Pink Is the New Burger

The Pink Bicycle offers tasty original gourmet burger fare

Aaaah, burgers. Technically, it’s just a sandwich, but something about that meat-plus-bun combo leads to adoring best-of lists, billboard boasts and even burger blogs (dedicated burger barons should check out the year-old Victoria burger blog at vicburgers.blogspot.com). For their part, the Pink Bicycle invites us in with a “best burgers in town” claim—which is what one might expect from the only (how is that possible?) gourmet burger joint in town. Then again, there are some pretty tasty pub burgers around, and even restaurants of the calibre of Brasserie L’ecole have recently chimed in with their own house-ground version; but regardless of the veracity of Pink Bicycle’s “best burgers” claim, it is certainly getting people in there. Reservations are accepted for six or more, but I’d recommend phoning ahead in any case, or going at non-peak hours.

The concept of a gourmet burger place is simple—fresh, quality ingredients and cooks who know their stuff, along with the service and ambience of a casual but fine restaurant. At the Pink Bicycle this includes a drink list with exclusively local beers (Phillips, Driftwood and Vancouver Island breweries) on tap and by the bottle. The wine list is, not surprisingly, small—four reds and three whites—but it’s nice to see a line or two describing each wine, and all but one can be enjoyed by the glass ($6-8), 1/2 litre ($18-24) or bottle ($26-40). And, although I enjoyed a cold bottle of Phillips Phoenix Lager ($5) this night, the idea of an oaky Merlot with a quality burger not only sounds delicious and fun, but keeps the gourmet theme running.

The signature burger here is the simple and well-executed Pink Bike cheese burger ($12), made with AAA Certified Angus beef and smoked cheddar. The patty was fairly juicy and lightly seasoned, letting the beef flavour shine, and although the cheese was a little thin, the buns here make all the difference: super-fresh, warm, toasted sesame seed buns from Bond Bonds bakery right next door. A skewer with a green olive thrust through the top gives it that fancy retro look, and the fries, while not copious, were perfectly hot, crispy and salty. For $2 extra, replace the fries, soup or salad with their excellent, thick, Blue Buck battered red onion rings or house Caesar.

The inclusion of a mutton burger ($12) on the menu was the main attraction for this lamb burger lover, and I’m not the only one. Prince Charles, as founder of the Mutton Renaissance club, would be proud. As this enthusiastic group of foodies in the U.K. would tell you, technical definitions vary, but mutton is generally known as meat from sheep that are over two years old, and it is regaining its place at top restaurants after over half a century of neglect. Unfortunately, we were told they didn’t have it, or the lamb. To be fair, the menu indicates that this item is not always available; however, the fact that 10 minutes later another table ordered it successfully made me feel a little left out.

My next choice was the Bison burger ($14), true Island fare, utilizing grass-fed meat from the Island Bison Ranch in Black Creek, near Courtenay. Bison is both richer and leaner than beef and can result in superb burgers, but this one was a bit dense and dry for my liking. The BBQ sauce helped, but it wasn’t a very exciting version, and the lettuce and tomato were a little thin and didn’t add much juiciness. Personally, I like a really saucy, juicy burger—I don’t mind watching drips hit the plate.

The halibut burger ($15) with a dill pepper crust and dill mayo provided a flaky, good-sized fillet that successfully walked the line between the way I like it (lightly cooked with a translucent centre) and well done. That is, it was moist enough without running the risk of anyone complaining that it’s raw. We tried the green salad option with it and received a small version of the house salad that included the pecans, shaved Parmesan and fig-balsamic vinaigrette that come with the full-sized version ($8).

I will definitely return to the Pink Bicycle; although I was kind of hoping to be blown away and wasn’t, it was good food, and the entire menu sounds mouthwatering, from the Asian-inspired swine burger ($13) and the Moroccan veggie burger ($11) to the local beet and arugula salad ($10). It’s also a nice place to be, with pleasant service and a bustling atmosphere. And of course, I want my bleatin’ mutton! M

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The Pink Bicycle
1008 Blanshard
Mondays 11:30am-2:30pm
Tues.-Sat. 11:30am-7:30pm
Closed Sundays
250-384-1008
pinkbicycleburger.com