Escape to the Beach: By Sirissa Rawlins-Sabourin

The Beachcomber provides waterfront dining at The Forks.

With the promise of comfort food during the summer months and Winnipeg’s largest patio for sun-lovers, George Tsouras, manager of The Beachcomber feels that the restaurant appeals to the “diverse people that frequent The Forks.”

For the past five years, George Tsouras has been running the “nautical, West Coast” themed restaurant located in The Forks market. Tsouras’ seemingly random decision to bring seafood to the area is borne of his belief that the city has been widely underrepresented when it comes to seafood.

As a result, The Forks is the perfect setting for Tsouras’ newest venture where there is something for everyone. “The theme that we’ve been working with is waterfront dining at The Forks. Anytime you mix a waterfront, seafood, a tourist attraction, as we are [located at] Manitoba’s best tourist attraction, it all comes together. We also have Winnipeg’s biggest patio,” says Tsouras.

As for the delectable food, it is easy to picture the Shrimp Ciabatta – flame broiled sauteed shrimp, garlic prawn skewers, with hand breaded coconut prawn, or the Waleed’s Chicken Taco Enchilada, which is wrapped in a tortilla and grilled to perfection. The dishes, inspired and created by the long-time chef of the restaurant, Paul Kennedy, are among the most popular items on the menu.

Although The Beachcomber menu features seafood options, it is not exclusively so. Wide varieties of salads, appetizers, tapas, and inspired pastas, as well as the newly added vegetarian dishes, are all daily features. Steaks and stuffed fresh chicken dishes are also popular dinnertime entrée choices.

Fine dining is not overlooked at The Beachcomber, as Tsouras expresses his plans of focusing attention to detail and fostering that aspect of their day to day operations. As he describes the décor of the restaurant, Tsouras acknowledges that the historic nature of the building, mainly the old beams, the high ceiling, and the exposed walls, are all played heavily into their theme. Light, warm browns with relaxed lighting create an atmosphere for quiet conversation.

The price points are quite reasonable as well, as lunch ranges from $8 to $14 and dinner is priced at $14 to $28. Go grab a sharable appetizer, like the vegetable spring rolls, then take a nice stroll around The Forks, a haven in the midst of Winnipeg’s busy downtown area.

“We are so centralized, I had a customer that said ‘I can’t believe that I’m still downtown, it feels like I’m out of the city.’”