Canadian delights cookin’

Poutine is an amazing dish of hot-piping chips, smothered in gravy and melted cheese curds. This was one of my favourite snacks in Canada, keeping me warm during the cold winters at university, writes Mai Al Khatib-Camille.

Since Canadian Big Smoke Burger recently launched at The Walk in Riffa, my nostalgic craving has been quenched and it’s poutine time, all over again.

Big Smoke Burger is a ‘fast-casual’ concept restaurant founded in Toronto in 2007 by Mustafa Yusuf.

It serves gluten-free burgers on charbroiled open flame grills for a smoky taste and freshly cut chips made in-house daily. There are also signature sauces.

The open-plan kitchen keeps patrons entertained as a friendly team puts together special burger combinations.

The venue is a hit in North America and is also taking the Middle East by storm, popping up in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait thanks to its franchise development leader Fransmart.

Anna Gallinger, the director of training, recently travelled to Bahrain with her team for the branch’s official opening ceremony.

She said: “Bahrain has already superseded our expectations and everyone is really happy with our business.

“The poutine, for example, is not your typical cheese fries and people loved it so much that they have been coming back for more. As far as sides go it’s a knock- out and that’s really great to see because it’s our Canadian dish.”

The Bahrain branch, which seats around 80 people, has been filling up with customers lured by top-sellers such as Big Smoke and Spicy burgers as well as the poutine.

For those that love gorgonzola cheese and avocado, the blue burger is an obvious choice. Although, the cilantro-feta spread on a lamb burger tickled my taste buds. The crazy burger has a real wow factor with its jalapeno havarti, coleslaw, chipotle mayo, bbq sauce, hot peppers and lettuce.

And when things get too spicy, a sip of Boylan cream soda does the trick. For the not-so-daring burger eater, the classic is the way to go and the juicy beef really stands out.
 
To find out more, follow @Bigsmokeburger or contact 77107777.