Hmm...OK?!

In preparation for dinner club, I called ahead to The Bungalow to see if I could get a reservation.  I was told that they only took reservations for large groups and that our group of six was not large enough.  I was reassured, however, that a group of six on a Friday evening wouldn't be a problem.  Hmm...okay.  Sir-Toppings-A-Lot (formerly Sir-Reviews-A-Lot and Sir Cares Not) arrived first.  The hostess promptly asked him if he had a reservation.  When he said no, she told him that he should've made a reservation for a Friday night.  OK.  So the six of us (and a baby due to a last minute change) waited grumpily in the small, yet tastefully decorated, front entrance way.  Whether it was our grumbling or the thought of a potentially riotous outbreak from the baby (or the pregnant dinner clubber), I don't know, but the hostess decided that after fifteen minutes of waiting to take us upstairs where they generally seat their larger groups.  OK.  When we got upstairs most of the tables had groups of four and ours was the largest group.  Hmm.

Alright, reservation/seating mishap aside we were hungry and ready to eat.  While The Bungalow offers an array of casual fare (Preggers had the fish and chips), the featured item is the burger menu, complete with a build-your-own option.  Ranging from the standard beef burger, to turkey, and even wild boar we were eager to build our own signature creations with almost forty toppings to choose from.  The smell of the freshly cooked burgers easily wafted to our second floor seating (why is it called The Bungalow then?!) and the warm, moist feeling of saliva dribbling down my chin meant that I was more than ready to order.  Problem: the waitress had yet to return with our drinks.  Correction: she had brought one drink because apparently carrying two drinks is rather taxing for a waitress.  When it was finally time to order, our waitress was rude and grumpy--like she had lost all passion for her job.  All of us have uttered "I hate my job" at some point in our lives but she seemed to wear the I

Representation of Angry Waitress

Hate My Job expression along the furrow of her brow.  Angry Waitress seemed further annoyed when Anon practically ordered all but one of the topping choices for her burger.  Note:  The Bungalow puts no suggestions or restrictions on how many toppings one can have which I think is an important factor when determining the structural integrity of one's burger.  Also, The Bungalow menu doesn't offer many creative pre-built burger choices which inevitably pushes the diner to create a Leaning Tower of Pisaesque burger. 

Another period of waiting commenced which did not include a drink top-up service.

After the evolution of the Canadian Goose (it now feeds on squirrels and small children) and a short and uneventful ice age, our food arrived.  Correction: two diners received their meals.  We encouraged them to eat so that when the rest of us had to resort to cannibalism they'd be nice and plump.  Eventually the rest of us did receive our meals from Angry Waitress but were not allowed to have water.  I had a turkey burger with a reasonable amount of fix'n's and the deep fried pickles.  I don't say this lightly, but I think it was the best burger I've ever eaten.  The turkey burger did not taste like an over-preserved, prepackaged patty--it was thick, juicy, and flavourful.  The pickles were sliced

Artistic representation of a Bungalow Burger

into reasonable bites and then deep fried in a light beer batter.  I cleaned my entire plate in very short order--and I'm not much of an eater when I've been kept waiting.  As hinted at earlier, Anon's burger with toppings abound quickly became a messy ordeal but that did not prevent her from eating it. Preggers said that the food might be enough to draw her back but she was ready to leave before the food actually got there.  And that was the general consensus--really good food, good prices, bad service (from the time we got there to the time we left: 2.5 hours).  The catty Anon also added that not only was the waitress slow and rude but that she needed "sleep and eye cream."  Meow!  To the waitress' credit, she was extremely pleasant and friendly when she brought us the bills.  Hmm...OK?!

Overall, I would be willing to try The Bungalow again but because of the poor service (from the person who took my call, the hostess, the backed up kitchen, and Angry Waitress) I think I will make the rounds of the other burger joints before coming back to The Bungalow.

Location:  The Bungalow (910 Waterloo Street, London, ON)
Entree Cost: $11-$22
Number of Reviewers: 6
Value: $ $ $
Overall: * * 1/2