Two Men, Two Burgers, Some Beer... The most in depth and comprehensive coverage about hamburgers, cheeseburgers, both with and without bacon in Montreal.
Chris 'Zeke' Hand and Ed "Blork" Hawco venture out to Next Door Pub & Grill, a small bar on Sherbrooke Street West that is "Westmount Adjacent" (aka in NDG), where they survey the scene and try the house beer, called Bumping Hill, Pumpkin Hill, or Bumpkin, depending on how many you've had.
After debating the merits of various "Westmount Adjacent" dive bars, they settle into a discussion of the night's mission: a trip to Copoli, home of "Montreal's biggest burger." The burning issue: should they go to Copoli 1 (across from the Vendome Metro station) or Copoli 2 (on Ste. Catherine, corner Metcalfe)?
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Buns on Blvd. St-Laurent as seen via Google Street View.
Episode 30 of the Montreal Burger Report. In this episode our heroes, Ed Hawco (also known as Blork) and Chris 'Zeke' Hand discover how long it takes to to cook a hamburger at Buns, Zeke becomes a diplomat, Blork can't be objective and covets Zeke's third burger. Our heroes talk about the logistics of grinding beef in house and then depart for Else's.
The Montreal Burger Report is a radio show / podcast / blog / something or other where upon Blork and Zeke go out have a couple of burgers, some beer and in very generalized terms try to inform you about the good burgers in Montreal, the great burgers in Montreal, the best burgers in Montreal and everything else related to burgers in Montreal.
Zeke eating his third cheeseburger at Buns on Blvd. St-Laurent
Zeke's Verdict
I wasn't that impressed, although drinking enough beer beforehand can make just about anything palatable.
Ed's Verdict
I really love the concept of Buns; a small place that focuses on one thing -- at a very low price. Arguably, that makes it no different from any corner casse-croûte, but I've had some mighty fine classic burgers at hole-in-the-wall casse-croûtes. The difference here is the fresh young attitude and the degree of focus. The result? A pretty good straight-forward no-frills burger. A great choice if you're in the neighborhood and you want a quick and cheap bite that will hit the spot. On the other hand, the burgers were not spectacular, but what do you expect for four bucks? The only sour note was that my burger, which was quite small, was a bit overcooked. Zeke's third burger, however, was not, which tells me the grill man needs to work a bit harder on consistency.
That said, I'll definitely go back when I'm in the 'hood and I want a quick burger that will make me smile, but not necessarily sing.
In this episode our heroes, Ed Hawco (also known as Blork) and Chris 'Zeke' Hand discuss the nature, concept, taste sensation and substance of the hamburgers at Buns. Blork states that he wants a bigger patty, then he thinks a smaller bun might do the trick, but then he decides in fact that a bigger patty would be better. He also loves the pickles. Our heroes also lament the lack of beer, and are unable to try the fries. But that doesn't stop them from ordering a second round of burgers.
Buns is located at 3673 Saint-Laurent, their phone number is (514) 759-7799 and they too are open seven days a week from 11:30 to 1 AM weekdays and noon to 2:30 AM on weekends.
The Montreal Burger Report is your source for the most in depth and comprehensive coverage and information announcing, describing, informing, and sometimes warning you about everything related to and involving hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and sliders in Montreal. The best hamburger, the crispiest fry, the coldest beer, the Montreal Burger Report covers it from every angle possible.
Before leaving Le Bifteck St-Laurent, Chris 'Zeke' Hand and Ed "Blork" Hawco solicit opinions from some of the bar hounds, such as Shan the Man. Across the street at Buns, Ed reads the menu, which takes about 12 seconds as all this place makes is burgers, and there are only a few variations.
Inside Buns, Zeke and Ed meet the owner of both Buns stores, who explains the concept and provides some details on the meat. (Canadian beef, 15% fat). The meat is ground off-premises, but they form the patties in-house daily. Zeke asks the burger cook if he can have his burger rare, and the reply is swift: "no." The boss then provides an explanation as to why rare ground beef is riskier than rare steaks or roasts.
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