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The Market by Jean-Georges is a "destination" restaurant with four distinct experiences; a cozy and casual bistro with fireplace; a heated outdoor terrace with city views; an enticing bar complete with raw bar; and a sophisticated fine-dining room featuring two private rooms, one for 10 and the other 12. The culinary focus will be on seasonal, regional ingredients with particular emphasis on fresh, local seafood.
I have eaten here quite a few times since they opened in early 2009. This restaurant has certainly gone through its ups and downs since. In the early days, it was mostly up, and the place was jam packed all the time. Then, around mid- to late 2010, things started to fall apart, as you can see from the reviews posted from that time up till late 2011, and customers started to desert the place. I don't disagree with those negative reviews, as I, too, was disappointed with the food when eating there during that period. Lately, they seem to have found their grooves again. I just had a wonderful lunch there with a friend. They had tightened their menu, got rid of the unpopular dishes, and re-focused on what the kitchen staff can do best. The price has also dropped from $32 to a more reasonable $29 for the prix fixe (which most customers go for), and in addition, they offer an a la carte menu if you don't mind paying more. Everything we had was top notch in flavour, and the portions were decent. I see that customers have largely returned, as the restaurant was almost full during the lunch period when we were there.
It is time to give this place another chance. Do go and try it out.
For a table of seven foodies this was an unmitigated disaster. Let me begin with the service… 2 hours and 15 minutes after we had been at the table we had been served a dozen oysters (that’s all they had left), and our appetizer course consisting of two orders of tuna tartar, a steelhead and oyster tartar, two orders of the rice cracker crusted tuna, and two orders of soup. In frustration after an exceedingly long wait for our second course, I walked through the restaurant to locate our missing server. She seemed surprised to see me… she hadn’t checked in on the table in at least 45 minutes. Apparently the kitchen was having some difficulties with the crab dumplings (a regular menu item), something our server did not see fit to inform us of. Our sommelier overheard the conversation and flew into action. He was the singular bright light of the evening. He asked what he could do to make things right. I asked that he ensure that the rest of service was better. Shortly afterward our server arrived with our appetizers… almost. Still no crab dumplings, but she did drop three more orders of crusted tuna on the table, two of them to guests who had already had the tuna for their raw course. At no time did she ask what we would like to replace the crab dumplings.
Unfortunately, the evening did not improve. The mains arrived to everyone’s disappointment about 3 hours after we had been seated. The sablefish was overcooked and under seasoned. The short ribs cloyingly sweet, the tenderloin dry and the ‘crusted’ snapper soggy. Even the scallops that were sent to replace the sablefish were overcooked and rather underwhelming in flavour. The mashed potatoes were so over whipped that they were just a glutinous glob. The french fries were great, if that's what you look for in fine dining.
We left the restaurant 4 hours and 15 minutes after we arrived, $1100 dollars and a night out poorer. It was so late that we could not join other friends after dinner as planned.
Don’t waste your time, or your money. Market should be an embarrassment to Jean-George.
OK, you can get some outstanding food here, but forget about the well-hyped truffle pizza. It was disappointing. I was asked my opinion by the server, and when I gave a lukewarm review her reaction was a polite but slightly condescending and dismissive insinuation that I didn't know what I was talking about. The other pizza that we had was far better. What gets me about this place - and maybe it's because I don't go to high-end restaurants very often - is how chintzy they are with the alcohol. Fifteen dollars plus tax and tip for a glass of wine, and it was a few drops in a big glass, and not that great either. Maybe this is what it's like in Vancouver, where restaurants are taxed to death by the government for liquor, so maybe Bring Your Own Wine should be encouraged by Market because the prices for alcohol are insane, considering what you get. I should point out that the place was packed when we were there, so if you've got at least $150.00 for 2, sure, give it a shot.
Celebrated a birthday dinner at Market.
I arrived early and although I was given the option to be seated at my table immediately, I chose to wait for the rest of my party.
Once arrived, we were immediately seated in the main dining room and the server took our drink orders.
For dinner, I had the seared scallop appy, the sable fish main with a side of grilled asparagus, and cheesecake for dessert. All of food was absolutely perfect (I nibbled a little of the lamb off my companion's plate and this seemed to be the favorite among our group).
Our server was excellent, attentive, helpful, and warm.
I had foie gras brulé, beef tenderloin, and a chocolate molten cake.
The foie gras and chocolate cake were good. The beef tenderloin was medium rare, was cooked to perfection. However, the sauce and the crust of the beef was really salty, so as the mushroom, overpowering the meat taste. I had to trim off the crust in order to taste the beef. My friend been there many times at different gatherings with different people, and had heard the same comment about the beef tenderloin- too salty. Perhaps the chef should consider adjusting the flavor. It's a beautiful restaurant, food is affordable, but the quality is just average.
Having read good reviews (though the latest on this site seems to be from 2009), I was excited to visit Market & had high expectations for the place.
I ordered the tuna tartar to start, the braised short ribs for my entree and an ovaltine kulfi with caramelized banana and milk chocolate sauce for dessert.
The tuna tartar was alright, but It did not wow me. It came in a bowl formed with the classic ring mold sitting on a 1mm thick mash of avocado. It could have been better presented. The flavours were very asian inspired and fresh, but I couldn't take more than a few bites because the anise flavour was too overpowering and, quite frankly, the dish got boring after the first bite. It did not have a suitable garnish and it was clear that the chef did not have texture in mind when creating this dish.
My dinner guest ordered the fois gras, which she complained was way over-salted. She had to actually scrape the sauce off of the fois gras for it to be edible.
Next came the short ribs. I had to send it back after the first bite because, while the short rib itself tasted "ok", the sauce covering the ribs made it completely in-edible. It was so salty that it gave me that bitter after-taste that you often get with over-salted food. It really makes me wonder if the chef even tasted the food before it went out. The server agreed to replace it with the ling cod served with rice, which was wonderfully cooked, but again, nothing special. The portion of the ling cod though, was about half the size of my palm, while the portion of the rice was about the size of a large fist. I suppose they had to fill you up somehow.
The dessert was nothing to write home about. The ovaltine kulfi was lacking in malty flavour, though the texture was nice. The only thing I finished on the plate was a small slice of banana with caramelized sugar on top.
The server was quiet, reserved, and not very sociable. He seemed confused and unorganized when it came time to order.
However, if ambiance is what you care for, this is the place for you. Wonderful fireplaces, candlelight and decor.
The bill for 9 people ended up being over $1,000. Cocktails ranged in price from $14 - $20 per drink [1oz, i believe]. My dinner guest had a beef tenderloin priced at $38, which I thought was a little overpriced for what it was.
I definitely will not be visiting Market again, anytime soon. At least not until I hear of a chef change.
Made reservations on-line and visited during the week for lunch. Made a request to sit outside and was shown to one of the best tables overlooking Alberni street. Outdoor sitting area looks great with comfortable chairs. They have some high bar type of seats and tables as well. Only option is the $28 combo lunch. Chose the crab cakes which were great as they had a bit of a lemony broth with it. The hangar steak which was done on the rare side which was very tender. Chocolate pudding to round out the meal, very good. Came with some mix mushrooms which were very good. Service was great and attentive. Value was outstanding for amount of food and service. Would go back and try lunch again. Dinner may be expensive.
Very beautiful restaurant in the heart of Vancouver Downtown. It's a shame that they don't offer brunch because I would go for sure. Went on a Saturday evening around 6pm. The host greeted us promptly & said "Happy Birthday" to my husband, which was nice because they remembered from my reservation request. Then he asked us if we wanted to sit by in the terrace/cafe or in the dining room. I had called a day before to reconfirm my reservation & the lady had told me that they had us in the Alberni room in the dining room. I was confused but since my husband wanted to sit outside, I asked if we could see the table before deciding since it was quite a hot day. He showed us to the table and I think he was just going to seat us and walk away, but I wanted to see the original area I was supposed to be seated in. It was a little area in the corner of the dining room, very cozy and quiet, but above all it had air conditioning. We decided we wanted to sit in the dining room as originally planned & the host actually seemed unhappy. He didn't even say anything & walked away. Weird. Anyways, the rest of the evening was quite enjoyable. Our server, Ron was very friendly & helped answer every single question we had about the menu. We ordered the Rice Cracker Tuna & Bacon Wrapped Shrimp for our appetizers. Both came very quickly & we were impressed with the taste & size; it was a great value for appetizers. For our entrees, I went with the Shortribs & my husband went with the Snapper. I LOVED my dish - fabulous flavours, textures & it was filling. My husband enjoyed his dish as well; the only downside was that the puree was a little on the salty side. (We learned later that everyone said the same thing, so I hope they figure it out and fix it.) Desserts were the Chocolate Cake and Creme Cheesecake. Cake was good but the cheesecake had a spread-like consistency. (It was actually not cooked all the way) The only disappointment other than the cheesecake was while they knew it was my husband's birthday & we came to Market to celebrate, the kitchen staff didn't even do anything fancy with our dessert - no candle or fancy writing like other fancy restaurants do. Oh well, can't win them all. =) I would like to try their lunch special though- $28 for choice of any two entrees & they give you a dessert. Overall, very pleased with Market & will be back for sure.
I met my friend here and was a bit early so I waited for her at the bar and had a drink, the bartender as a bit busy but was pretty cool. The room was really nice and it was pretty full as well (the lounge). When my friend got there we were seated to our table in the dining room which was also very nice. Looking around you could see alot of the people there were there to be seen, not like foodies or anything, oh well whatever. I ordered the char sashimi I think it was and had the snapper as my main, my friend had the charcuterie for her starter and the lamb for her main. The charcurterie was pretty good but my char wasn't, it was like someone just doused lemon juice on it, very acidic. When the waiter asked how it was I told him and he asked me if I ate all the components together. Well duh!!!! I didn't eat them all individually, what a clown! Anyways the rest of the meal was pretty good. Considering the atmosphere and the snobby waiter...don't think I'll be back anytime soon....especially with so many new restaurants in town to try.
Had a surprise birthday table with 12 guests.
Food:
Some dishes were luke-warm, and I prefer hotter dishes.
Great unique desserts, unique sauce for the dishes, and ALL the guests agreed that their dishes were good.
Some didn't like the yuzu sorbet dessert with white chocolate sides and sweet cream, but if it was mixed with all the 3 different ingredients, the dessert was outstanding and unique. It is not your regular "brownie" or "lava cake" or "mousse" etc.
The appetizers were cooked to perfection.
Service:
I had to change the date and number of guests about 3 or 4 times and the hosts were gracious and never irritated. I give them top marks for that.
The main server that was in charge of our table did not really "serve" us. He took our order, and seldom came back to the table. Most of the "serving" were done by a LEGION of lower-ranking servers that brought out the dishes, etc.
I must say that this is the very first restaurant with a "head server" that did not ask us how the food was.
This is just a common thing to do in every restaurant, from lowly White Spot to Blue Water to C Restaurant to West.
Value:
It was a little over what I expected to pay. The whole 4-course dinner was about $65. Since it was a large group, I had to choose one group of "course dinner". The price should have been around 10% less, but I guess we paid a premium for a "group" menu.
Ambiance:
The table we sat at was a large room separated from the rest of the tables via a transparent screen. Three of the four walls were windows overlooking Alberni Street. It was a GREAT location. Keep in mind that we had 12 guests, so it was a large table. If you have 2 to 4 guests per table, you will be confined to the narrow main dining room which sits only 50 to 60 guests. The entrance to the restaurant was quaint, but reminiscent of warm evenings on a summer night. The elevator from the bottom of the hotel to the restaurant led to an outside bridge that led to the restaurant. I liked that. It was something unique. Or... Shangri-La may have wanted to save on the constructions costs. Whatever the reason, the pretext of a well-designed entrance worked.
Conclusion:
I would come back again, and try the a-la-carte dinner menu. The service was good, performed by the lower ranking servers. The head server probably was irritated by the fact that one guest was a baby and one guest did not show up, and one guest left early without ordering anything, and most of the guests did not order wine. So, his tip percentage went down. This I can understand. But, you have to impress the guests so that they would come back, n'est-ce pas? (hehe [sp] French).
was curious to try this new restaurant as there has been lots of hype and good reviews to this place (especially with a world renowned chef behind the creation of their menu)
i dont think i have the words to express how delicious their food was. i started with their bacon wrapped shrimp which came with this sweet & sour sauce that blew me away. the shrimp was fresh and cooked perfectly. shortly after, my soy glazed short ribs with a side of mash potatoes came and this tasted just as great as my appetizer. pork was tender and juicy which got my taste buds rolling. their mash potatoes was very garlic-ey which i enjoyed however some people may not like that as much as i did. i finished with their green tea dessert cake which was light and unique. i wanted to try something different than the typical cheesecake dessert and im glad i tried it but i dont know whether i would order it again.
our waitress was friendly and polite from the beginning of the night. she came by regularly to check on the status of our meals and she knew exactly how to treat her customers with care. always a plus to have great service!
prices are a "bargain" for the quality of food that you receive. they dont quite charge fine dining prices however the bill came out to $70 per person which is decent considering we had the whole nine (although without wine).
the place is beautifully decorated. you have the lounge, restaurant or terrace option to dine in. i sat in the restaurant area which was dimly lit and quieter than the lounge section. the only thing i did not like about where i sat was that the table next to us was too close. i felt they could just reach out and grab a bite of my food.
i would dine here again in a heart beat. one of the best restaurant experiences i have had in a long time and i would recommend anyone to give this place a shot. i now see why jean georges has received the publicity of being who he is in the food world.
On this visit, some friends suggested that we go to try the special "Spice Market of NY" menu.
Now this is where it gets ridiculous. We were told by our very COLD, STUCK-UP waiter that if we wanted to do the special tasting menu that everyone must do it. What if someone in the party had an allergy ...too bad. As I didn't want to disappoint my friends we decided to do it.
Tasting menu ($68) 6 courses. Yes, it truly is a "Tasting" menu meaning bite size portions for all 6 courses.
Bread was not served, instead it was individual servings of pappadums served w/red curry dip (very creative)
1st Shaved Tuna - very creative, flavors worked well together BEST COURSE
2nd Chicken Samosa - 1 very small pc = 2 bites, solid chicken throughout, cilantro yoghurt dip was bland
3rd Black-pepper shrimp - 3 pcs, salty and peppery
4th Vietnamese Chicken Curry - leg and thigh w/bone-in, very salty and difficult to eat as it was served in clay-pot
5th Cod - presentation = 0 as the filet was broken and pieced together, the veg underneath was extremely salty
6th Ovaltine Kulfi - 2nd best course. The chocolate ganache was very smooth and creamy. It was a nice way to finish a mediocre SALTY dinner
Back to the service. Salty food means more water please!! With multiple staff (food runner, busser, server) serving us (party of 8), not 1 noticed empty water glasses for 2 courses until i finally said something. Even the empty cocktail glasses didn't get noticed for 20 mins. Lack of service does not justify the 18% AUTO GRAT at the end of our $800 cheque. Guaranteed grats should still be earned. Head server was quiet rude. Interrupting our conversations w/o a "pardon me" multiple times.
Value - Tasting menu was as expected for this type of restaurant. Small! There were also a lack of vegetables. Service was cold, uncomfortable and lacking. Auto-grat for parties of 6 or more does not mean they don't give us service.
As I am not one to hold my tongue when I have a bad experience...I decided to bite it as I did not want to embarrass my friends but I rather make this my 3rd and final visit here. There are so many better restaurants (for service and value) in Vancouver.
Now off to a good Pho Noodle restaurant as I was still hungry after my $100 per person meal and to take the salty flavors off my palate.
My wife, mother-in-law and I decided to try the Market for brunch on father's day. We'll never make that mistake again.
THE SERVICE - As other reviewers have noted, the service is appalling. To be fair, some of the "junior servers" (I gather that there is some sort of 'team-service' concept at work here) were friendly enough. And I would also except the young female hostess who moved us to another table because of a noise problem - very courteous and very professional. Unfortunately, these bright spots were overshadowed by the obnoxious "head server" (the guy who first 'greeted' - if that's what you'd call it - us, popped by a few times, and presented us with the bill) was cold, disinterested, and imperious. More on that in a moment.
THE FOOD - the beet sald and tuna tartare appetizers were very tasty. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there. Apparently the concept of low/no sodium has yet to be recognized in this kitchen. The flank steak tasted like it was brined - and the sauce that accompained it tasted like the brine. The crust on the halibut was extremely salty. Likewise, the hollandaise sauce on the eggs bene. The salt content was so high that it obliterated any other flavour. Very surprising and disappointing for a restaurant that purports to be one of the best. I've had better meals at a White Spot. Which brings me back to...
THE SERVICE (part II) - his highness, our head waiter. Of course, just before bringing the cheque, he asked (more of a relex for him, really) how our meals were. He was not expecting the response. We told him - VERY salty. He said he'd speak to the manager....BUT no apology, manager talked to us, head waiter brings us the cheque AND MAKES NO MENTION OF THE FACT THAT WE WERE DISSATISFIED. And the bill was not discounted; not that I expected a discount - but I did expect some sort of follow-up, an expression of regret, something, anything, that acknowledged that this sort of thing ought not to happen and it won't happen again. Nope. Just got the bill accompanied by a big plate of indifference.
As another reviewer said, Vancouver has tons of good restaraunts - avoid the Market. The managment obviously doesn't care; if they did, they'd be paying attention to the bad reviews and they'd be doing something to fix the problem.
Want a great meal? Go elsewhere.
It was impossible to get a table to The Market for the last 3 months, it was always fully booked, we finally got in tonight and was really anticipating what the hype was all about. We started off with 6 Kusshi oysters, all fresh and plump! I ordered the soy glazed short ribs with apple - jalapeno puree and rosemary crumbs, it was so delicious!! The flavors went really well together, I especially loved the rosemary crumbs and apple with the ribs, it was the perfect dish! It had great taste, presentation and texture! I also had some of the seared sirloin of beef with gingered mushrooms in a soy - caramel sauce, the beef was so tender and perfectly seared, the sauce was so creamy and it was really delicious with the beef. I was really impressed with the ingredients put together, it was all surprising and really well done! For dessert we had the warm chocolate cake with tahitian vanilla ice cream, the chocolate bursts out of the cake and it was really a wonderful way to end the night. What an exquisite dinner, I would definitely come back to try the other dishes on the menu!
I went to this restaurant with 3 of my friends on a Saturday night at 8pm with no reservations. The inside was booked for the rest of the night and we had a choice to either sit at the patio or the bar. We chose to sit at the last table at the patio. The table was closest to the railing and there was no cover or heater above us. It was very windy so we were rather cold. Luckily, another table opened up about 10 minutes after we sat down and we asked to move. The staff was very accommodating and quickly cleaned the table and moved our cutlery over.
The restaurant was very simple, yet trendy. The patio was very nice and so was the bar.
We ordered the crab cakes, shrimp salad, 2 arctic chars, and 1 steak. Although expensive at $14, the crab cake was very tasty. One of the best I've ever had. I had a piece of shrimp from my friend's shrimp salad and that was very tasty as well. I had the arctic char with truffle mashed potatoes. The char was cooked to my liking but my favorite part of the dish was the truffle mashed potatoes. They were to die for. At around $25, the portion was pretty decent and I was full. I also had a bite of my friend's steak and it was only okay. I've had better.
Service was very professional but it took a very long time to get our entrees. We got our entrees an hour after we got our appys. We ordered at 8:10ish and we didn't get our entree until 9:30 and we were starving.
After some of the reviews on here, I wasn't expecting too much from this restaurant. I thought it was or those new, trendy and expensive type restaurants that serve tiny portion sizes accompanied with snooty service. However, i was pleasantly surprised. Although it took a long time to get my food, I enjoyed my experience and I would recommend going to this restaurant at least once.
I went to Market for a business lunch the other day and we were pleasantly surprised at how nice everything looked. It was bright and clean looking - my only complaint was that on such a nice day, they should have opened up the curtains.
The menu offers a fair selection of different dishes - you get to choose 2 plates plus dessert for $28, which I thought was a fair price. To start, I had the steamed shrimp & avocado salad with champagne dressing - it was incredibly tasty - really decent portion, too. Everything tasted fresh and crisp and the shrimp was very nicely cooked.
For my main, I had the halibut with pumpkin seeds and spaghetti squash in a Soy-Yuzu Nage (a consommé-type broth). I didn't care much for the broth, but the fish was cooked to perfection, as was the spaghetti squash. For dessert I opted for the mango sorbet, but it was a little heavy/dense - more like ice cream.
The service was unbelievably inattentive and very slow, I couldn't believe how long it took to get a refill on my drink - probably 15 minutes. I had to ask the waitress twice after my glass sat empty for 5 minutes - after the second request she replied, "It's on the way" - instead of a simple apology. I thought it quite rude. We were there for close to 2 hours. The time between the appy plates being cleared and the arrival of our main dishes was about 15-20 minutes. Far too long for lunch. The dessert took another 10 minutes after the entrée plates were cleared. For a restaurant at this price point, I do expect far more 'experienced' service and for the food to come out quicker.
I do think I'll go back because the food was really good, but I'll make a point of informing the server if I'm on a strict time schedule.
What a great place to have supper, the ambience was "spot on" and the food was almost perfect. So I decided not to choose anything on the menu but just let the waiter "go for it". He chose 2 raw plate, 2 appys, 2 main and 1 dessert. For the raw we had the Artic Char and the Tuna. Go for the tuna it was perfect, the quantity, presentation and taste. Wrapped in rice crackersd and then cooked mmmmm. very special. Next the Crab cake and the Shripmp Sald - go for the shrimp salad - really fresh witrh an awesome dressing. The crab cake was the only dissapointment - the ginger sauce was over powering for the dish - but Oh well, win some lose some. Next up the lobster and the Sable fish - both winners - perfectly cooked, reasonably priced and large portions. We finished off with the chocolate dessert - wow indulgence and gluttony rule - as did this dessert! I did try to book in the next night to do it all again but alas they were booked till 9.30 and it is a little late for us to eat. Really recommended and I usually hate hotel restaurants!
In the summer the patio is rocking!!! Its so nice!! The ambiance is great, the view and the service is unbelievable.The hostess can check your coats and umbrella.
I have only had drinks here. The lounge area is super nice, classy and elegant. I love the single washrooms. you get served spiced almonds even if your not ordering food,
Drinks are moderatly priced.
Skip the menu (which makes it hard to order for sure), unless you like reading and simply order the sablefish! Stunning flavour in a light broth and it would be overly rude to have declared "Mmmmmm!" one more time at a high volume, while making my tablemates take small samples of this wonderful dish.
Preamble: third time for a Tuesday business lunch. People were actually dressed up slightly!
Food: two items + dessert. Asparagus salad was worse than last time, with the asparagus seemingly too old and the avocado too raw. Hanger steak was replaced by a sirloin steak that had some delightfully tasty mushrooms accompanying. Dessert consisted of light sorbet of three different flavors.
Service: very very solid. waitress knew differences of import beers. cutlery replaced after appetizers. water poured with the utmost care so as not to spill!
Value: for $28, this is a much better value than going to Earl's or Milestone's for example
Ambiance: in the Shangri-La Hotel. not much more needed to be said.
| 1. | Lobby Lounge at Shangri-La Hotel (0 m) |  |
| 2. | Xi Shi Lounge (0 m) | |
| 3. | Kahawa Cafe (26 m) | |
| 4. | Samba Brazilian Steak House (53 m) | |
| 5. | Ki Modern Japanese (59 m) | |
| 6. | Oysi Oysi Restaurant (60 m) | |
| 7. | Daily Grind Coffee Bar (75 m) | |
| 8. | McDonald's (96 m) | |
| 9. | Wendy's Restaurant (97 m) | |
| 10. | Tim Hortons (97 m) |
