I have more recently visited their sister burger spot, that operates from the backside of this long-standing restaurant. Although today I was here at Wooden Spoon to discover the full extent of their brunch/lunch menu. This popular White Rock staple has been serving their elevated comfort plates for over 20 years now. And after today’s meal and the amazing service, I can see why their customers continue to return.
The menu is divided into different categories of popular North American style breakfasts, the likes of platters, bennies, handhelds, hash plates, and vegan options. We would try one from each category to get a good idea of their skill and what is most popular.
We took the suggestions of our server, who did not lead us astray for majority of the plates. The option for most is in how you like your eggs. Either a soft poached or sunny side and runny you like it. You also have the option to add on eggs to anything, to make it more breakfast feeling. This we would do for the burgers below.
Whenever my guest comes, she gets the sweet and salty, which is their classic thick French loaf with aged cheddar, double-smoked bacon, two poached eggs, champagne hollandaise, maple syrup, and a chive gremolata. All served with a jug of maple syrup for self pouring. The name, salty and sweet says it all.
I was most excited to try their Bennies because instead of English muffins they use their own house made biscuits as a base. These biscuits are speckled with jalapeño and cheese and are just as tasty as is. I would have loved some on the side, plain. On the plate, it was served sliced in half. A large round top with poached eggs our runny way, a generous heaping of their our signature champagne hollandiase sauce. This alongside the double-smoked bacon, caramelized onions, and chive gremolata that comes with “The Wooden” that we choose. It comes with a side of herb and garlic potatoes, plus a spring salad to round out the serving.
I really enjoy the hash, which is basically a meaty poutine. It starts with a base of crispy Cajun seasoned fries topped with your choice of meat; in our case ribeye, cut into thin slices.
Shaved ribeye, french fries with cayenne pepper seasoning, breaded and fried crispy jalapeños, butter, honey, garlic mayo, chive gremolata, and two sunny side eggs. This was similar to their dirty fries below. Here the jalapeño and beef combination were perfection over the crispy fried potato sticks.
For something sweet, we took our server’s recommendation of the jam French toast. The Jammin’ Gran is topped with a mixed berry compote, granola, whipped cream, and salted caramel. Equal parts chewy, gooey, and crunchy; the thickness of the toast really made the portion a hearty one.
I surprisingly really like the Smoothie Bowl, which is under the plant based portion of the menu. Fresh berries, coconut milk, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and granola. Served with vegan chocolate chip banana bread. It was an icy bowl of blended berries topped with much of their house made granola and fresh fruit. A tart and crunchy way to start the day, but for me it was the freshly baked banana bread that stole the show. It came warm on the wooden platter and the scent of bananas and bits of fruit tantalized. It definitely hit the spot.
As for breakfast handhelds, we went for the Steak Sandwich. This was shaved ribeye, their signature BBQ sauce, sunny egg, aged cheddar, a crispy onion ring, mixed greens, and horseradish mayo; all between a brioche bun. Sliced as thin as it was, I wasn’t able to make out much of the meat past the onion ring and egg. Tasty, but it would have been nice to have thicker slices of steak, and have that be the star of the plate.
With it, we upgraded the side to their gooey mac and cheese. And to be honest, I preferred this over the burger, as something that delivered on expectations and served as a comfort.
If visiting for the first time, you have to try their OG Spoon Smashburger. This is what they are known for and one of the reasons why they have their back alley burger joint. Double beef smash patty, aged cheddar, double smoked bacon, crispy onion ring, shredded lettuce, pickles, and their Co Sauce between a brioche bun. It is the crispy edged smash patty that makes this one a stand out. To this combo we upgraded our fries to animal fries, which is more of their Cajun-like seasoned french fries, but this time topped generously with garlic aïoli.
Overall, this is the spot for brunch in White Rock, not only do they serve healthy options and classics; but are also ideal for day after drinking eats. Can recommend.
Wooden Spoon
15171 Russell Ave, White Rock, BC V4B 3Z6
(604) 560-6018
woodenspoon.co
