White Spot Redux, Northward Ho! (Ton-Ton's Journey: Vancouver 2007 Part 1) - Langley, BC

(Pictures for this post taken with my Canon Rebel XTi and my Canon PowerShot SD800is.

Read the rest of Ton-Ton's Journey: Vancouver 2007.)

When the time finally came for our yearly trip to Canada, Cat and I were more than ready. The burning itch to get away from our jobs, our home, and our responsibilities was almost too much to bear, and I couldn't wait to run off to the Great White North. My only concern was whether or not I'd be able to document all of the great food we were sure to eat. The answer was simple. I needed backup; backup other than my loving wife.


(Oh Canada...)

Cat is wonderful, but she eats like a bird and views my food blogging with a sort of fond tolerance. She likes food, but she's not in like with it. Or, as my friend the Family Man puts it, she eats to live while I live to eat. No. I needed a sidekick. Someone with the same appetite for food, the same obsession. I needed someone who shared my penchant for taking random pictures and who'd have three lunches in one day just to try three different restaurants.


(My Mini-Me.)

What I needed someone exactly like me, one-eight my size. Meet Ton-Ton the Panda, my eminently portable traveling companion and a new blog contributor. Whenever I go somewhere outside of California, I'll have Ton-Ton along with me. He likes food and adventures.


(Ton-Ton checks out our plane.)

John Wayne Airport is only a few minutes from our house, so we usually fly out from Orange County. You couldn't pay me to drive to LAX (Los Angeles International Airport), particularly during morning traffic. Three hour drive my butt.


(He never did get 14-across.)

The flight from Orange County to Seattle, Washington, only took two and a half hours, so it wasn't too bad. The airline hostess gave Ton-Ton an extra bag of peanuts. Everyone loves a panda.



Why Seattle? Why not fly straight into Vancouver International? Easy. Free car rental upgrade from my last trip there. Check out the sweet ride they gave me. I was on cloud nine. Besides, it's only an hour and a half drive from Seattle to Vancouver.



Or so we thought. I hadn't figured on the line at the border. Last year it didn't take us very long. This year, it took over an hour. We also hit some really bad traffic trying to get out of Seattle. I think they're putting in a new light rail system or something. In any case, I don't recommend crossing the border by land anymore. What a pain.


(Ton-Ton takes a turn.)

Once we were through that infernal line, we started looking for a place to grab a quick late lunch. A few bags of pretzels may be a decent breakfast for a small bear, but Cat and I were starving.



Whenever we visit Cat's relatives in British Columbia, the first thing we do is stop by a White Spot for some burgers. It's been a tradition in Cat's family for decades, and is one that I'll be happy to pass on to our kids. This particular White Spot was just outside of Cloverdale, which is where they film Smallville. I thought it might be fun to drive through the area and see if we could spot anything familiar. Yeah, not so much.



Since I've already covered the White Spot fairly thoroughly in my last review of it, I'm mostly going to let the pictures do the rest of the talking.


(Panda-sized menus.)


(Mmmm... Triple-thick Chocolate Milkshake. Sooo gooood...)


(Eyeing Cat's BC Chicken Burger.)


(Setting up his camera.)


(Locked, cocked, and ready to rock.)


(Bacon Cheddar Burger)


(Chicken Burger Supreme)


(Salad is better than fries.)


(Hunkering down to a Grilled Chicken Plate.)



(Time to move on.)

The White Spot - Not a bad bump in the road.


Read my first review of the White Spot.


19651 Fraser Highway
Langley, BC V3A 4C6, Canada
1-604534-1222
Restaurant Website


Other locations:
The White Spot claims over 60 locations in Canada. Previous attempts to establish footholds in the US have failed, although there's some hope if you live in a northern border state.