La Forêt Austin — Restaurant in Coquitlam

Went today with my business partner for a meeting. When you arrive it starts off not great with so few parking options, especially since there is so much seating. I ended up having to park a bit far.

When you walk in it looks very beautiful with its high ceilings and nice decor but instantly the noise was overwhelming. The echo inside really hurts your ears with all the talking plus loud music so don't go if you are planning to have a meeting or if you get overstimulated from intense noise. There is also not a single plug accessible to customers. I assume they did this on purpose so that you don't stay long. Again - I do not recommend this place for a meeting or if you need to do any work. They will let you access the wifi though.

I ordered the bulgogi sandwich. The bulgogi was yummy but the bread got very soggy very fast. They use a soft bread that with another filling would be nice but for a saucy meat, it did not stand up well. I ended up just eating half of the bun and then eating the meat with my fork because the soggy bread wasn't nice.

While eating, my friend took a sip of her coffee and it spilled all over her food. We had a closer look at the cup and turns out it was defective and bent, making the cup not fit properly. She went to the front to ask for a replacement coffee. She didn't even ask for a replacement meal even though that got ruined. She was met with 2 staff members arguing with her, saying it was her fault when it was the defective cups fault, and telling her they will only do it once, don't ask again. I was shocked that they fought so hard over a single coffee. Any other coffee shop would replace it no problem and even apologize for their defective cup. It costs barely anything for them to replace it but by choosing to argue, they have lost our business moving forward.

We continued our meeting but the noise really overwhelmed me I couldn't stay. I saw there was a seat outside so I told one waitstaff that we were moving outside. We still had a coffee and a cookie. Soon after we went outside, another staff member came out and just looked at our table. She did not look at the other table or ask us if we needed anything. It felt like they were checking if we still had stuff. It felt quite uncomfortable.

That's when we decided to leave. We walked to another coffee shop close by (I can't remember the name but it's beside subway in Austin) where it was quieter, staff was friendly and lots of plugs so we could continue to work (and continue to spend our money there).

So yes, unfortunately I should have believed the low reviews and not come at all. It was disappointing on multiple levels and we will not be back. I hope that argument over that coffee was...

UPDATE: Sun. June 9/24 at approx. 9:30am This time I had the Oreo Waffle with the ice cream on the side. And it was deeelliiicious!!!

ANNNDDD...this time, there was raw sugar available for a sweetner!! THANK YOU @ La Forêt for the option. (There was also honey.) Sat. June 1/24 at approx. 10am-ish 2 coffees, 1xSupreme Salmon Benny & 1xFried Chicken Platter approx $63±tip

CONS: -Parking is brutal! Such a large resturant with lots of seating, but little to no parking for patrons. I think there are like 7 spots in front, for small suv size and smaller. The street behind (Ridgeway Ave) has street parking and you can walk along the side of the building to get to the front, but you'll see 2 massive mouse/rat traps along your path. If there is a large vehicle parked right at the top of the stairs to the path, you'll have to try to manoeuver through the parked vehicles. -No accessbility button for doors: so if you're in a wheelchair, on crutches, using a walker/cane, or have a stroller and you're by yourself, it could present a challenge to enter with their massive entry doors. -If there are potatoes in the menu item you order, you may or may not get the choice of how you want them done (roasted vs crispy vs ??). I put this as a "con" becauase both hubby & I had potatoes in our selections but he only got to specify how he wanted them done: it doesn't tell you in the item description which menu items are going to have that option. Cashier didn't even realize that he could choose and I could not, until I questioned her how come she asked him, and not me. -No option for Raw Sugar. Huge con for me, as that's what I like. I asked and person said they've never offered it, nor are they thinking of offering it. -I ordered the Supreme Smoked Salmon Benedict Platter: Wanted to try the Supreme Squid Ink croissant and realize I'm not a fan. In future I hope they consider the option for a regular butter croissant. -It's a little loud. If it wasn't so busy, maybe it would be a nicer place to be able to have a conversation with the others in your group.

PROS: -Ordering food was smooth transaction. When we first arrived there wasn't much of a line, so there was only 1 cashier. When they saw it was getting busy, they quickly opened up a 2nd cashier to get the line going. -La Forêt Coffee Blend was yummy. (Still would've liked the raw sugar with my coffee.) -Clean. -Lots of seating.

I would definitely go back again. Lots...

I was really curious to check out the new location in Coquitlam, because I live so close.

I noticed a lot of mixed reviews, with some people complaining about the parking, price, food quality, and customer service, and others being blown away by how good everything is. My experience was somewhere in between.

I went around 3pm on a weekday, so the location wasn’t busy at all, though I can see how the parking would fill up quickly. I ordered a Mango Cream croissant, a Black Parmesan croissant, and a 16oz Americano Misto. Before tip, the total came to $19.79.

They give you a device that alerts you when your order is ready. The croissants were ready for me at the till? And my coffee arrived shortly after paying. The staff interactions were purely transactional. Not particularly friendly, but not unfriendly either.

The atmosphere is definitely interesting, with their forest theme, but with the amount of open space and tables, it feels a little too industrial for my liking. It makes me long for the quaint interior of Coffee & Vanilla, across the street.

I took my order to-go, and I was pretty shocked by the amount of unnecessary packaging they give you, particularly the non-recyclable packaging. I hope they figure out how to reduce that.

The Americano Misto was perfectly average. No complaints, but nothing to write home about. Similarly, the croissants, while definitely Instagram-worthy, were also pretty average.

Weirdly, the Black Parmesan croissant tasted like a plain croissant, to me, and the outside was quite soft. I don’t mind that, but maybe don’t try this one if you’re trying to be adventurous, or if you really like a crispy exterior. The inside was wonderfully soft and fluffy though.

The Mango Cream croissant has a delicious filling, and a crispier outside, but the pieces of mango left something to be desired. They were quite firm and stringy. I’ve definitely had better in that $8.50 price range, from Nemesis and La Saison de Patisserie.

Overall, I’d give this location a 3.5/5, if that was possible. Since it’s not, I’ll give them a 4. I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here, but if you’re in the area, I think it’s worth checking out. Since I live nearby, I’ll probably be back to try some other items...