Tag: 2-stars

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Luan’s Seafood & Grill

Location: 315 Wellington Rd. London, ON N6P 4P1

Website:  https://luansseafoodandgrill.com

Price: $18

What We Ordered:

  • Hamburger
Exterior of Luan’s Seafood & Grill in London, Ontario

Burger Review:

My Dad got married! He’s been with his wife for 20 years or so. But they’ve only just made it official. So I woke up at 6 am to drive out from the east end of Toronto all the way through the 3rd worst-rated traffic in North America (17th worst in the entire world). After about 3.5 hours of driving to traverse 208 km, I made it to London to be a witness at a brief courthouse ceremony with my Dad, newly minted Stepmom, and Brother. Afterwards, we all went to Luan’s Seafood & Grill for seafood and a burger.

I don’t eat seafood often and it was too early for a big ol’ steak. So naturally I had the burg. Unfortunately, it wasn’t great. I had high hopes considering it was a steakhouse (so they should know how to grill a chunk of meat). But this burger was overcooked and the toppings were not thoughtfully assembled. The plate was narrow and awkwardly crowded by bowls with wide tops and narrow bases for the sides. It just made everything feel clumsy each time I reached for a bite of the burger or one of the sides. You can see from the photo below the ketchup in the back is barely hanging on for its life on the edge. It was just too much going on.

How the burger came to the table

Meat: This pattie is homemade prime rib. Which makes sense coming from a steakhouse. Unfortunately it was charbroiled to hell and then left out in the sweltering Ontario summer heat for good measure. That second part is probably not true. But it was way overcooked which left it tough and dry AF. It did have a perfect hatch pattern for grill marks. So, kudos for that.

Toppings: Leaf lettuce, sliced tomato, raw red onions, mayo and a side of thin round pickles. I think it also came with mustard but I omitted on my burg. The problem (aside from waaay too much mayo) was the order. It went: top bun, pattie, onions, too much mayo, tomato, lettuce, bottom bun, and pickles on the side. It should have been: top bun, mayo, lettuce, tomato, pattie, pickles, onions, bottom bun. One reason why is because the tomato and the pickles should touch the meat to add moisture and acidity to the pattie. When you slosh all the toppings together in one pile and slather it with a lake of mayo, you just get a sloppy mess of slippery veg trying to hang on for dear life with each bite. The pickles were sliced extremely thin and underwhelming in flavour or zest. Overall, I expected better from a fine establishment.

Bun: The bun was superb. Brioche that was fluffy and fresh. Just the right size and texture. Looked like the insides were toasted on a flat grill. Keep the bun as-is.

Cross section of the hamburger

Other Food

My burg came with fries and coleslaw. The fries were really good. Thick and crispy with a beautiful brown colour. They called them “frites” which I always associate with the thinner cut light fries. But these weren’t that. They were more like classic pub fries. The coleslaw was ok. A little too much dressing on them. But the slaw wasn’t mushy. I wouldn’t say it was memorable at all.

Other’s at the table got a half lobster on top of fresh pasta and seared tuna crusted with sesame seeds. Both looked good and they reported it tasted excellent.

Atmosphere & Staff:

I’m not totally familiar with this area in London, but it didn’t seem like it was on a street folks would take a pleasant stroll down. The restaurant was in what looked like a small grey house. Free parking out front and on the side, which is a bonus. It’s not wheelchair accessible, which is a drawback. The inside was nicely decorated with dark colours and wavy textures on the walls. There was a water feature in the corner that was permanently turned off because of a “smell” they couldn’t get rid of. I didn’t smell anything (bc it was off) but it was kind of weird to have a big dry fountain in the corner just sitting there. The waitress was pleasant and attentive. The chef came out afterwards and asked how our meal was. But he looked so happy I didn’t have the heart to tell him he cooked the sh*t out of my burger and f*cked up the toppings. I didn’t want to ruin his vibe for the day.

Interior of Luan’s Seafood & Grill borrowed from their Google Business Page

Final Verdict:
2 stars

I wouldn’t bother getting the burger here. But the seafood looked good and the atmosphere and staff were great.

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WestJet Food Court

Location: 22 Aerial Pl NE,Calgary, AB T2E 3J1

Price: $9

What We Ordered:

  • Classic Burger with Cheese
Outside WestJet headquarters in Calgary, Alberta

Burger Review:

I’ve made it to Calgary, Alberta. I’m visiting a WestJet employee, so upon landing I head to WestJet headquarters to meet them for lunch. They have a food market with some reasonably priced items for their staff and visitors. After a much needed Starbucks pick-me-up from their food court, I got the burger obviously. Except the line was so long it took forever to finally place my order. Then after waiting for a long time and noticing people who came after me picking up their meals, I asked where mine was. Turns out they never told the guy on the grill to whip mine up. Good thing I asked or else I might have been there all day patiently waiting for my burg. 

Seems like a boxed burger. The meat was a bit overcooked. The bun was really good tho. Nice and toasty, perfect size. I’m not sure they would even bother making this burger better. I mean, it’s a cafeteria after all. In a cafeteria you’re usually aiming for speed and convenience over flavour and artistry.

How the burger arrived
Mmmm look at that toasty bun

Meat: I’m pretty sure the patty is just a boxed burger. It didn’t do Alberta beef any justice. It wasn’t very good overall.

Toppings: You can get what you want on this burg. I got the works with lettuce, onions, tomato, pickles, mayo, ketchup, and cheese. The onions were sharp, and the toppings were all on the bottom of the burger stack. I dislike that arrangement. But it is a cafeteria so I didn’t have high expectations.

Bun: The bun was the saving grace of this burg. It seemed to be a brioche style bun that they toasted the crap out of. It was delightfully crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle.

Cross section of the WestJet cafeteria burger

Other Food:

We had sweet potato fries on the side with a chipotle mayo. They were very good. Nice and crispy.

Atmosphere & Staff:

The guy taking orders was trying bless his heart, but out of his element managing the orders flying in and going out. The guy on the grill seemed a bit irritated by the lack of order management skills. They were doing their best. I found the flow of the market very congested but the seating area had ample tables and was bright and spacious. It’s WestJet so you know the employees are all cheery and polite. 

Inside the WestJet food court

Final Verdict:
2 stars

Do travel WestJet, but don’t get the burger.

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Zanders Fire Grill and Brew Lounge

Location: 190 King George Rd, Brantford, ON N3R 5L3

Website: http://www.zanders.ca/

Price: $14.99

What We Ordered:

  • The Trooper
Outside Zander’s Fire Grill and Brew Lounge
Outside Zander’s Fire Grill and Brew Lounge in Brantford, Ontario

Burger Review:

I was driving out of town when lunch struck me as a necessity since I had 2 hours to go before reaching my destination. I asked my GPS to suggest some restaurants near me. Zander’s was not far from the highway and had a 4.5 rating. So I thought I’d give it a go. The menu is extensive and took me a while to decide what to get. I asked the waitress what she recommended. She said “….everything is good. Our owner is Greek so anything Mediterranean is a good choice and we’re known for our burgers.” That last statement was all I had to hear to know that this place was going to turn into a burger blog post. 

They have 15 burgers on the menu. Everything from your classic cheeseburger to a pulled pork monstrosity on a triple bun. I went for The Trooper, which is cheddar cheese, onion tanglers, bacon and BBQ sauce on a potato bun with a side o’ fries. They all sounded good, but failed to deliver. The bun was too heavy and the patty was sub-par. The bacon was delicious but it wasn’t enough to rescue the burg. I felt gross and stuffed for hours afterwards, even though I barely ate half.

The Trooper Burger from Zanders
How The Trooper burger came to the table. It was bigger in person. This burg was huge!

Meat: The patty is “made in house from 100% pure chuck”. Normally chuck is a good choice, but this came out like one of those frozen banquet burgers that are kind of chunky and way too dense. It was cooked well done, but I bet this meat comes out grey at any doneness. The seasoning reminded me of meatloaf and I took it out about 1/2 way through to make a bacon sandwich with the toppings.

Toppings: The burg comes with orange cheddar cheese, chopped iceberg lettuce, sliced tomato, dusted and fried red onion strings, thick-cut bacon which had a nice maple flavour, BBQ sauce, and I added pickles because pickles. The fried onions were made of red onions which means they have that tart taste red onions have. They should use sweet onions when doing their tanglers. The bacon was good, but not enough to rescue the patty and bun.

Bun: It’s a potato bun, which I have had before at other burger joints and enjoyed elsewhere. But this potato bun was huge, stale, and heavy. It was just too much overall and ended up costing this burg points on the delicious scale, sending it crashing down to a 2-star burger when combined with the patty.

Cross section of the trooper burger
Cross section of The Trooper

Other Food:

Fries were thick cut and I’m guessing fresh made in-house. They lent themselves well to malt vinegar and salt. Very yummy but I could barely eat half of them there were so many.

Atmosphere & Staff:

The interior is decorated in guitars, motercycles, paintings of rock legends, and TV’s . Like a family-friendly version of a biker bar.  There is a worn feeling to the furniture but overall it felt clean with a mix of booths, tables, and hightops. The baseball game was on the TV while rock n’ roll quietly played in the background, barely noticeable over the din of conversation from the many other patrons. Most people were over 50 years old having the wing special that day. Including an elderly woman who chowed down on her wings like she’d been looking forward to it all week. The staff was nice and there’s free parking out front.

Interior of Zanders
Interior of Zander’s

Final Verdict:
2 stars

Take a hard pass on adding this stop to your Canadian Burger Tour. I’m sure there are great things on the menu, but the burg is not one of them.

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Jollibee

Location: 15 William Kitchen Rd, Scarborough, ON M1P 5B7

Website: http://jollibeecanada.com/

Price: $11.85

What We Ordered:

  • Amazing Aloha Yumburger
  • Crispy Fries
  • Pineapple Juice 
Outside Jollibee in Scarborough Canada
Outside Jollibee in Scarborough, Canada

Burger Review:

I’ve been wanting to try Jollibee since it came to Canada in 2018. If you don’t know Jollibee, it’s a famous Filipino fast food joint. I’ve heard of long lines that snake outside into the parking lot on busy days, especially when it first launched. Thankfully, the line up today didn’t go out the door but it was deep.

I noticed almost everyone had an ice-filled yellow drink with their meal, so I knew I had to try that. I also wanted to try the burger and the fries so I got the Amazing Aloha Yumburger combo with the yellow ice drink (which turned out to be pineapple juice). They had someone in line taking pre-orders so everyone could move along faster. Once you order and pay, you get a buzzer so you can sit down and relax while they whip up your meal.

I did not like this burger. Maybe it’s an acquired taste because people do like eating here. I noticed though that it seemed like most people were eating the chicken or spaghetti so maybe even the regulars know not to get the burger and I wasn’t in on the secret. I felt awful afterwards, my heart was pounding and I got a headache shortly after my meal. I had to take a walk in nature and drink plenty of water to deal with my Yumburger hangover. I will absolutely never go back again.

Jollibee food on tray
This is how the meal comes. Why are the fries in a plastic bag? I have no idea.
The Amazing Aloha Yumburger with a side of fries and Pineapple Juice.

Meat: The Amazing Aloha Yumburger comes with two patties with a slice of processed cheese in the middle. The patties are somewhere in between the McDonald’s regular patty and quarter pounder in thickness. It is super salty and the seasoning reminds me of bad meatloaf. I feel like there was some MSG in there too, but I can’t confirm that. It was probably the worst patty I’ve ever had.

Toppings: This burger comes with honey mustard dressing, pineapple slice, lettuce, American cheese, and bacon. The bacon was gross, and I ended up pulling it out and throwing it out. But the rest of the toppings were good. The pineapple was a nice addition and the honey mustard was sweet.

Bun: The bun was ok. It’s a standard fast-food burger bun, no sesame seeds. I can’t say much about it, it was pretty unremarkable.

Cross section of jollibee burger
Cross-section of the Amazing Aloha Yumburger from Jollibee. I didn’t have a knife so I carved this out with a fork which is why it’s all wonky.

Other Food:

The fries tasted exactly like McDonald’s fries. I think the only difference was they were slightly thicker, but just a hair. If you put them in front of me and said they were McDonald’s fries, I would believe you. I liked the fries but the Yumburger was so heavy and gross that I only managed to eat about a quarter of what they gave me. The pineapple juice was the saving grace of the whole meal. It was delicious with a generous portion of ice. Perfect for a hot day.

Atmosphere & Staff:

It’s busy here. Be prepared to eat and run to avoid the crowds. The interior reminded me of McDonald’s because they have the same red and yellow colours with trendy greys and beige walls and seating. The staff was friendly and they really work hard to get everyone through the line quickly by taking pre-orders and giving out buzzers for when your order is up. Many of the tables are shared space like you’d find in a Shake Shack or similar. So you may find yourself cozying up with a stranger for your meal.

Interior of Jollibee in Scarborough
Interior of Jollibee in Scarborough

Final Verdict:
2 stars

I felt super gross after this burger. I liked the pineapple and honey mustard but the meat was not good. Both the bacon and the patty were awful. I would not come back here unless I was forced against my will. If that happens, I would just have the pineapple juice and a side of plain rice to save my tummy and taste buds from abuse.

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The 6 Burger Bar

Location: 3 Chelwood Rd, Scarborough, ON M1K 2K5

Website: http://www.the6burgerbar.com/

Price: $12.90

What We Ordered:

  • Home Burger
  • Greek Fries

Outside The 6 Burger Bar in Scarborough

Burger Review:

This buger is very simple and it tastes good. But it is something you could easily recreate at home. It looks like this restaurant is using the same ingredients you can pick up in a grocery store, the buns on the counter said “Dempster’s” on them, and I know I’ve gotten those myself at the grocery store. The guy uses a small flat top with a press to cook the burger. You get your choice of toppings, including jalapenos and olives. But I’m just not overly impressed with this burger. Would I order here again? Yes, but only because it’s close to home and means I don’t have to cook dinner. Plus the Greek fries are addictive.

Home burger from The 6 Burger Bar

Meat: Handmade patties (but not fresh ground on site) Angus beef. The guy did shake something on the patty as it cooked, but it may have been just salt and pepper.

Toppings: Iceburg lettuce, sliced tomato, diced white onions, length wise cut pickles, ketchup, mayo, BBQ sauce. These toppings were all piled on the top part of the stack. They were very standard and reminded me of what I’d find at a classic family BBQ picnic.

Bun: Kaiser soft bun similar to the ones you’d get in the grocery store bakery department. It was slightly toasted on the grill top on both sides.

Cross section of the home burger from The 6 Burger Bar

Other Food:

The fries are the bagged variety but the guy took the time to cook them right, bringing them up from the oil and tossing them and putting them back in the oil several times before serving. The toppings on the Greek fries are piled high and delicious. It includes tatziki, feta, Greek dressing, and Greek herbs (like oregano). I do really like these fries and will be thinking about them. My hubby got the chicken sticks dinner and said the portions were huge (enough to feed him and the kids).

Greek Fries and take-out from The 6 Burger Bar

Atmosphere & Staff:

The place is tiny with only a few two seater tables along the wall. There is free parking outside (bonus!). The guy running the place (who I think is the owner) is really nice and threw in a free pop with my order. There was an older guy in the back hand making patties while watching The Price is Right. The place seems a little dirty in the same way you’d see at any greasy spoon that is not a franchise or chain. It is best as a take out only experience.

Inside The 6 Burger Bar in Scarborough

Final Verdict:
2 stars


It’s not a bad burger if you’re simply not in the mood to cook. The food portions are generous and the owner is nice. However, you could easily recreate this burger at home so I wouldn’t recommend making it part of your Canadian Burger Tour.