Fritay and Burgers from Boukan

After countless drives past Boukan, tonight B and I finally tried out Haitian food. Boukan opened a few years back by former Master Chef contestant Chef Marc-Elic Lissade. The name Boukan is Kreyòl for campfire and holds historical meaning back to the enslavement of West Africans by the French. 'Boukan' were used as stoves and were the gathering place where enslaved peoples would connect over food, conversation, and dancing.

The word boukan in contemporary times elicits memories of happiness, joy, and togetherness and the restaurant does just that - it brings people together over food and conversation.

Boukan serves a range of Haitian dishes as well as Haitian twists on burgers and sandwiches. After much deliberation, I ordered the Burger Boukanye, which was a plant-based burger consisting of djon djon (mushrooms) and accompanied with pickled onions, a vegan mayo, and, upon request, a plantain bun (their menu currently says that they are using brioche buns). I was excited for the burger for many reasons, but most of which was to try djon djon, mushroom varietals found in northern Haiti and are prominently featured in diri ak djon-djon ('black rice') to give it its colour and earthy flavour.

B ordered the medium sized fritay griot, which included bannann peze (fried green plantain), sweet plantain, a savoury fried dough puff, and griot, Haiti's national dish which is braised pork marinated in epis, a seasoning paste consisting of parsley, scallions, bell peppers, Scotch bonnets, garlic, gloves, thyme and citrus, before being fried. The fritay griot was served with pikliz (vinegar slaw) and marinad.

Even upon walking in the door, you knew that food was going to be tasty.

The Burger Boukanye was, by no exaggeration, the size of my face and I was immediately struck with the challenge of photographing such an enormous burger after also not picking up a camera in six months. Did I capture it well? I'm going to say no... But beyond my photography conundrum, the burger was really enjoyable. The patty was perfectly seasoned. In addition to the djon djon, it appeared to also have black beans and quinoa, which collectively with the spices gave it a lot of depth in flavour. The fries gave an air of sogginess when I opened the box, but in reality they were perfectly crispy and hard to stop eating. Even when I was painfully full and had B take over in burger eating, I still kept reaching for the fries.

From the fritay griot, I only tried the sweet plantain and pikliz. I couldn't tell if the fried dough balls had eggs or dairy, but what I tried of the fritay was very good. B said that the pork had the perfect consistency of being crispy on the outside and supple on the inside. The pikliz was sharp and vinegary, offsetting the richness of the fried meat and plantains. He also enjoyed the plantains, but preferred the sweet plantains over the bannann peze; something I found surprising given the general trend of his tastebuds.

Tonight's take out from Boukan exemplified the best and worst parts of take out. On one hand, I got to eat at home, which a good thing given that I dropped one of my plantain buns on the dining room table and made an absolute mess of myself and the table (don't worry, B was sure to capture that moment). Further, chef Lissade did something amazing in having everything remain perfectly crispy on the drive home. And yet this meal is really one to be shared with people you love. So... perhaps this rating has to come with a few grains of salt (and a whole slew of friends to share a meal with).

Overall Rating: 7.5/10 (L - 8, B - 7)

Main Takeaway: While the burger was delectable, it was so much food and given my plantain-bun reality, it was hard to keep as leftovers. Further, while I never thought B would turn down fried food, the medium fritay griot was too much food (and fried food) even for him. The reality is that this meal should be shared with people you love. Have the fritay and pikliz, but also enjoy the range of appetizers, drinks, and desserts on the Boukan menu. When that can happen, we will go back. But I'm not sure it will be our spot right now. In the meantime, if you have a big appetite, try it out!