'Bug burgers' made with Ontario crickets slide onto the menu at London cafe

A London cafe is upending burger norms with its slider trio that includes patties made of buffalo, elk and ostrich. But the one protein that's rarely seen on a menu, but has customers perking up with curiosity, is the cricket burger.

The London Bicycle Cafe on Thames Street is using Ontario-grown cricket powder mixed into a black bean base to make the Bug Burger.

"If someone had just given me the cricket burger and I ate it, I would have just said 'very nice flavour—actually, delectable—with a bit of sweetness,'" customer John Langford said.

The buffalo and elk burger was topped with a cherry barbecue jam, buffalo cheddar, pickled red onions, spring mix greens and tomato, while the richer ostrich burger came with duck bacon jam, crispy onions, blue cheese and arugula. The cricket burger was much lighter, with only vegan garlic mayo, chow chow and arugula. (Jack Sutton/CBC)

Topped with vegan garlic mayo, chow chow and arugula, the bug burger wasn't created for the shock factor. Instead, the chef at the cafe, that's also home to a bike sales and repair shop, says sustainability was the goal.

The proteins were chosen because, from farm to table, they create fewer carbon emissions compared to beef, chef Alicia Berkelmans said. And it's proving to be a big selling point for some customers who see the stats written out on the menu.

"I would like to work in sustainability, so it's something I really value," Ethan Leaf said after finishing the slider trio. "So seeing that this is something that's more sustainable, I can really appreciate that."

Customers like John Langford said the cricket powder, mixed into the black bean base of the Bug Burger, really isn't noticeable at all. (Jack Sutton/CBC)

"Overall the feedback has been really, really positive," Berkelmans said, noting about 15 to 20 sliders are being served up daily. "Everybody really enjoyed it and they've been helping us fine tune the dish for the last couple of weeks. It's been great."

Cricket farmer say this is not 'anti-meat'

The cricket powder comes from Entomo Farms, east of Peterborough, which produces the protein for human and animal consumption. While still a niche market for people, operations manager Darren Goldin says adventurous eaters are interested in trying it.

He said one selling feature, which interested the Bicycle Cafe, is the amount of grain a cricket eats. Goldin said it is less than traditional meat animals, making for a smaller carbon footprint. He explained that a pound of crickets can be farmed with less than two pounds of grain.

It's important that people understand the business is not anti-meat, Goldin said, but rather a complement to all the other types of meat people enjoy.

"There are some people who are more adventurous eaters and some people wo are more conservative eaters. We're not going to convince everybody."