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
Din Tai Fung is one of the most well-regarded chain restaurants in the world, and in 2025, the DTF experience finally arrived in Vancouver, setting up shop in a frankly enormous location on Alberni. One year into operation, your brave hosts set out to see if these world famous Xiao Long Bao could possibly live up to the worldwide hype and talk through their complicated, somewhat muted feelings on a wide swath of the Din Tai Fung me...
We're doing react content now: What did we think of the 2026 Van Mag Awards? Who was snubbed? Who deserved the w's? Find out in this Battle Royale with Cheese exclusive by pressing play on this podcast. And! We go grab bag mode and share some thoughts about the lovely tasting menu and drinks at Gary's and talk about some favourite eats from recent trips to Mexico City and New York City.
And! There were a few more food and non-...
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.
Other Van...
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 little about newcomer KA...
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 - don't m...
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 favourite...
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 options, their fun socce...
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 game of overrated or underrated with some f...
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 recently opened Sumibiyaki ...
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 season of perpetual hope a...
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 discussed: Kin and Fol...
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 this year's exploration ...
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 ROYALE FINALE, plus...
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 matchup of round one:...
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 SMASH.
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 feelings? Slide in...
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, Mo...
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