None of the TripAdvisor reviews said that there would be a wait at the Twisted Fork Bistro, but I still wanted to get there for opening so we could get an "early" start to the day. We arrived at the restaurant in the middle-of-nowhere-Yaletown (or at least I think it's in Yaletown - I haven't quite figured out the boundaries yet) 3 minutes after opening, and they place is FULL! HANGER! The host told us we could try The Flying Pig which wasn't far, but for a place to be packed 3 minutes in, it must be amazing. They have a very cool system where they take your name and number, and text you a few minutes before a table opens up. Because everyone had just been seated, the host told us it would be at least 45 minutes before a table would be available. We opted to be put on the list anyway, and took a walk down the street to get Stephen some bus tickets.
We had an unfortunate incident at Burrard Station the week before. I bought a monthly bus pass to get to work in Kitslano, but Stephen was only a 10 minute walk from his office so he didn't need one. I wanted to buy a clothes drying rack, but the only Canadian Tire or similar store was across the Cambie Bridge. We went to Burrard Station to buy bus tickets, and Stephen figured that he would get 10 tickets to have them handy. So he plugs in the number of tickets into the TVM (Ticket Vending Machine), swipes his credit card, and the machine spat out the 10 tickets. What we didn't realize is that all the tickets were now "active" and had to be used within 2 hours! They had an expiration time on them! There was no way that we could use up 10 tickets in 2 hours, so we were kind of pissed at $2.75 per extra ticket. Lesson learned: don't buy extra tickets at the TVM. This week, while we waited for the Twisted Fork to text us, we went the 7-Eleven down the street to buy a booklet of 10 "inactive" tickets.
Obviously that didn't kill 45 minutes, so we stopped at Blenz coffee shop to escape the rain and to kill some time. Though I happily take rain over snow, my hair is not adapting very well. I'm not sure what amount of product Vancouverites layer their locks with, but their hair has no reaction to rain or wind. Mine has constantly been frizzy and puffy since we landed. Plus, I didn't have place in my suitcase to bring my blow dryer or straightener. Sigh.
Finally, we got the text from Twisted Fork and headed back. It felt great to cut to the front of the line that had developed while we were gone. A small table across from the bar was waiting for us. We both decided to indulge in some artery-clogging Hollandaise sauce, and both ordered the Eggs Benny. Stephen got it with Mediterranean turkey sausage and I asked for smoked salmon. Then the waitress said the magic words: "Would you like to order some banana bread or scones while you wait?" Um, asiago cheese scones... heck yes!!!
Every meal should start with asiago scones. Warm, moist, crumbly, cheesy pieces of heaven. They were served with their delicious house jam, and whipped butter with sea salt. I would have happily order 10 of them and just eaten that. I want to serve them at my wedding.
Our Eggs Bennies were served with baked beans, rosti and sautéed spinach. I always try the Hollandaise on it's own because at some places it's just bad and after you break the egg yolks you can't tell anymore. It was one of the better Hollandaise sauces I've tasted. It was thick and salty (it's amazing how often Hollandaise is just missing basic seasoning), and wasn't drowning the dish.
Next comes my favourite part: orange yolk volcano over the brioche and salmon. I hate egg whites, but God do I ever love the yolk. Sorry cholesterol level. What a masterpiece. The brioche was sweet and soaked up all the yolky Hollandaisy goodness, the salmon was light and savory, the rosti was crispy and salty, and the spinach and beans were just delish. As for Stephen's turkey sausage, it was so moist and meaty that I don't believe there is just turkey in there. Overall, it was a very well made eggs benny.
It wasn't the best breakfast/brunch we've ever had. Cafe Medina was better. However, the fact that it is above Cafe Medina in the TripAdvisor standings is explained by its "crowd pleasing" traditional menu. There is something for everyone from egg scrambles to french toast to frittata, and it's not particularly "exotic." It pleases a broader crowd (all you picky eaters, that's you!) than Cafe Medina, and therefore is a better candidate for the popular vote. Though all your friends would be happy to eat here, it's a tight place and isn't a great place to sit and chat. That's probably a good thing since you'd be holding up the line anyways!
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| Their Namesake |
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| My View |
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| Amazing Asiago Scones |
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| My Smoked Salmon Eggs Benny |
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| Stephen's Mediterranean Turkey Sausage Eggs Benny |
THE STATS - Out of 10
Taste: 7.5 - It was good, but didn't blow my mind.
Creativity: 4 - The food is traditional, and borderline generic
Service: 8 - the service was attentive, speedy and very friendly
Bang for your buck: 8 - All brunch plates are $13.50 and are a generous portion
Overall experience: 7 - It was a satisfactory brunch
Would I go back? Probably not for brunch, but definitely for dinner. Dinner menu looks like a lot of fun!
Who would I recommend it to? Couples or small groups (not more than 4); under 30 crowd. Don't bring your kids! Don't bring your vegetarian friend because the meat is worth appreciating.
For what occasion? Brunch, but possibly dinner as well... but, let that wait for another review
It was better than: McDonald's? We haven't had enough Vancouver brunch yet to judge properly...
It wasn't as good as: Cafe Medina
Expect: To wait in line for potentially over an hour, because there will be a line and they don't take reservations. The place is a little loud, so you won't want to linger too long to chat. You'll be in and out in about 30 minutes.
Top 50 Worthy? Maybe not. On my original Top 50 list, Twisted Fork was #18. Today, it's #10. I don't get it. It was good and is probably consistently good, but it wasn't amazeballs. Top 10 should be amazeballs! I guess we'll have to go back for dinner to re-evaluate and see what all the fuss is about.
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