My long time friend (we’re talking 20 years of friendship here) is a fellow UBC student. We’ve always tried to find times to meet up on campus, but alas, our schedules have never jived. But this semester, it appears the stars have aligned, and we’ll have the chance to do coffee or lunch on occasion. In fact, this past Friday we did just that – we went for lunch at Burgoo.
My friend always leaves it up to me to select our dining locations. I guess she figures I’m the foodie in the know 
I picked Burgoo, as I pass by it every day on the way to and from school. I’ll be honest, the name intrigued me, and it looked like a casual, welcoming place to grab a bite to eat.
Their menu focuses on hearty soups and stews, fresh salads and sandwiches, and even fondue, with international influences – very much the west coast cuisine style. They also feature seasonal set menus and a weekend brunch. The décor is rustic and inviting, with wooden chairs and tables, and vintage cottage-esque accents. And as you can see from the above picture, it’s a pretty busy lunch spot!
We nabbed a table near the window just before the lunch crowd arrived en masse, and promptly ordered some refreshing beverages.
My friend went with the lemonade, while I had the Bistro Mandarin Orange Cooler – a mixture of mandarin orange syrup with soda water. It was light and bubbly, with a touch of sweetness.
Despite our seemingly summery beverage choices, it had been a blustery, rainy morning, and we were both craving a good bowl of soup. We each went for the soup and sandwich combo.
Both of us chose the Pacific Chowder – creamy west coast style with smoked salmon, seafood and potato, finished with green peas, fresh herbs, and lemon.
We both agreed the soup was excellent – the smoked salmon was dominant without overpowering the rest of the ingredients. Warm, creamy, and comforting. Just how chowder should be.
For my sandwich, I ordered the Banh Mi Xa Xiu – sliced barbeque pork with house mayonnaise, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, sunflower sprouts, and cilantro, served on filone. I obviously ordered mine sans cilantro.
Please excuse the face that I chose the seat with my back to the window, blocking all my natural light. Bad food blogger!
The sandwich was very fresh and very filling. My favourite part was the pickled daikon – it gave the sandwich a brightness and crunch that was much appreciated. I would have liked more of a barbeque flavour on the pork, as it seemed more like it was roasted as opposed to barbequed. But that didn’t stop me from clearing my plate.
My friend’s sandwich went unpictured, but she ordered the Vegiterranean – roasted red pepper, marinated artichokes, tomato, feta, hummus and balsamic mixed greens on toasted multigrain. She definitely enjoyed it – but like she said, you can’t go wrong with hummus and feta in a sandwich!
With our bellies full and content, our cheque was brought out in a cute steamer basket. I had to take a picture, because I thought it was neat. Another one of those west coast/international touches.
Overall, I was impressed with our Burgoo experience. We definitely didn’t go hungry, and although the price was more than I might want to pay for an every day lunch (with tip, we both spent around $20), it was still good value for our money, because you knew you were getting quality ingredients prepared well and with care. I’d like to go back at dinner time and try out some of their stews or even fondue. Mmmm, fondue.
Until next time Burgoo, I bid you adieu.
do they really put the bill in a bamboo steamer? thats awesome!!! its nice that they give ya a meal sized portion of meat on the sandwiches- always appreciated when ur hungieee. never liked when cafes or restaurants put two little thin slices. its a pretty fabulous place for atmosphere, it looks like. Burgoo is a cute little name for a place as well! thanks for posting this cute GEM <3
xoxo
Looks like Burgoo knows how to serve up a quality meal! That sandwich is beautiful and sounds delicious…and I’m not just saying that because pickled veggies are involved.
Burgoo conveniently has another location just a 5 minute walk from my place on Main St…and given both my inherent laziness and my irrational love of cheese, I am a frequent flyer at Burgoo. So frequent, that when I finally brought my son there for brunch, they bought me dessert to celebrate his birth.
Try the gooey cheese grillers…they will change your life. Seriously.
Holy sandwich! That looks absolutely amazing! Cream based soups? Meh, not too fond of them….I don’t mind paying a bit more than usual for a great meal. It’s the crap ones that hurt my wallet!
So is there burgoo on the menu? It’s so popular here, but the versions in southern Indiana versus central Kentucky are completely different. It is really interesting. Looks like a cute place and that Bahn Mi looks incredible!
We go here all the time, and we ALWAYS order the tomato soup with the grilled cheese sandwiches. Unfortunately they changed their recipe and the tomato soup is not quite the same, especially at the Kitsilano location. Overall a very good restaurant.