Googoo about Burgoo

[ROLAND'S NOTE: Thanks to SaabKen for the following news item. I still think Ken should have his own blog, but we'll continue to welcome his writing here!] ]

On a cold snowy night last week, we sought for some real rib-sticking comfort food before seeing the +3hr final saga of Lord of The Rings at The Varsity. We planned to hit Dentry's Pub, but as we walked by Burgoo (4434 West 10th Avenue, 604 221-7139) we saw what a warm and cozy space it was and decided to give it a shot. Never mind that we immediately took a table right beside the rip-roaring fireplace to thaw out, within minutes hot tea and a nice glass of red were within our fingers grasp.

This is downhome cooking to the finest degree with total sincerity and honesty. A small selection of salads and small plates adequately spans the globe in flavours and styles. But the kicker is the long list of hearty soups and stews that solidified the popularity of this place. Stews ? When was the last time you sat down and was confronted with a menu of soul-warming, mom-inspired stews ? We're talking Irish Stew with braised lamb simmered with vegetables and homemade dumplings served on mashed potatoes, or Beef Bourguignon cooked in cabernet sauvignon with caramelized pearl onions, or maybe your Malaysian grandmother's Seafood Laksah coconut curry fresh seafood, rice noodles and vegetables ? If you couldn't decide on any of the 10 or so stews, then you'll find it even harder to single out one from an equally challenging number of tantalizing soups like Decadent French Onion, Babushka's Borscht, or Butternut Squash. We ordered the excellent Spinach Salad, while I went for the "cup"-sized Beef Bourguignon stew and Margot ordered the Pacific Specific soup loaded with fresh seafood flavoured with leeks and fennel. One note of caution, each salad, soup and stew comes in either small or large portions. The small "cup" for soups/stews is huge by my standard, and the larger "bowl" looks more like a small wok .... so if you're there for the first time it might be wise to start with the small cups and work your way up to the "super"bowl the next time.

Total for a salad, two cups of soup and stew, a glass of wine and tea was $30 before tips. We *really* wanted to stay for dessert (dark chocolate banana bread pudding, apple brown betty and sticky toffee pudding were just some of the torturing choices ...) but had to run for LOTR.

Burgoo is a simple, unpretentious, warm and totally welcoming place that we'll regularly go back to .... a place that actually makes us wish for the current freezer weather to last a few more months.

Bon appetit

Contributed by SaabKen