 2 bagels were colourful in the Raspberry Chocolate and the Rainbow Bozo.  For the raspberry, the bagel itself was only a bit sweeter than the rest while still sporting a fluffy chew.  For the huge rainbow, it was actually less dense due to its larger size.  It didn't taste remarkably different than the sesame bagel but was super filling.  Overall, we enjoyed the bagels at Fairmount.  They are different than St-Viateur, but I like them both.  One it sweeter and softer, while the other is saltier and chewier.

The Good:

- Not as dense and chewy as St-Viateur for those who like it that way

- Sweeter than St-Viateur for those who prefer it

- More unique options

The Bad:

- The reverse is true for the good if you prefer St-Viateur

Casse-Croûte MangeDansMonHood

After our morning visit to Automne Boulangerie, we walked down the block to our 2nd eating destination in Casse-Croûte MangeDansMonHood.  This place is well-known for their smash burgers that were once only available during pop-ups.  Their menu is supremely simple and focused.  Only 2 burgers, fries and poutine are available.  Hey, I've always said, do one thing and do it right!

Since we were already a bit full from some pastries at Automne, we decided to only get a few items.  As mentioned, the menu is pretty small and we didn't have much to choose from either.  Hence, we got both available burgers including the Happy Double Cheeseburger.  This was a simple concoction with ketchup, mustard, onions and pickles.  Something doesn't have to be complex to be tasty and this was the case here.  From the well-toasted bun to the smash patties with crispy edges combined with 2 slices of American cheese, this was delicious.

Now as much as we enjoyed the Happy, the Cali Double Cheeseburger was even better in my opinion.  Just by looking at the name, I'm thinking this is a nod to In-N-Out with lettuce, double cheese, onions, tomatoes and pickles with MDMH sauce.  Now this was the best thing we ate since it was messy, saucy and salty (in a good way).  Combined with the thin smashed patties and toasted buns, this had some real In-N-Out vibes. 

We ended up with the Poutine for our side dish and it was pretty good.  The house-cut fries that were underneath the gravy were still somewhat crispy and had a nice aroma.  Plenty of potato texture as well.  The gravy was thick and mildly-seasoned, yet still flavourful.  Lots of legit cheese curds that were mostly not melted (which is how it should be).  Overall, the stuff at MDMH really hit the spot.  Legit smashburgers with crispy edges on the patties.  There was enough fat for flavour and to keep things from being dry.  Would come back!

The Good:
- Do one thing and do it well
- Crispy edges on the smash patties
- Good poutine

The Bad:
- Not a lot of seating, so get there early or be lucky

Automne Boulangerie

On our last day in Montreal before an evening flight, we decided to hit up a few places where we could bring some things back to Vancouver.  One of which was Automne Boulangerie.  Opened in 2016 under the partnership between Seth Gabrielse and Julien Roy, their mission was to use local ingredients to craft their high-quality products.  They work with local mills and the results speak for themselves.  They are now up to 2 locations with the original being on Avenue Christophe-Colomb and the one we visited at 1470 Rue Bélanger.

Fortunately, it wasn't too busy for a Sunday morning (at 10:30am) as we were able to walk right up to the counter and order.  We even scored a table!  Beyond a few hot bevvies, we got a collection of baked goods including the Butter Croissant.  Gotta say, this was a good croissant.  It was flaky and shattered when I bit into it.  Nice lamination, yet the inside was a bit dense.  Definitely could taste the butter and was nicely aromatic.

One of the more striking items we tried was the Chocolate Danish.  However, it looked more like a sweet version of their Croissignon.  With a spiral design on the outside, it had plenty of texture in the form of firm crunchiness.  It was also plenty aromatic and buttery. Inside, there was some softer buttery portions encasing a semi-sweet chocolate filling.  Adding more crunch was some cocoa nibs on the outside.

Another interesting item was the Cruffin à la Cannelle.  So as the name suggests, this was a hybrid of a croissant and a muffin.  Consisting of croissant dough, this was flaky and buttery.  Due to its compact nature, it was not as light and airy as the butter croissant.  Inside, the cream cheese filling was creamy and not too heavy.  It was purposefully sweet while still maintaining a rich cheesiness.

Looking quite delicious, the Noeud Cardamome or Kardemummabullar is a Scandinavian cardamom knot pastry.  So think cinnamon bun but in a different shape and of course focusing on cardamom.  I loved the crispiness of the exterior, especially the sugary crunch on the top.  Inside, the bun was soft with some elasticity.  The cardamom did come through and it wasn't too strong so the sweetness was at the forefront with only a bit of background aromatics.

Heading to something fruity, we tried the Brioche Saisonnière featuring blueberries.  This was fairly light pastry where the brioche was soft and airy as expected.  However, on the outside, it great colour and just a touch of crunch.  Nestled in the middle we found the juicy blueberries in a semi-sweet glaze.  There was enough of it for every bite of the brioche.

Our last item was an Muffin aux Pommes which had classic apple cinnamon vibes.  It was pretty sweet, but had enough tang with the apple to balance.  The muffin itself was somewhere between fluffy and dense, which was a pleasant texture.  A bit of crunch on top added more sweetness and butteriness.  In addition to these items, we had dined on Automne Boulangerie sourdough several times when we were in Montreal.  Really good bread with a crunchy exterior where the inside was moist with a pleasant chewiness.  Overall, the stuff at Automne is solid, especially their sourdough.  Definitely can see why they are one of the best in Montreal.

The Good:

- That sourdough

- Solid baked goods

- Now they have 2 locations

The Bad:

- Croissant could be more airy inside

Saigon Drip Cafe

You'd think that heading into Downtown Seattle, in particular Pioneer Square, on the Sunday of the NFC Championship would be a great plan right (yes, they already won the Superbowl...)?  Well, we had a date with Saigon Drip Cafe blocks away from Lumen Field.  But there we were, amongst the sea of Seahawk fans decked out in their blue and green.  But we were about to see it was worth the trouble!  Go Seahawks!

We got to the main event with the Ribeye Hot Pot (or Bún Bò Huế for 2).  This featured a heated hot pot with a rich and savory broth that had brininess and definite spiciness.  We found 2 large beef ribs with tender meat that included 6 ounces of shaved ribeye.  There was a wealth of meat and also some pork's blood.  By having the noodles on the side, it ensured that they stayed al dente with a wonderful elasticity.  The usual compliments such as cabbage, banana blossoms, basil, lime and chilis were there to customize your bowl.  This was a lot of food and could feed more than 2 people if you ordered some other dishes.

Some of those other dishes included their Pho with steak, meatball and brisket.  Again, this was fully-loaded as the picture suggests.   I found the amount of meat to be generous.  There was enough all the way to the last bunch of noodles.  The meat was sliced thin and extremely tender.  Noodles were al dente despite sitting in the hot broth while we took pictures.  About that broth, it was clean and not overly salty.  Therefore, the natural meat flavors were present.  Solid bowl of Pho.

We also got their Vermicelli Bowl with Pork.  Staying with the theme of large portions, this was loaded with tender and charred pieces of marinated pork.  Lots of caramelized sweetness and definitely savoriness.  It came with a crispy spring roll that was stuffed with tender pork that was well-seasoned.  The rice was fluffy while still firm at the same time.  Perfect for accepting the nước chấm.

They have a section of the menu dedicated to Bánh Mì and we chose to try the Bánh Mì Drip featuring a boatload of beef brisket.  There was so much of it that we could barely keep it all in the baguette.  It was tender, saucy and full of umami.  The bread was light and crispy while the side of bone marrow soup could be used as a dip.  However, I didn't do that as there was plenty of moisture already.

Of course we couldn't forget about the drinks too right?  We went for the Cafe Sua Da & Salted Foam as well as the Cafe Sua Da & Durian.  I found the coffee itself to be rich and aromatic as Vietnamese coffee is typically like.  The salted foam added some creaminess and further intensified the flavors.  Absolutely loved the durian as it was definitely funky, but just enough to give the coffee some extra without being overwhelming.  Overall, some solid eats at Saigon Drip Cafe and served in large portions too.  Great place to grab a quite bite on your way to the game!

 

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

 

The Good:

- Solid eats and drinks

- Large portions

- Reasonable pricing

 

The Bad:

- Limited seating other than 2 large tables

 

Thai Lucine

It seems like I am doing a lot of Thai food wherever I go.  It is especially true when I'm south of the border as the Thai food game in Seattle and especially in Portland are on point.  One of the newest in the Emerald City is Thai Lucine, which is a quick-service concept that offers traditional Thai favorites for dine-in and take-out.  Prices are reasonable and portions are generous.  Jackie and I checked it out on a Sunny, but cold January afternoon. 

Being a quick-service restaurant, the food is prepared fast and served in to-go packaging.  The place is certainly nice enough to dine-in, but for those who need to be on the go, Thai Lucine fits that bill.  We started things off with the Laab Stix.  Crispy with a tender meat filling, these fulfilled the promise of laab flavours with tanginess and some spice.  We found some jimjew sauce on the side.

One of their best deals is their Dinner Set for $19.99 that includes Thai Clear Soup, Chicken Pad See Ew and Lime Chili Wings.  We watched our noodles being wok fried and were not surprised at caramelized and smoky flavors from the wok hei.  Those wings were large and plenty juicy.  Batter was crunchy and we did get some tang from the lime.  Soup was clean and really nice for a cold day.

We tried one of their salads in the Thai Chili-Lime Dressing Salad with shrimp.  Consisting of a mixture of spring mix and other veggies, the salad was topped with quinoa and plenty of shrimp.  This was a refreshing salad as the dressing was tangy and sweet with just a touch of spice.  Loved the shrimp as they were buttery with a crunch.  Served in a to-go cup, the Tom Yum Soup was packed with big slices of chicken.  The broth itself was classic hot and sour with plenty of aromatics from lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and galangal.  Really great for on the go, instead of a coffee.

Continuing with shrimp, we had the Pad Kee Mao with that particular protein.  This was full of wok hei as you can see clearly in the picture.  Good sear on the ingredients with caramelized flavors and smokiness.  The noodles had a pleasant chewiness while the seasoning was on point with a decent spice level.  This was tempered by the sweetness of palm sugar.

Equally delicious, the Thai Fried Rice with Beef was also full of smokiness from the fiery wok fry.  Each grain of rice was discernible and not clumpy.  There was a good chewiness to the rice and aromatic nuttiness.  Once again, the seasoning was there providing enough flavor without being salty.  There was plenty of tender slices of beef as well.

Going for one of their wraps as well, we had the Keow Waan Wrap with Beef.  Sporting a wealth of tender beef, the wrap also contained veggies, almonds, pumpkin seeds and of course, Thai green curry dressing.  Loved the spice level as well as the generous amount of tender beef.  The greens really complimented the whole thing by keeping things from being heavy. 

We also had some drinks to compliment our food in the Thai Iced Tea, Thai Pink Milk and Cold Brew Coffee.  With balanced sweetness, the Thai Iced Tea was creamy and full-bodied.  The creamy Thai Pink Milk was rather sweet, but helped cool down some of the spices.  Cold Brew was strong and great for people who like black coffee.  Overall, a solid experience at Thai Lucine.  Great quick service spot with generous portions at reasonable prices.  They carry 5 homemade sauces that were great with our food.  I particularly enjoyed the Massaman sauce, so aromatic and flavorful.  Pro tip, get their membership and enjoy a BOGO (buy one, get one of any soup, salad, wrap or entree.  Also every $15 spent, you get 1 stamp.  Collect 5 stamps for 1 free appie and 10 stamps for free wrap or salad.  Until April 30th, 2026, you can get 10% off if you use the code "sherman10" at checkout!

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

The Good:

- Good wok hei and caramelization of flavors

- Reasonable pricing

- Generous portions

The Bad:

- Since it is mainly a takeout operation, you won't have proper plates or bowls when dining in

- Parking is a bit difficult in the area

Oishinoya Broadway

Boy, this location along the Broadway corridor at Cambie has changed hands a few times!  First, it was Ramen One, where it emulated Ichiran's lonesome dining within your own cubby with minimal human interaction.  Then we found 404 Coffee Lab taking over the entire space (they were only a small window attached to Ramen One at first) offering up beverages with some food options.  Now the place is an outpost of the Oishinoya chain dishing up various version of Gyudon as well as some other rice bowls.  They didn't do much in altering the layout of the restaurant, so introverts rejoice!

So after ordering from the kiosks in front, we merely took our receipt, picked a cubby and sat down.  We placed our receipt by the service window and after a short wait, presto!  We got our rice bowl sets.  Before I get to those, the cubby itself is more than just 3 walls.  Rather, you have your personal water station (so you don't need to ask for water) as well as chopsticks, spoons and napkins.  If you needed condiments, they have it all including shoyu, garlic ra-yu, togarashi, furikake and fried garlic.  Believe me, that garlic ra-yu or chili crunch, is fantastic.  You can put that on anything and it will taste better!

Since the basic bowl wasn't interesting enough for a picture, we went for the Ontama Gyudon featuring an onsen egg.  This was placed atop a good amount of thinly sliced fatty beef.  We found green onion, onion and pickled ginger rounding out the ingredients in the bowl.  With the silkiness of the runny egg, the chewy rice took on a different texture being more moist but still having a bite.  The beef was buttery and tender while conservatively sauced.  This was intentional because we could customize the flavours with the aforementioned condiments.   We got this in a set which added 3 small side dishes including edamame, kimchi and wakame as well as a Miso Soup.

My favourite of the bunch was the Cheese Gyudon as they did not skimp on the torched cheese on top.  I could really taste the cheesiness, but it wasn't overwhelming.  There was a bit of smokiness and nuttiness.  Again, the fatty beef was tender and the stringy cheese on top added another layer of texture.  I've already gone over how the garlic ra-yu could enhance even shoe leather, but it really went well with this bowl since it was relatively neutral-tasting.  Just a bit of spice (the chili crunch itself was more nutty than spicy) and some crunch really enhanced the rice bowl.  Moreover, to give it even more boost, we sprinkled in some togarashi.  For this set, I opted for the Chicken Karaage and a Miso Soup.  The karaage featured a crispy thin batter while the chicken itself could've been juicier.

Our last version of the beef rice bowl was the Kimchi Gyudon.  This was essentially the basic gyudon with a bunch of kimchi on top.  If you were expecting some briny and spicy version of Korean kimchi here, that is not what we got.  Rather, it was plenty tangy with some sweetness and mild spiciness.  By itself, it needed a bit more for it to be tasty kimchi.  However, when combined with the fatty beef and chewy rice, it was not bad.  The tanginess and crunch brought some life into the bowl and even the slightest of spice did help provide more impact.  Instead of the chili crunch, adding some shoyu and fried garlic did the trick.

Onto a couple of non-beef rice bowls, we went for the Unagi Don.  This was a pretty standard version where we found 3 big fillets of buttery unagi.  It was lightly glazed so it wasn't too sweet.  It sat on a bed of chewy rice which accepted the sweetness of the unagi well.  Since this was also a set, we were able to try the Ebi Tempura as well.  I found the batter to be a bit thick, yet it was still uniformly crunchy.  The ebi inside was still moist and buttery.

The last thing we tried was the Bara Chirashi consisting of salmon and tuna mixed with cucumber and green onion.  Seeing that this was not a sushi joint, the sashimi was decently fresh and vibrant.  With a bit of shoyu and mixed together with the rice, this was rather pleasant and light.  Overall, the rice bowls at Oishinoya were well-portioned and did the trick.  Nothing particularly fancy here, but the pricing is fair and you can get full, even with the small size.  Great for people on the go or ones who'd rather not converse much with anyone.

*All food and beverages were complimentary except for the cost of one of the sets*

The Good:

- Decent eats

- Well-portioned, even for the small size

- Great for those who want to be left alone

The Bad:

- Obviously, not great for groups

- Currently with the Skytrain construction, it can affect you, depending how you get there