The Templeton - Vancouver, BC

I really have no back story to this meal.  Kitty just wanted to go somewhere downtown where it was close to her work and Mr. and I just wanted to leave Richmond.  I think I had heard about this place through an ad somewhere that said there was a diner downtown called The Templeton that had movie nights on certain days.  I don't think they do that anymore but either way, their name was stuck in my head so when the inevitable question meal time question came up (i.e. where should we go eat?), I just mentioned The Templeton and Kitty was all over it.  She was especially excited when she found out there were deep fried candy bars (which is a complete contradiction to their "organic" menu but whatever).  To Granville Street!

J'ADORE the old school diner look.  They even have juke boxes in the booths!  Everything about this place is kitschy cute, from the retro bar stools to the Hawaiian print on the tables.  The motto here is "Quality Food, Snappy Service" - the service so far has been meh so we'll see about the food.  Give us your quality food!

Portobello Mushroom Burger - $9.50

Marinated portobello, grilled asiago cheese on multigrain kaiser

It's a giant portobello mushroom on a burger with the meltiest cheese I've seen in a while.  The mushroom and cheese are a tad on the salty side but if you eat it with the bun and other toppings, it's not bad.  The problem is that this thing is so juicy that the burger just falls apart.  I ended up eating most of what I could eat with a knife and fork.  I say "of what I could eat"because I maybe got to about 3/4 of it and threw in the towel and passed it over to Mr. Piglet to finish.  The fries on the other hand were a different story - I single-handedly destroyed them myself because they were served hot and super crunchy.  I LOVE crunchy fries!

777 Burger with Poutine - $10.50 (Poutine an extra $2.00)

100% certified lean organic beef on a sesame kaiser

The burger is pretty darn delicious - super juicy and Mr. Piglet prefers it over the Portobello (well, duh!  It's meat!).  The real star of the show was the poutine - it's not the traditional kind with cheese curds but grated aged white cheddar cheese and an OH SO DELICIOUS mushroom gravy.  I detect a hint of onion and garlic...  I can't stop eating this poutine...  I'm even taking my own fries and dipping it in this gravy cheese concoction!  Mr and I agree we'd come back for this exact combo again.

777 Burger with mushrooms and onions with side salad - $10.50 (mushrooms and onions an extra $2.00)

Kitty's choice and a damn fine one.  Mr. should've gotten mushrooms and onions on his burger too - the scent alone is super intoxicating!  Again, delicious burger brought to new levels of tastiness with the addition of mushrooms and onions.  

Another reason why I didn't want to finish my burger?  I give you the crowning jewel of the evening!!!

Deep fried Wunderbar - $5.00

Forget the deep fried Mars bar because the Wunderbar blows it out of the water!  Man oh man this is good!  It's got the peanuts, melted chocolate, gooey peanut butter and caramel but the kicker is the little bits of crunchy rice crisps that are still crunchy when deep fried.  We would've had this a la mode if they had any vanilla ice cream left but alas, sold out.  No matter, the whipped cream was a nice light contrast to the super rich Wunderbar.  Yum yum!  Devoured within seconds by our table...

I think next time, and there will be a next time my piggie readers, I'm going to get a shake with my meal.  The meal?  A 777 burger with poutine, that's for sure.  Come in, sit down, enjoy the old school diner ambiance, give yourself some time (because the service is not as snappy as they claim) and get yourself a calorie-laden satisfying meal.  Bon appetite!

Oinks:

• Great location - proximity to a lot of clubs, bars, etc
• Excellent food and portions
• Awesome diner ambiance
• Friendly service

Doinks:

• Not the fastest service - meals slow to arrive
• Expect a wait during prime dining hours, especially brunch on the weekends
• Parking is difficult to find nearby and most likely expensive