This Borderland

December 1 & 11, 2019

We've been talking about going to This Borderland for the best part of a year now. It's kind of on the way home for both Cindy and I, but only open a few nights a week and our plans kept being derailed. We were finally pushed to visit by the launch of their Sunday morning waffle menu, meeting up with our friend Lisa to try them out. There are three veganisable waffles (all $15) on the brunch menu and we shared them all.

The star of the show is the fried chicken waffle - a really incredible seitan-based chicken patty, smothered in a vegan cheddar sauce dotted with jalapenos. It's a *lot*, so we were happy that we were splitting it three ways, but if this is the kind of meal that gets you excited, you won't beat what Borderland is doing.

The second savoury option was a little more sensible - a vegan avo smash with rocket. Nothing fancy, but a good option if you can't bring yourself to eat a giant mock-meat waffle first thing.

We finished with the apple pie waffle - vegan apple pie filling, pastry fingers, butterscotch sauce and vanilla icecream. 

This was another winner - again, it'd be a lot if you took it on yourself, but shared between the three of us it was just about perfect. They do a good waffle at This Borderland - nicely crispy on the outside, but puffy and soft once you break through the surface. They've got cheap percolator coffee and a friendly atmosphere, making this the diner breakfast of your dreams.

We had such a good time on our brunch visit that we prioritised a night-time return, swinging by to celebrate Cindy's birthday. The night menu is a bit more extensive and everything on it can be veganised: there's seven kinds of burger, a chicken snack pack, a serious-sounding poutine and a chicken plate plus sides. We kicked things off with a serve of their excellent shoestring fries ($5).

I ordered a vegan version of The James - seitan patty with apple slaw and chipotle mayo ($15). It's a giant tower of a thing, mostly thanks the to ginormous patty, so you just have to embrace getting messy. The patty really is spectacular - it's made in house and you can tell that they've really worked to make something packed with flavour. It might be the best vegan burger patty in town. The trimmings on this one work well too - especially if you add a few drips of one of the many hot sauce varieties they have on the counter.

Cindy went with a half serve of the Charlotte ($10) - a chunk of the seitan, some slaw, some pickles and the chipotle mayo. It's basically a deconstructed version of the burger I had and she was just as impressed (and also relieved she didn't order the full Charlotte - this was tons of food!).

We had other plans for dessert, but I'm very keen to come back and try the vegan cherry pie ($10) on a future visit.

It's a lovely spot - the staff couldn't be friendlier and the casual diner vibe is perfect for a casual meal. Apparently you can order your food to the bar next door if space is at a premium in the diner (or you want booze with your meal). 

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The only blog post I can find about This Borderland is this directory-ish listing over at Messy Veggies.

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This Borderland
208 Tyler Street, Preston
no phone
sunday waffles, dinner, drinks and desserts

Accessibility: There are two steps up on entry; most of the seating is in booths, but there are high seats at the window too. We ordered and paid at a low counter. There's a single unisex toilet - it's quite small and not particularly accessible.