Indigenous Eats’ bannock bison burger a hit

Over the next several weeks, the Sun will continue to visit small locally owned restaurants and food trucks in Westman, tasting what our great corner of the province has to offer. In this review, I visited the Indigenous Eats food truck, which has become a staple in the city in recent years.

The Indigenous Eats food truck operates every weekday in different parts of Brandon, and on Tuesday, it was parked in front of the Victoria Inn Hotel and Conference Centre.

Despite the heat and humidex making it feel like 33 C, people were lined up to try the array of items the mobile restaurant serves, most of which include bannock as a breading.

The bright red food truck’s operator had that morning posted that Bannock Bison Burgers were back on the menu, and I knew I had to try that.

I was not disappointed in the slightest.

The Bannock Bison Burger was amazing. Lettuce, tomato, cheese and a ton of onions made for a perfect-tasting burger.

It was quite honestly one of the best burgers I’ve ever had.

The flavours worked so well together, and the bannock was the perfect complementary taste and texture that a regular bun just wouldn’t provide.

The burger being doused with raw onions also gave it a nice texture I wish more places had, with a slight crunch in every bite.

The truck’s manager, Christie Cook, said they’ve had steady business all summer, with the biggest seller being the Bannock Taco.

When asked why people like coming to the restaurant, Cook said: “Because it’s homemade and Indigenously made, handcrafted.”

She said she often hears people describe her bannock as the best they’ve ever had.

The steady stream of customers was apparent on Tuesday — while I was behind a few people waiting for food, multiple more stood in line behind me.

But even with the high number of customers, the food was served quickly and with a smile.

After I finished the burger, I tried the dessert, an Indigenous Delight, which was a piece of bannock topped with rice, raisins and blueberry sauce, with a sprinkling of icing sugar.

I wasn’t completely sure what to think about bannock and rice going together, but I knew I had to try it.

The blueberry sauce was very good, but the rice didn’t match the rest of the dish, at least for my palette.

The bannock itself was delicious, and I would advise people to either keep plenty of napkins nearby or even use cutlery as the Indigenous Delight was a very messy item.

A regular slice of bannock on its own was also amazing.

In the past, I also tried the Bannock Taco, and was amazed by the taste and serving size.

All around, Indigenous Eats is definitely a place worth trying.

The eatery operates pretty much every weekday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., and rotates between several different locations in Brandon.

Overall, I give Indigenous Eats a 4.5/5.

» alambert@brandonsun.com