Battle Royale with Cheese
Join Jill Canty and Brian Shirlaw as they review and discuss Vancouver's best restaurants and celebrate its food scene. Have comments or questions about a restaurant we've covered? Want us to review something in particular? Message us at @battleroyalewithcheese on Instagram.
Episodes
Nomo Nomo is one of Vancouver's most hyped restaurants, and honestly, it has it all. A creative, tightly focused cocktail program. Incredible izakaya-style snacks. And to top it all off, a rare (for Vancouver) intimate vibe with 26 seats. We won't bury the lede - we loved everything about Nomo Nomo. Listen to find out why, what dish earned a full 5/5 chicken wings, and what Jill and Brian are manifesting for the next year...
If SAY HEY CAFE, Vancouver's premiere sandwich destination, can't get a bib gourmand designation from Michelin, what are we even doing here. Those tires don't know what's up. We return from hiatus with a love letter to Say Hey, their famous meatball hoagie, chef and owner Lina Caschetto, and the kinds of sandwiches that make life worth living. Are you a Doofer? Do you yearn for the Hot Vickie?
We also chat a litt...
We're back! And we're here to talk about Bar Bravo, seafood, and quite possibly the best prawns in the world.
(Thank you for your patience this summer between eps, and we look forward to more eating food and talking about it soon.)
Don't forget to rate, review, subscribe and tell friends about the show! Follow us and say hi on Instagram.
June has been the talk of Vancouver's dining scene (and probably your social feed) all year. And folks, an exclusive Battle Royale with Cheese report has revealed that it lives up to the hype. Brian and Jill start the show by reacting to some shocking #ImprisonTheNipple politics before diving headfirst into a truly excellent dining experience at June, paying special attention to their revolutionary mini-tini drink program - do...
Inspired by some off-mic conversation about a recent poll of Vancouver's best date night spots, we review AMA RAW BAR and bid a fond farewell to PIZZERIA FARINA and the end of a Vancouver date era (aka, ordering pizza with your cocktails at THE BOXCAR).
Plus, it was recently Vancouver food's BIGGEST NIGHT, so we kick things off with a chat about the 2025 VanMag Award Winners, including ELISA, restaurant of the year. Have a...
What's Vancouver's best sandwich? It's a heated subject. For all we know, a group of two or more might be arguing over it while you read this very description. But no matter who your regular fave might be, DANTE ITALIAN SANDWICHES is a fresh loaf that deserves your attention.
Listen in as we review DANTE's sandwiches and celebrate their unique schiacciata bread, (and fail to say it correctly even once!).
Como Taperia (or ¿CóMO?, as it's often styled), is Vancouver Michelin-guide recommended. It's one of the vibiest spots in town. It's officially recognized as an authentic world ambassador of Spanish cuisine. And it has little fish you can eat right out of a tin. Dear listener, we might be in love.
Enjoy our glowing review of Main Street's premiere tapas spot, including a run down of some truly excellent menu opti...
Oui oui, merci! COLLECTIVE GOODS isn't just a french-ish bistro on Vancouver's secret garden-ish Commercial "Street" - they're one of the best-ish restaurants in the city, full stop. No ish about it.
In this ep we talk about their must-try dishes and what about the Collective Goods bistro burger and steak frites had us saying "plus, encore, s'il vous plait". Plus, your hosts play a rousing gam...
Vancouver: a city known for it's sushi, and near the top of that list is MINAMI. Or is it? We kick off apostrophe-two-five with a visit to Minami to see for ourselves if Yaletown's finest sushi experience can live up to years of Golden Plates, VanMag awards and Michelin Guides. Also featured: Our fun food predictions for 2025, Jill's beautiful honeymoon dining in Peru, and Brian's great experience at the recentl...
Brrrrr, isn't it cold outside? We've got a fire going, why don't you come inside and warm up? Love your coat by the way. Take a seat by the fire and warm those bones! Say, while you're here, any interest in a holiday beverage...?
Happy holidays! In this very special, very festive ep, Jill and Brian try their best to impress each other with some cocktails, have a lovely Kin Kao meal, and embrace the seas...
It's Grab Bag 3: Grab bag with a vengeance. We leave burgers behind us to talk Vancouver's always amazing THIS SANDWICH, THAT BEER event and give flowers to SAY HEY CAFE's inspired meatball hot pocket. Plus, you know it's the season for year-end lists, so we share our TOP 3 MEALS OF 2024 and our 2024 FOOD REVELATIONS. Dig in and let us know your fave foods and restaurants of the year, pals.
Restaurants ...
It's ALL come down to THIS: What is Vancouver's Best Burger? Is it Between 2 Buns? Is it Monarch Burger? For our anxiety's sake, can it be both? Find out who gets crowned in the final episode of the 2024 Burger Classic. PLUS: A live review of the Big Arch! Brian's fast food zodiac sign! Jill gives detailed reviews of LTOP! And as usual, an enjoyable side of non-burger-related nonsense.
If you enjoyed th...
Round two! In this super-sized episode, we give our thoughts on a summer spent reviewing Vancouver's best burgers before tackling two round-two matchups. First, BETWEEN 2 BUNS takes on STREET HAWKER in a battle for smash supremacy. Then, in a battle of blue jeans and black ties, it's MONARCH BURGER vs POURHOUSE. Listen and find out which two burgers make next episode's championship throwdown.
Next ep: THE RO...
We close out the first round of the burger classic with our battle between two of Vancouver's fanciest burgs: POURHOUSE vs. THE RED ACCORDION. It's legendary cocktail bar vs. legendary brunch spot. Brioche bun vs. potato bun. Confit pork belly vs. EGG. Two burgers enter, one burger leaves.
Don't forget to rate, review, subscribe and tell friends about the show! Follow us and say hi on Instagram.
The battle for Vancouver's best burger rolls on with MONARCH BURGER vs RED WAGON CAFE. In a very brat summer, auggie doggy, Danny DeVito-themed ep, we take another visit to Red Wagon's not-so-secretly great dinner menu to pit their Bacon Cheeseburger against the resurgent Monarch Burger's Dirty Burger (aka, their cheese burger). Two burgers enter. One burger leaves.
Next up: the final, high-class burger matc...
Here comes a new challenger! Street Hawker and KAPOW! Burger are two of Vancouver's newer burger offerings, but only one can come out on top in the first round of the Battle Royale with Cheese Burger Classic. In this ep we recap the the Downlow Burgers and Between 2 Buns matchup, dip into some of the listener-submitted favourite burger restaurants and decide whether Street Hawker or KAPOW! advance to next round's CLASH OF...
It's a first-round match of burger heavyweights: DownLow Burgers vs. Between 2 Buns! We kick off the tournament to crown Vancouver's best burger with a matchup between two of our favourites and the results are fun (for you) and agony (for us). Listen to hear us give two Burger luminaries their flowers AND emotionally crumble. Next match: Street Hawker vs KAPOW! Burger.
Disagree with our choice? Have strong feelin...
The first-ever Battle Royale with Cheese Burger Classic is upon us, and Vancouver burgers will never be the same. In our first no review episode, but possibly our actual best episode yet, hear the plans for a summer burger tournament that honours our past present and future.
Restaurants mentioned in this episode:
Between 2 Buns, DownLow Burgers, Kapow Burgers, Street Hawker, The Red Accordion, Pourhouse, The Red Wagon,...
RED WAGON is a Vancouver brunch institution, and a Red Wagon brunch review would hit the highlights: we all know about the pulled pork pancakes, we all love the Trucker plate. But maybe you'd be surprised to hear that Red Wagon has an excellent dinner menu.
In an episode we're calling Red Wagon: Nights (said in a sultry voice), we talk the VanMag Restaurant Awards and Georgia Straight Golden Plates and explore th...
We're pro-pineapple and pro-not apologizing for it! In this episode Jill and Brian review The Pie Shoppe, a neighbourhood pie counter that's become an amazing spot for pizza and natural wines on top of their already great desserts. We also keep it in the East Vancouver family with a quick trip to Resurrection Spirits, a vibey new cocktail bar right around the corner from Pie Shoppe that deserves your love and attention.
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