the good fork

great brunch/lunch!. i've been twice now and the food is fantastic :) the mac n cheese is amazing! not to rich. and the salad's are always fresh and yummy.serviceis alright, could be better.

the good fork has been a highly recommended word of mouth place to try. however, theserviceis terrible. the server we had recently, meagan, was so unmotivated. she brought us our meals with the sides mixed up and left us to sort it ourselves and gave us a meek apology. never even asked if we needed anything afterwards and was oblivious to our empty water jug. don't get us wrong the food is delicious, however it's unfortunate when theservicesupersedes the craftsmenship of tasty food.

we came here with another couple who recommended us this place for brunch. it was around 1 pm on a sunday when we arrived and, we still had to wait for at least 1 hour to get in (around 2 pm). the good thing is that they write down your name and contact you when your table is ready so, you can hang around the neighborhood meanwhile (as we did).

we sat on the second floor right next to the window so, it was nice. the ambiance is fine and the decor is nothing outrageous but, it works.servicewas a little slow indeed but, friendly...

the food was actually good. among other things, we had the lentil soup, huevos rancheros, spanish hash, red velvet pancakes (side) also, some cocktails caesar, the jolka and, we found everything to be very enjoyable although, not excellent (at least for me).

several weeks ago, myself and sandi (from foodaholic blog) ventured off to the west end of town on a friday evening to visit the good fork. the good fork is pretty well known for their brunch offerings during the weekend. however, the restaurant is also opened for dinnerservicefor thursday and friday evenings only.

unfortunately we didn't have a great experience with theservicehere and i've been back once to give them the benefit of the doubt because the food was quite nice. 

both times we were left waiting ages for our order to be taken and again when we wanted to pay. the second time we also waited about 40 minutes for a table (which is fine, they gave us warning up front) but after waiting for a text which never came we waited outside the restaurant and was told we were to be seated next. then they proceeded to seat another group with no apology and left us waiting another 5 minutes. i probably should have left at that point. the maitre'd had major attitude and the server took our order without writing it down and then forgot part of it.

the sad thing is the food is nice (although the coffee wasn't great) so i would have gone back if theservicewas reasonable. but after two attempts i won't be going back.

amazing brunch. always have a great time at the good fork! love their brunch, everything is good!serviceis great and fast!

i went to the  good fork to meet up with a couple of igers for brunch and theservicewas amazing. added to the fact that it's right next to the jane subway station - which made it ridiculously easy to find!

as soon as i walked in, i was greeted by the wait staff who pointed me directly to where my party was waiting. i went upstairs and as soon as i sat down, the waitress placed a menu in front of me. she gave us sufficient time to order our food and almost as if she had esp, she came and took our order as soon as we had decided.

the food came out timely and very nicely plated. being an avid iger, we obviously had to take photos. our waitress laughed it off amusingly and not in a derogative manner. we spent a solid 20 minutes and not once we were ever given any dirty looks.

after taking a billion photos (tip: if you're a food blogger, request for a table upstairs next to the floor-to-ceiling windows! the natural lighting is fantastic), we settled in to feast on our brunch. i ordered the nova scotia bennie which had smoked salmon (texture was really fresh!) and some dill over top as well as a side of home fries.

let's just say that they overloaded my plate and i had tons to take home afterwards. but i'm never to complain about extra food to save for a later meal!

i also ordered a cappucino, which was bold in flavor but slightly sweet. i'd advise against putting any extra sugar into your drink unless you're the type of person that likes your things to be super sweet!

would i go back? yes to try the other things that they have to offer! side note: they have red velvet pancakes! i didn't try them myself but if you're in need of a really nice looking food plate for ig, order it!

  red velvet anything spikes my interest almost immediately, so when i came across a picture of the good fork 's red velvet pancakes... i just had  to try them after exams were over.  the good fork is a cute brunch restaurant located on jane & bloor in the bloor west village, which i've never been to prior.  inside, it looked very new and clean with large wooden tables and chairs, and dull metal details which i love.  one thing i can say regarding theserviceis that is is very slow and the wait for tables is long (we had to wait 50 minutes for a table for three).  the food took a while to come as well -around half an hour.     what i had:  side red velvet pancakes, $6.5  my friend and i decided to split the small red velvet pancake order due to the server's suggestion... and thank god we did!  the small was very satisfying.  four pancakes came in the order, and they were very fluffy, light and you the chocolate flavour truly came through.  they weren't overwhelmingly sweet, which was very smart because the amaaaazing cream cheese icing that came on the side was just right.  it was very sweet with a little bit of a kick.  overall, delicious treat and i would definitely come back for these! billy goat grilled cheese 3.0, $12   on the menu, this grilled cheese is described as "goat cheese, ricotta, five herb pesto, artichoke hearts and spinach".  although it doesnt look like much in the picture, it was absolutely amazing.  the ricotta and goat cheese worked perfectly together, as the ricotta's mild flavour balanced the goat cheese nicely.  the pesto was spectacular alongside the cheese.  finally, the fresh spinach was a nice twist as it added freshness to the sandwich that otherwise could have been too much.  the fries, too, were amazing and had a sort of breading on them that was to die for.  another knockout dish that i would definitely reorder!    all in all, the good fork  was absolutely delicious.  their menu was filled with classics that all had a little twist t

very disappointing with theserviceand food. we were rudely greeted at the door and told to help ourselves to any table even though the tables were filthy. we asked if a table could be cleaned before we sat down but they didn't appreciate that, should have been an indication to leave but we stayed. food was presented well but the taste was very much lacking in flavor and served cold. we asked for the potatoes to be warmed up and they said that was how they served it. we can say that will be our last time there and will not be recommending it at all.

pork shank heaven. popped in with the kids last night as i was craving their great burger.....but my wife's pork shank stole the show. amazing dish, finished with dates and peanuts (among others) of all things. fabulous dish. sorry no pics....it was torn to pieces before i had a chance to take a picture....


-----24 oct, 2011-----

dinner with the kiddies.... very accommodating when you bring the little ones (thank you!).
i had the boar sausage with braised red cabbage and mash and it was very good...
wife had the burger (i got one bite)...also very good.
little guy had the mac and cheese...which looked good...but he didn't finish...cause it had onions in it....i didn't like it either....please don't put onions in your mac and cheese.
kids ran out of patience (short attention span) so we couldn't try dessert....next time for sure.
service was great once again.


-----18 oct, 2011-----

saturday breakfast at good fork. had the "double down"....lightly breaded and deep fried poached eggs with romesco sauce.
was excellant....sauce was very well seasoned and eggs (even though they were fried after being poached) were still nice and runny.
friend had the spanish hash...chorizo with roasted peppers, onions and potatoes with hollandaise...also deemed as excellant.
menu looks intersting and prices are very fair.servicewas great!
will be going back soon.

great breakfast! goodserviceand terrific food!

i've walked by more than once but finally checked the rating on urbanspoon which led me to stop in for brunch. the rating is well deserved! had the spanish hash and was thoroughly impressed...poached eggs and hash browns but with a spanish twist. food is good, atmosphere is clean and modern andservicewas great. bit more than you would typically pay for breakfast but worth it.

okay food, bad attitude. i did not have a great experience here. when we arrived the restaurant was full, so the hostess took our names down and suggested we walk up the street to grab a coffee and then come back in a few minutes. when we arrived back we were told there were no outside drinks allowed (which is fine) but our drinks were pulled out of our hands pretty abruptly. it would have been nice to be given the option of finishing them quickly, or maybe being able to put them down ourselves. we were seated at a table upstairs by the window and we ordered our drinks. fyi -the loose leaf tea is actually just regular bagged tea. i ordered pancakes and requested that they be gluten free (because their menu states ‘make it gluten free for $1.50’ right below the pancake section), the server told me that they don’t do gluten free pancakes. when i asked why it said that right below the pancakes she flatly said the menu is misleading. we then waited 30 minutes to receive our eggs, in a restaurant that was now pretty empty. overall, the food was alright. nothing exceptional though. the overall attitude from the staff was pretty cold, and a little snarky. i will not be going back. i can get the same food and betterserviceat dennys.

wonderful!. i can't say enough good things about the good fork. i have now visited for brunch and weekday lunch and can't wait to go back for more! the food is absolutely beautiful - it's not your typical run-of-the-mill fare. although many items are rooted in traditional recipes, there is a definite and often surprising twist that elevates them to something really special. the omelettes were just perfect and the poundcake french toast was to die for. for lunch, the veggie burger turned out to be no burger at all - it was an amazing, melt-in-your-mouth loosely assembled hand-made patty on a fresh bun with toppings that just blew my mind (think remoulade and guac).

but it's not just the food. theservicewas very friendly, attentive and quick on both occasions. the staff really acted like they were happy we were there. and last but not least, the value is really incredible. the food is really high quality and you get plenty. not to mention the mimosas we had doing brunch - for $8 you get a whole 330ml bottle of sparkling wine and a can of blood orange aranciata by pellegrino that you can mix yourself. that easily makes 2 mimosas (and a very happy me). now tell me where else in toronto you can get 2 mimosas for $8?

dinners are wonderful!. i have never been here during a busy time, so i can't speak to longservicetimes, but my partner and i love this place to death. the butternut squash gnocchi are incredible, we order them every time. we've also enjoyed the veggie burger, the sweet potato fries, the mac n cheese (which was not as excellent as we'd expected, but still very enjoyable), and a few other things. the beet "ravioli" are delicious, but way overpriced...you get five little beet-and-cheese things for $9! but in general, the food is delicious, we like the atmosphere, it feels like a cozy neighbourhood place, and theservicehas always been just fine when we've been there!