Le Burger Week 2021 reviews: Part 1

Cross-Canada food festival le Burger Week began on Sept. 1 and is marking its milestone 10th edition by expanding to two weeks, running until Sept. 14. Over 1,000 restaurants across the country are participating by offering special edition burger creations to those who are dining in, picking up or ordering through DoorDash, the delivery service working with the festival (as they did for Poutine and Pizza weeks this year).

Here is our first batch of Burger Week 2021.

Hangover Burger, La Belle et la Boeuf Montreal

Possibly a regular on the menu, but I won’t hold it against them, because sometimes Burger Week is about shining a light on existing monstrosities. And I mean monster in the gentlest of ways here, because lo and behold, taking a cheese burger, swapping the buns for pancakes and throwing in some diced fresh strawberries actually, kinda, sorta works? It’s called the Hangover for a reason, it’s a brunch buddy you seek in times of desperation, but the fluffy flapjacks, doused with syrup, create a warm sensation within, and burger patties for breakfast is nothing new. The two burgers come stacked as one, but feel free to separate in order to keep them handheld (they’ve wisely added multiple pancakes to the middle layer for that purpose). My one piece of advice if you’re adding fries: eat the burger over a different plate, because you don’t want dripping maple syrup and falling fruit chunks wetting your crispy fries. Not as extravagant as it sounds, and the chain resto stuck the landing on the main ingredients. Will call the next morning after. (Erik Leijon)

Aubert Burger, La Cale Pub Zéro Déchet

One of four veggie burgers offered as part of this year’s Burger Week spread in Montreal, the Aubert Burger from Plaza St-Hubert pub la Cale was a near-perfect creation for hungry vegetarians and vegans. This quasi-cheeseburger uses “fauxmage” as well as vegan mayo, though in nearly undetectable quantities, probably adding to the luscious element of the textures at play. The bun, made in-house, provided a soft and delectable framework for the burger, with the micro-greens and marinated carrot and turnip strips lent the burger that essential freshness and crunch. The centre-piece, of course, was the fantastic deep-fried eggplant patty, which was not only delicious, but easy to eat — two areas where messy veggie patties often fail. The fries — which are “famous,” apparently — were good, too. My only complaint: way too much ketchup on the burger. A little tang is great, but when a ketchup flavour seems to dominate, it’s a sign that someone in the kitchen was probably overzealous in slapping the ass of the Heinz bottle. (Lorraine Carpenter)

Le Salopard, Jack le Coq

We’ve all witnessed the rise of fried chicken slingers in Montreal since the start of the pandemic, and a lot of them are accounted for in Burger Week, but is a chicken sandwich really a burger? This Wellington wunderkind seems to think so. They’ve decided to go big with their entry, but even after wolfing one down on a park bench in their parking lot, I’m still wrapping my head around this multiple-story stacker. I came in thinking it was two pieces of chicken, but it’s actually one thick, crispy brown chicken tender along with a layer of fried cheese, topped with honey mustard, pickles, hot honey and bright red cherry peppers (an underrated addition) teetering inside an overwhelmed potato bun. I unhinged my jaw for Le Salopard, but it was all pretty tasty and I didn’t mind getting my fingers a little sloppy from splattered condiments. Important to note: the sandwich was also not as tall in-person as in the picture, but that’s a good thing. Better to stack sensibly than sky high. (Erik Leijon)

King Burger, Centrale Bergham

Following an incredible entry for la Poutine Week earlier this year, Centrale Bergam strikes again with a delicious burger for the 10th annual edition of le Burger Week! Appropriately called the King Burger, the Halal fast food restaurant created a stacked combination of crispy chicken, an onion ring, cheddar cheese and, of course, a juicy beef patty. Also take advantage of Bergham’s wide variety of delicious sauces by Belgium brand Nawhal’s. (I’m currently loving the Brazil and Samurai sauces.) Every single bite of the burger was delicious! With more locations popping up around the city — they currently have 12 in Montreal — Bergham is solidifying itself as a comfort food go-to. ($14.49 for the burger, trios start at $19.48) (Tim Salhany)

To browse Burger Week options in Montreal, please visit the festival’s website.

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For more on the Montreal restaurant scene, please visit the Food & Drink section.