Out & About #188 | The WORKS Brampton

Recall that moment when The WORKS had been closed due to a water break and a hasty turn to Shawarma Queen had to be made in order to obtain dinner? Well, we received coupons for our fruitless endeavours that cold, wintry evening.

Among the three slips of paper that we had been granted, two were irregularly shaped and copper-toned, entitling one customer per table to either a tower of onion rings or a gourmet burger. The third was entirely void of hue and concealed in an envelope; the black and white slip read: "Congratulations! You've won a FREE BURGER with purchase of a Burger!".

With coupons in hand, and having already called in advance to ensure that the establishment was fully operational, we set out to redeem this BOGO deal.
 
Despite making our way through the foyer at approximately half past two, several of the tables were still occupied. The three members of wait-staff were evidently struggling to cater to various customer demands, as we were not acknowledged until a couple minutes later.
They were far from unfriendly though – I requested a window seat, and one of the girls gladly pulled apart and wiped down a large table bearing the battle scars of rowdy, under-5 diners.

The options were rather vast, and it took some time to become accustomed to this never-before-seen ordering system. A different member of wait-staff approached us later on and thoroughly explained that burgers could be completely customized from the type of patty, bun, topping, and side dish. Though he didn't shed any light on the remainder of the menu, I did manage to catch sight of a few salad choices ("All Dressed Cheeseburger Salad" anyone?) and profound poutine creations. There was a very extensive vegetarian and gluten-free selection as well.

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Following a brief internal debate on topping choices (to brie, or not to brie, that is the question.), Down Under emerged as the sole winner, accompanied with a side of Cukes (a casual-sounding reference to cucumbers) & Celery.
Taking bacon to the next level, Six Degrees of K'vin Bacon was scandalously meat-heavy in contrast and comprised of layers upon layers of the thin crisps. Fresh Cut Fries accompanied this gourmet burger.

Both burgers arrived within fifteen minutes, with ice water, hot water, and condiments served up in small/medium measuring cup glasses prior.

The components of each meal were placed in a shallow metal tray lined with American diner-style checkered paper; the burgers had purposely been separated into top and bottom halves, potentially for ease of consumption and topple prevention.

Down Under consisted of a well-done sunny side-up egg, caramelized onions, a pineapple ring, slice of Gouda cheese, and purple beets (which looked a lot like regular magenta beets). I had chosen to have these toppings served atop a chicken patty (a thick fillet of grilled and thoroughly charred chicken breast in this case) and sandwiched between a whole wheat bun.

The dish was tasty and satisfying for the most part. However, I did find the charring on the chicken breast to be a tad excessive – the edges were crusty and black. But alas, knives had not been presented to remove the coal-like specs manually.
Other elements gave off a straightforward flavour: the beets tasted like beets and the cheese tasted like cheese, both as they should but with the addition of a small amount of seasoning. Cukes & Celery were, as predicted, of standard flavours.

Six Degrees of K'vin Bacon was extravagant in both presentation and depth of flavour. Bacon roasted garlic aioli, bacon ketchup, smoked bacon, and bacon sticks contributed to an intense juicy sensation combined with a chewy crunch. The drizzling of mayonnaise was also a nice touch. This burger was definitely more filling than Down Under.

The only aspect I found to be disappointing was the side of fries: an inconsistent amount of seasoning indicated that the batch had been carelessly tossed in salt and pepper before serving. They also exhibited soggy properties as opposed to the desired crispiness. (I'm sorry to say that McD's does it better.)

Service was relatively attentive for majority of our stay, with two different members of staff rounding the corner to follow up on our meals at the appropriate times. Towards mid- to late-afternoon, though, it did take quite a few attempts to flag down someone capable of delivering the bill.
 
Attention to detail is always an impression booster in my books. That being said, I definitely appreciated that an additional "!Allergy Peanuts!" command had been included during item entry when we informed of a peanut allergy at the table. (Most other restaurants would relay this by mouth, or sometimes forget to convey the message in its entirety.)

This downtown Brampton location bears a rustic interior identical to that of its St. Lawrence counterpart; it isn't quite as roomy despite the strategic use of an elevated dining area though. In its defence, the restaurant design allows for an open patio during the warmer months simply by pulling open a garage gate (similar to JOEY Markville).

The last item I would like to address would be the singular, unisex accessible washroom. For starters, a dining establishment should, by no means, only house one functioning bathroom, especially if it primarily caters to a dine-in crowd (bubble tea takeout is a different story). Secondly, it is located immediately adjacent to one of the kitchen entrances, directly across from the reception desk, making it difficult and awkward to manoeuver back to one's table during periods of high waitlist occupancy. My final remark is that there is no clear indication of when the bathroom is in use, resulting in a significant amount of aggressive door-pulling from outside, and a dreadful amount of undeserved fear from within.
I would be extremely grateful if this issue is remediated upon my second visit, as I could have definitely done without the brute force exerted on my door handle by other impatient guests incompetent of utilizing common sense to decipher the fact that the bathroom door was locked for a reason.

The WORKS was a positive experience overall, but there were some prominent aspects in need of correction.
 
Here’s to hoping that the future Port Credit location will be worth skipping The Burger's Priest for!

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