Monday, January 4, 2021

Burger Review #49: The Bullger

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date Visited: December 22, 2020
Location: Greektown, ON
BurgerTours Rating: 7.25/10

 

 

    Taste         Messiness         Price         Venue        Pluses   
GoodMessy$11-$15Fast Food Veggie

Website


Drew's Review

For this burger review and the last of 2020, we continued to eat local. We were pondering ideas on where to eat next and upon a search, we came across The Bullger. Located in Greektown on the Danforth, the Bullger offers custom, homemade burgers from freshly grounded meat made of perfection. Their menu offers many different options including steak sandwiches, veggie options and milkshakes.

The Bullger is known for their towering burgers and a simple Instagram search confirms that carnivores alike can only dream of this place. Opening just a few months ago, the Bullger has kept business alive even in struggling times and has satisfied its local community, but also the Greater Toronto Area burger scene. So, I think it was time we paid it a visit.

We ordered in by phone and went for both of the vegan options on the menu. I ordered the Beyond Meat Veggie and it came with sauteed mushrooms, sauteed onions, homemade guacamole, lettuce, tomato and pickles. Over the last few months, I have been trying the various vegan options available at burger joints, so this was the one that caught my eye. Even after seeing they had an additional 10 signature burgers on their menu, all looking really good to try, I wanted to stay light and healthy.

Beyond Meat Veggie/Photo by Andrew Hockridge
We picked up our order about 30 minutes after our order was placed and drove home. We opened up the bag and pulled out both boxes. I opened it up and inside sat a nice little compact burger topped with veggies to the sky. The beyond meat patty looked well done and I could tell this was going to be good. The first bite I had was good. You could definitely taste that this was a meatless burger by the flavour of the patty. The veggies on top complimented nicely with the rest of the burger. The buns were soft and sponge-like. Each bite was full of flavour and every flavour was tasty.

The Bullger simply went beyond my expectations and every thing about the Beyond Meat Veggie was satisfactory. The meatless patty was succulent and flavourful and it was probably one of my favourite meatless patties to date. The Bullger is just a 30-minute drive away from where I live and I can definitely see myself returning in the future to try more from their menu.

7.5/10


Mark's Review 

It’s been a while since we’ve done a burger tour on the Danforth. This time, we go back to Greektown! Driving by this neighbourhood on several occasions, I’ve noticed a lot of burger joints opening along this stretch of road over the past few months. As I was searching for a place for us to try, I stumbled upon this newest addition to the Greektown burger scene… the Bullger! 

Just recently opened near Chester Subway Station, the Bullger joins a growing list of halal burger joints in Toronto. They have a decent menu that solely focuses on everything burgers. From steak burgers, the classic burgers, veggie burgers, and chicken burgers, whatever it is you’re craving, they got it! They also have the traditional sides of fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, and milkshakes. 

Since ordering in and grabbing take out has become the norm in the “foodie” world, they offer Party Burger Trays for the real burger enthusiasts! Available in three sizes, good for parties of 4, 6, or 8 people, they range from $34 to $65. 

Still hanging on to that meatless/veggie burger train, we directly focused our attention to their veggie burgers. And lucky for us, they had two! Andrew decided to go for the beyond meat option, and as for me, the Loaded Veggie Burger was the way to go. 

The Loaded Veggie Burger is built around a crusted portobello mushroom patty stuffed with cheese, topped with lettuce, tomato, and rosemary aioli. 

The Loaded Veggie Burger/ Photo by Mark Avila
I was taken a back when I opened the bag and saw this colossal burger in front of me. 

On a side note, I love the nice branding of the Bullger logo stamped on top of the bun. I believe I’ve only seen that once before, and that was years ago at the start of Burger Tours. Special shoutout to the now defunct Toma Burger Addiction! You are greatly missed. 

Back to the burger… 

Where do I even start, I didn’t even know where to take the first bite because of its sheer size. 

All I remember was that CRUNCH! That was probably the best part. 

The cheese started oozing out like a lava flow and was a huge mess. It took me a while to find the portobello mushroom as it was completely engulfed in cheese. At this point, all I could taste was cheese, cheese, and more CHEESE!! The rosemary aioli made a brief appearance giving a subtle kick of citrus and spice. 

As good as it looked, I wish the taste was up to par. It tasted great, don’t get me wrong, but that cheese was too much, to the point where I was scraping it off to find the rest of the burger. I felt it lacked balance and equal distribution of the flavours. Maybe they should change the name to the “Loaded Crusted Cheese Burger” with portobello mushroom, lettuce, tomato, with a touch of rosemary aioli. 

The Bullger has definitely made its mark and attracted a following of loyal customers, and you might just be looking at one of them. I’ll definitely be back again to try their other burgers, especially the Beyond Meat Veggie Burger, which looked as appetizing as mine. But, for next time… EASY ON THE CHEESE! 

7/10

Friday, December 18, 2020

Burger Review #48: King's Drive-In

Photo by Andrew Hockridge
 

Date Visited: November 27, 2020
Location: East York, ON
BurgerTours Rating: 4.75/10

 

 

    Taste         Messiness         Price         Venue        Pluses   
GreatMessy$11-$15Fast Food Veggie, Alcohol, Patio


Website


Drew's Review
Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Welcome to BurgerTours and welcome to another edition of Where will we eat next? Well, lucky for you, we have an answer for you. Today, we order in from King’s Drive-In, a small joint on Pape Avenue in East York that offers burgers, hot dogs, fries, poutine and fish and chips served in all their greasy glory. 

We originally stumbled upon this location after a quick Google search of joints in the area and saw that they were open and taking orders. We grabbed our wallets, emptied our stomachs and prepared ourselves for some delicious burgers…a hem…(cough cough)fish and chips. 

Yeah, so they didn’t have the Veggie burger at the time, so the nice lady behind the counter offered us the next best (healthier) option: fish on a bun. So, this won’t be a burger review per se, this will be a fish on a bun sandwich review. 

 Upon entering the East York location in the late afternoon, some things caught my attention: first off, the exterior resembles closely to that of a White Castle, and secondly, the menu has a wide variety of options available including beer. 

So, when we heard the Veggie option wasn’t available, the nice lady suggested we order the fish on a bun, which I guess is essentially the same as ordering a veggie burger. So, we both ordered the fish on a bun. It was a slab of hand battered haddock fish served on a fresh bun, and in quotes on the menu beside this option, it reads “this is as good as it gets!!!” So, I have to like it, don’t I? 

Fish on a Bun/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

We took pictures, we shot video, we sang a song and we dug in. The bun was soft and fresh, just like the advertising said, so that was satisfying. The fish was well cooked, or fried I should say. And the flavour was just alright, nothing to spectacular about it. It came with a nice Tartar sauce that complemented the haddock ever so well. It was good. Not great, not boring. Just good. The fries on the other hand were tasty. They were thick and golden brown. If I had to return just for the fries, I would. 

Overall, a mediocre sandwich gets a mediocre review. The fish on a bun is nothing special, but I guess when the lady behind the counter THINKS that you’re vegetarian based on what you were craving, then this would be the next best option available. However, I wasn’t necessarily satisfied with the sandwich. I hope to return in the future to try a burger from them, or at least when they have the Veggie burger option available. But as for now, this will just have to suffice. 

 5/10


Mark's Review 

We take you a new neighbourhood in East York for this burger tour, a well known and reputable joint in Pape Village… King’s Drive In! 

Nestled at the corner of Pape & Mortimer, King’s Drive In is known for its ‘amazing and affordable food’. A local favourite, their savoury BBQ and burgers are what attracted us to pay a visit to this joint.

When we got inside there was a nice ambiance of a classic diner, which I appreciated since we rarely see that type of decor in restaurants nowadays. Browsing through the menu, we noticed a variety of options from burgers, off the grill sandwiches, fish n’ chips, and poutines.

Fish on a Bun/Photo by Mark Avila

Like our most recent burger tours, where we either go for a meatless or veggie patty option, we went for their Veggie Burger. However, to our surprise, the veggie patty was on back order. Fortunately, we were suggested the next closest thing which was the Fish on a Bun Sandwich. Yes, its not a burger, but we couldn’t turn down a recommendation. Even though Andrew and I aren’t vegetarians, and we easily could’ve tried one of the other burger options, we just had to give this a try.

The Fish on a Bun is a battered haddock topped with our choice of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and tartar sauce.

There’s not much to say about this, since its literally a… fish on a bun. It was bland, lacked flavour, and the only thing giving this life was the tartar sauce. At least the Haddock was golden brown and crispy, which is probably the one thing they hit on the mark.

Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I’m willing to give King’s Drive-In another chance to impress, and I hope to come back and try one of their signature burgers in the near future. But, for now with this underwhelming experience, this visit doesn’t come close to the other burger joints we’ve visited this year. 

 4.5/10