Vera’s Burger Shack

Vera’s Buger Shack
Several locations in Vancouver
1181 Denman St – Location visited
Vancouver, BC

As far as I know, blogging does not have a code of ethics like, say, news reporters. However, that does not mean we can’t set ourselves with such code. In my case, for food blogging, I think we should try a restaurant without any bias, provide some background information with that cuisine/ restaurant and provide details as to why you like/don’t like it. However, there are some places were I simply don’t want to visit (as a result, can’t blog) for several reasons. One of these places is Vera’s Burger Shack…

First, the bias. Several bloggers have written about this place in the past and, more often the not, the comments are not necessarily positive. In a way, that influenced my initial opinion and, indeed, not a good start… Now, my personal background about this place. I first visited it about 2 or so years ago (this same location). Back then, I ordered a lamb burger. Although it was decent, I had better lamb burgers on other places. Unfortunately, the high price of that burger with sides plus the somewhat disorganized dining room (several tables hadn’t been cleaned yet) and the chaotic kitchen did not give a good impression of the place. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago: at work, looking for places to have lunch and have not blogged yet, I was standing just outside of Vera’s. After debating it, I said, it was time to try again…

I walked to the counter and was looking at the different options. This time, rather than going fancy, I went with one of the specials. Since it was a Friday, I could pick any of the specials from Monday to Thursday for $11. I ended up choosing the one they have from Wednesdays, that is, BBQ burger (with provolone, bacon, fried onions and BBQ sauce) with onion rings (rather than fries) and a drink. As for the dressing, I had “The Usual Suspects”, i.e., ketchup, mustard, relish, lettuce and tomato.

Some of the “issues” from last time are still there. Though the tables were empty (i.e., no leftover baskets from previous diners), I question when was the last time they cleaned the table as it felt slightly sticky. Anyway, after about 10+ minutes, I was called and got my order:

There is a reason why I wanted onion rings: you can have fries almost any time, why not go with something different? Also, it shows me how organized (or disorganized) the kitchen is. Unlike fries where you can serve them almost right away, in the case of onion rings, you must let it rest slightly. If you bite the rings when they are just outside of the fryer, you can “pull” the onion out and leave the batter behind. I must admit that they did let it rest so, it was not that bad.

And here is the burger…

After I took a bite…

It had a taste I was not used to but got used to it after a moment. Based on the list of ingredients, that must have been the relish – it tasted a bit… Artificial? After the second bite, I got used to it yet couldn’t shake it away either. As for the rest of the burger, the bread served its purpose well, i.e., was able to hold the patty and the rest of the toppings and the patty was not overdone (good points on that). However, I don’t think I could say I tasted the BBQ sauce. Now, it was there, just that, again, the relish sort of overpowered it and couldn’t taste the smoky-ness or sweetness of it.

So, what’s my thought of this place? Well, unfortunately, it did not really change. I like the premise of the place, just that the product delivered could be better. At this point, I don’t think I can say I want to give them another chance…

Tagged under: Burgers • Vancouver