Joe Forte's Seafood & Chop House

My love for brunch is beginning to rub off on my best friend; smoked salmon has become one of her new favourite foods. At the beginning of 2013, Joe Forte's had a $10 eggs benny special. I took advantage of the awesome deal and had my birthday brunch there with this very best friend of mine. The most recent trip on Sunday was to celebrate her graduation; her mom booked a large table for 12 at Joe Forte's knowing she really enjoyed the smoked salmon eggs benedict from the last visit. It is time to stuff myself silly with eggs and hollandaise sauce again. This will be a compiled review of my two visits so far this year; please excuse my jumping back and forth of events. 

Complimentary Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

There are two complimentary foods served as you read the menu. During brunch time, lemon poppy seed scones are served. With a drizzle of icing, it's a good scone that I thoroughly enjoyed snacking on as my tummy growls. This past Sunday we arrived in the afternoon so bread is served instead. The (not pictured) complimentary baguette is served with lobster oil & balsamic vinegar. This stuff is so sinfully delicious. I repeat, sinfully delicious. My continuous dunking of soft white bread into bright orange oil is very dangerous when a huge eggs benedict is awaiting me...

To start the extremely late brunch (three o'clock!), her mother ordered two appetizers for the table. Twelve starving girls devoured the calamari and king crab tempura before I even remember to take a photo. There was nothing significantly special about the calamari so I don't particularly recommend this $15 dish. On the other hand, the king crab tempura was delicious. The portion looked small but even when cut into six pieces, each piece had an inch thick round of king crab; succulent and juicy. Paired with an interesting dipping mixture of avocado, hot sauce, and a teriyaki-like sauce, it was worth my stomach area. It's a bit pricey at $17 but if you're here for seafood, might as well give it a try.

Crab and Avocado Eggs Benedict ($10 special)

This was such a steal at ten dollars. It is the price you'd pay for an eggs benedict at say, White Spot or any other chain-ish American style restaurant. Except this is a fancy shmancy restaurant in Downtown. The crab meat reminded me of the canned crab meat I have in my basement; shredded up with a few full chunks of claw meat to show "this is actually crab!". The flavour of the crab doesn't really shine through past the hollandaise or avocado. The star of this plate was actually the hashbrowns. So. Crispy. And well seasoned! Even after consuming the entire eggs benedict, my best friend and I continued to stuff ourselves with these delicious potatoes, can't let them go to waste! But we still ended up leaving a few each. 

Lobster Benedict

The $10 benedicts are long gone now, so there are a few benedicts choices on the premanent menu ranging from $14 to $20. Lobster being the later. I like my egg yolks super runny, so I got mine soft poached, they were done perfectly. I believe the English muffins are made in house, I enjoy how soft they are. However one side was twice the thickness of the other. There is plenty of lobster given but the flavour is completely covered by the rich hollandaise sauce. So I don't think its really worth the $20. Also, I was quite disappointed the hashbrowns had changed since March. Back in March, the hashbrowns were super crispy and just the best potatoes I've ever eaten. My potato-loving best friend agrees that the hashbrowns were pure awesome-ness. It's a pity they weren't crispy at all today.  For $20, I believe you can find better benedicts elsewhere. But if the $10 deal comes back someday, I'll consider returning for their eggs benedict. 

Free Birthday Creme Brule

Back in March, I had noted that it was my birthday. From the hostess at the door to our table waiter, they were all aware of that and their service was bright and happy. I really appreciate that. At the end of the meal, a free creme brule was given for us to share. Served with a scoop of whipped cream and a chocolate biscotti, it's actually a really large serving, especially after an entire serving of eggs benedict and a massive mountain of potatoes. We kept saying "You eat some!" "But I've already ate a lot!" "Eat some more!" "Fine...but you eat this part!" The custard was suuuuuper smoothy and creamy; I don't especially love creme brule but this one is really good. Just be cautious when eating the caramelized sugar crust; it's really hard and sharp! Please don't cut your hard or soft palate... The candle made it extra special and my friend quietly sang happy birthday to me. It was an enjoyable time~

The sunshine has arrived and that means their outdoor patio is now open! It would be a lovely place to spend a sunny day chatting with some friends. But be warned, there will probably be a long wait list for the patio seating on busy days. When we arrived at 3pm, they said it would be a two hour wait. 

Joe Forte's an iconic restaurant in the heart of Downtown Vancouver that is famous for seafood. Very easy to get to and find. I wouldn't say there's anything especially interesting on their menu, but the service and ambiance is good. At the graduation celebration, our waitress happily helped us take many photos and another waiter playfully posed in the back. That's one benefit of going at an odd time of day. The only one complaint I would say is that on my birthday visit, I had asked for the hollandaise sauce on the side. As you can see, that didn't really happen, but I didn't bother sending it back to the kitchen for such a small issue. The seafood tower on ice is famous here, but I have never tried it myself. On weekdays there is a Blue Menu Special where the entree of the day is only $10. I plan to give it a try this summer when I'm out of school. Even though the quality of ingredients is good, I don't think their food matches up to the extremely high prices. But it's a restaurant you can't go wrong with if you're looking to celebrate a special occasion with some fine dining.  


 

Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡