As you can probably tell from all the pictures in this post, I am enthused about a lot at Candler Park Market Deli. Their make-your-own deli sandwich is a favorite for me and it costs what I think every sandwich should cost; $4.50. The deli fridge holds all sorts of wonderful veg pre-mades from dolmas (YUM), tofu sammies and noodle salads. They have beer and wine for days, the deli ladies are lovely, you can walk to the park, etc, etc. Needless to say, the place is great so I was particularly excited to try this burger.
It’s called the Californian and it’s $8.50 (not including the tempting garlic fries we had to get too). It features their two bean patty (I don’t know which two beans, but two beans), pepperjack cheese, avocado, onion, sunflower sprouts+spinach and veganaise. First thoughts: hope it’s not every other black bean burger. I like that they use cheese and veganaise, hah. We ordered that + my solid veggie sammie in case the burger sucked and plonked down outside. Depending on the day, their tables outside are a particularly fun place to people watch; people waiting to be seated for brunch at Flying Biscuit, kids running around Fellini’s, brides-to-be in and out of Kelly’s Closet.
SO – what was the consensus? This burger was not flavourless and it was not a coagulated glob, so that’s something. It had flavor and a better texture, unfortunately though it did still have some pitfalls. It was dry and the flavour profile just didn’t add up. Have you ever tried a pre-made spice packet? Like the kind you get in a ramen pack or a taco seasoning thing? 
Maybe you wet your finger and pick up a little section that had spilled on your counter. That’s the moment this burger brought to me. A tad too salty, over-pronounced taste of yeast flakes and cumin or something. Maybe this batch just wasn’t blended particularly well…lastly, I like a good sprout but this was sprout overkill. Between that and the dry bean patty, the avocado and cheese wasn’t enough to bring it up so the balance of the burger as a whole was a bit off. I’m now going to make some kind of rating chart to make this part easier..overall, 5 out of 10? Not a coagulated glob, but not something I would be jazzed to order again.
Candler Park Market is lovely and has some great things, unfortunately the veggie burger is just ok but if you haven’t been before please go there and build your own cheap-ass delicious veggie sandwich (menu here), grab some chips and walk down to the park.
