Romer's Burger Bar - Vancouver, BC

The Teddy's are undergoing some house renos and needed some help moving some things around.  Naturally, I sat there and played with my new phone (Samsung Galaxy S3 - no iPhone for me!) while Mr. Piglet and the Teddy's huffed stuff around.  Why didn't I help?  I wore skinny jeans and they were not made for mobility.  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.  At the end of the night, the Teddy's offered to take us out for dinner and we took a short ride down to the up-and-coming River District.  Hello Romer's Burger Bar!

Looks kinda swank on the inside and out eh?  They offer us a table outside immediately or a 15 minute wait for something inside - it's kind of cold outside so we opt to wait.  I'm glad we did because there are some issues on the patio.  We'll get to that later.  Anyhoo, don't they serve burgers here?

Fentimans Soda Ginger Beer - $4

I'm a ginger fiend and this stuff ROCKS my socks.  Gotta start learning how to make my own ginger fizzy drinks....

Sea Salt and Toasted Pepper Wings - $9

Even though this is a burger joint, these wings really surprised me.  Smoking hot, uber crispy, super moist and really great salt and pepper flavour.  We might just drop by again just for the wings...

Onion Rings - $7

Kitty mentioned these would be good so of course we had to order them.  I don't know if it's because she talked them up or whatever but we thought they were just ok.  The rings themselves were super crispy, the batter stuck nicely to the onion and it was nice to get that nice salty flavour from the sprinkled Parmesan but overall, they were ok.  The dipping sauce kind of tasted like tzatziki sauce which is a weird combination with the onion rings.  We probably wouldn't order these again.

Fresh-Cut Fries Poutine - $8

This is an embarrassing rendition of poutine.  Soggy fries, bland gravy and rubbery curds.  To add insult to injury, this thing was $8!!!  I can see the Poutine Gods being super pissed that this was being served.  I'm sorry Romer's but you gotta do something about this sad poutine.  

Magic Mushroom - $11

All of their burgers are made with all-natural Heritage Farms range-fed Angus beef and you can taste it in the meat.  It's juicy, it's got a nice bite to it and this burger is covered in mushrooms that I LOVE.  The bun is a lightly griddled brioche which is soft and a bit buttery and sweet.  A good burger.  Is it a $11 burger with no sides?  Um, no.  No burger should be $11 with no sides.  That's just ridiculous.  With my onion rings, this meal was $18 before taxes and tip.  That's brutal.

Man's Man Burger - $10

This is a pretty righteous burger: thick cut applewood bacon, amber ale cheddar, onion strings, tomato and mustard.  You had me at thick cut bacon.  I'm jealous because Mr. Piglet ordered this and it smells and, more important, tastes awesome.  I love the crunch that the onions give and a that bit of bite from the mustard.  Hm, $10 for this burger...  worth it more so than the other burger but still very expensive.  However, when you add in the sad poutine, this meal was also $18.  Holy cow.  I've never paid so much for two burgers, sides and drinks.  

R Famous Drunken Doughnuts - $5

These are so delicious!  Light, fluffy, soft and sweet...  I want to jump into one of these doughnuts and live in it.  It comes with three different dips: Kahlua Nutella, Lemon Limoncello and Maple Whiskey.  The Kahlua Nutella tastes just like chocolate but the other two stand out - the Limoncello dip is just so tart and lemony that it balances out the doughnut really well whereas the maple whiskey is just so packed with maple flavour that you forget there's a tasty doughnut involved.  If you get the chance (or have the room), definitely give these doughnuts a shot.

All in all, for a meal for four without alcohol cost over $100 - that's brutal considering it was just burgers, sides, a couple of soft drinks and doughnuts.  The burgers were good but I also think a bit overrated considering we've had organic burgers elsewhere that were just as good at a much cheaper price.  The patio outside is beautiful but just don't look up - it's filled with spiders and webs EVERYWHERE.  Even the restaurant has got a fly/mosquito issue and I know it's because they're located beside the river but come on - I just paid an average of $25 per person and you can't figure out how to keep out flies?  I'm not being hard on Romer's but they were hard on the Teddys' wallets and I just want to know where the money went.  Some people really love this place but I just couldn't - the Piglets think it's just ok.  The burgers are good but at a high cost.  Take it as you like!

Oinks:

• Awesome wings and doughnuts - burgers are taste good too
• Comfy seating and really nice looking restaurant
• Great patio in the daytime (just don't look up!)

Doinks:

• Higher price point
• Insect issues inside and outside
• Slower service - could not get a water refill for the life of us