Love for the Locals: Bannock Burger

P became a Canadian today. In turn, it was essential for him to pay tribute to all things Canadian.

P's Canadian initiation activities...
- Canadian citizenship ceremony (taking the oath, singing the anthem, getting a fancy certificate, getting a free annual pass to Canada's national parks and museums, and the like)
- Maple goodies at Second Cup
- Lunch at The Great Canadian Bagel
- Double-Double at Tim Horton's
- Awesome maple jar pies ;P
- "Pre-dinner" with yours truly at La Poutine consisting of a large poutine (pictured below).

Fresh cut potato fries, real Canadian cheese curds, bacon, Montreal smoked meat, all topped off with traditional gravy. Awww yea~ 

- A trip to the largest mall in Canada: West Edmonton Mall!
- And...dinner at Bannock Burger.

Bannock Burger (14020-142 Street) is a relatively new establishment. I believe it's the only one of its kind as of yet - an attempt to combine traditional Aboriginal bannock and the burger.

The location is interesting...quite far on the north side, and actually inside the Victoria Soccer Club's Karl Wiedle building, in what appears to be a sports lounge/bar. They are open every day except for Monday until about 9/10pm, and until midnight on Fridays. Seems pretty fitting as most deep-fried cravings come late at night anyways ;)

The Victoria Soccer Club!

Huzzah! We are at the right place! Looking forward to my burger in bannock form!  :)

Not exactly the most visible place, hiding along the wall paralleling the entrance. Ninja food counter!

For what you get, the prices are very reasonable. Your Bannock Burger will come with freshly made bannock and a beef patty, and you can add any or all of tomato, lettuce, mayo, ketchup, mustard, "Bannock Burger"/"BB" sauce, for a total of $4.95. You can also add in cheese, mushrooms, or for an additional $0.95. Fries are traditional potato-ey fries, skins in-tact, with a bit of salt. A small is a dish of about a cup of fries for $3.95, but a "platter" is 4 of those for $9.95. The young lady advised P and I to stick to a small fries because of how filling bannock can be. I don't think we would have wanted to overdo it that much with all this deep-fried crazy in our stomachs (note that we did consume a large poutine only a few hours earlier), but the advisory was very much appreciated!

The Bannock Burger menu. I'm really curious about what "Bannock Salad" would entail...

My Bannock Burger with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and BB sauce.

P opted for lettuce, tomato, ketchup, BB sauce, and onions. He also ended up getting a much thicker slab of Bannock. Poor guy...new Canadian already suffering from heartburn. 

Bannock burgers will probably not become a part of my regular diet any time soon, but I really think it's an innovative creation. The next time I feel I need a little fix of bannock, I will definitely come back! :)

(It is awesome to have company on these little expeditions to find hidden gems in Edmonton :P Thanks to a certain Canadian for driving across the city for the sake of food!)

-M