The Forks – Winnipeg
We were in Winnipeg last week for a visit with our families. Each time we stay in Winnipeg we try to check out one restaurant that we have not eaten at before. This time I went a few days earlier than Jeff and got to try The Beachcomber with my mom and my sister. The Beachcomber is located at The Forks Market and apparently in summer has the largest outdoor patio in Winnipeg. If you visit Winnipeg you should go to The Forks. While the weather was surprisingly good the patio was not yet set up for the season. The view from the patio looks toward the river but the view from inside the restaurant faces the parking lot. I always wonder why the three restaurants we have visited at The Forks were all situated with parking lot views?? Hmmm? A question for the planners I guess.
The Beachcomber
The restaurant is open 7 days a week starting at 11am. The indoor space is large with a lounge and bar facing the outdoor public space and a restaurant (with no view). The lunch menu features salads, burgers and pitas, wraps and sandwiches and tapas. Usually tapas means appetizers or snacks but as we soon found out there was nothing small or snacky about these portions. We decided to order a selection of items for sharing – Roasted Garlic Caesar with Fried Calamari, Black Bean Quesadilla, Fish Tacos and Grilled Vegetable & Goat Cheese Foccacia. When the food arrived I knew I was not in Vancouver anymore. Each portion was a meal in itself and the quesadilla and the foccacia came with a large side of fries. The salad came with three dinner rolls.
Food and Service
Our sever was a bit rough around the edges but did an OK job. The Caesar had a nice garlicky dressing and the Calamari on top was surprisingly better than expected – not over cooked or chewy and just lightly battered. The Fish Tacos were good but could have been more fish and less filling for my liking. The pepper and dill sauce was very good. The quesadillas were mostly cheese – they were tasty but not really filled with diced peppers, tomatoes, onions and black beans. The vegetables in the sandwich were very good but it was a difficult item to eat and we ended up with the fork and knife method for the sandwich. I tired the pomegranate mojito which was very good. Overall the food was good – nothing really special – but all good. And I especially like dining out when someone else is paying. Thanks Mom!
We are back to Winnipeg in July for my cousin’s wedding. It is also my uncle’s 65th birthday so we will be looking for a good restaurant for a group of 10 or so. If anyone has any suggestions please let us know.
Roasted Garlic Calamari Caesar - Romaine lettuce, house style croutons, Romano cheese, garlic Caesar dressing, Hand-cut golden fried calamari.
Fish Tacos - tortillas, grilled red snapper, tomato, lettuce, three cheese blend, red onion, pepper and dill sauce.
Black Bean Quesadilla - peppers, tomatoes, onions, black beans, three cheese blend, jalapenos, salsa & sour cream.
Grilled Vegetable & Goat Cheese Foccacia - grilled zucchini, tomatoes, pepper, asparagus, eggplant, red onion and goat cheese.
What a surprise! I expected to read about the old Beachcomber restaurant (Polynesian) that used to be located downtown.
I’ll be in Winnipeg in June and will definitely check this out!