Displace Hashery

3293 W. 4th Vancouver  www.displacehashery.com

FOOD
Displace Hashery bills itself as one of Kitsilano's "best patios," featuring "beach food and bar." Its website invokes water/surfing imagery, which is odd cuz the place is nowhere near the water. Advertising issues aside, Displace deserves kudos for offering up burgers that are not run-of-the-mill. There's a bayou whiskey burger (with whiskey bbq sauce, onions, smoked cheddar and bacon), an Aussie burger (with pineapple, beetroot, fried egg and bacon), and El Supremo burger (with bacon, onion rings and guacamole). We decided to try them all and the reaction was mixed. There was praise for the flavourful organic beef and complaints that the beef was too dry. The buns registered some sour notes too for being old or for disintegrating. The sea-salted fries were just alright.

AMBIENCE
The plastick-y patio furniture on the sidewalk didn't quite square with the upscale-y feel of the square plates.

SERVICE
We were never asked if we wanted our water re-filled.

VALUE
Not rushing back.

Summing it up, eating at Displace Hashery is like driving a Ford Fiesta ST down Point Grey Road (before the bike lanes), while listening to Katy Perry song is playing on the radio with Liam Neeson in the passenger seat. (Visited on July 16, 2014). 

Moderne Burger

FOOD

2507 W. Broadway, Vancouver                          moderneburger.com

Moderne Burger consistently ranks high on various blog sites, but reaction in the group was decidedly mixed. Votes ranged from 6/10 to 8/10. They definitely don't skimp on the patties — they're fresh, with good thickness. The problem is they lacked flavour. There was a hint of a sweet sauce but it was slight. "Not sure if it's something about my taste buds," one member of the group said, but the burger had a "watered down" or "watery" taste to it. The member of the group who praised the burger had extra toppings — fried onions and mushrooms — so that may have helped. There was a complaint about "bun integrity" and another complaint about the bun being "chewy."

AMBIENCE
We like the retro vibe, checkered floors. But why are the booths so small?

SERVICE
Staff are very friendly and chatty — almost to the point of being exceedingly so.

VALUE
At $10.95 for a basic platter, Moderne offers decent value.

Summing it up, eating at Moderne Burger is like driving a Chevy Corvair down Iona Road in Richmond with Arsenio Hall in the passenger seat while listening to Hulk Hogan's theme song "Real American" on the radio. (Visited on April 15, 2014).

Sophie's Cosmic Cafe

2095 W. 4th Ave. Vancouver     sophiescosmiccafe.com

Food This Kitsilano landmark is known for its breakfasts/brunches, but how do its burgers fare? Patties were nicely seasoned and healthy-sized, but we can't say we were 'wowed' by them. A couple of us thought our sesame buns were on the stale/dry side. We all thought the fries were top notch, though the in-house ketchup was a bit on the tart side. The offering of beans as a side is rare, and they were good!

Ambience It was a nice night so we opted for outdoor seating, which was very pleasant. First-time 'goers will enjoy the kitschy, colourful interior.

Service Attentive and cheerful.

Value At $12.59 for the "deluxe" burger, you're getting a decent amount of food for your money, though the consensus from the group seemed to be that we're not in any rush to come back (at least for the burger).

Summing it up, eating at Sophie's Cosmic Cafe is like driving a Chrysler 300 down Cornwall Avenue with Jay Leno in the driver's seat, while listening to Foo Fighters 'Best of you.' (visited on August 27, 2013)