I've been to the Market by Jean Georges for lunch twice now, and have yet to try dinner there. The restaurant is fine dining, but does have a casual cafe atmosphere to it with a terrace opened throughout the day for drinks and meals. Unfortunately, though, both of my lunch experiences with them were only above average, and sadly, it was only because the service wasn't up to par.
One of the best thing about lunch at Market by Jean Georges is the price. You can get a 3 course menu at only $28, without beverages, and there is a very good selection of dishes you can choose from. All their ingredients are seasonal and regional, so you can be sure that everything is fresh. And being a restaurant of a celebrity chef, the quality of the dishes are, as expected, high.
We've had quite a few dishes there, including salads, scallops, raw oysters, pizza, fishes, steaks and hamburgers, and my favorite had to be their Black Truffle Pizza. Its crust is thin and crispy, and the pizza is very delicious. A little too big for an appetizer, but nonetheless, very delicious. Their raw oysters are decent. There are about 4 different oysters, a red wine vinegar sauce and a cocktail sauce to choose from. Unfortunately, neither the quality of the oysters nor the sauces are as good as the Blue Water Cafe, but for a 3 course lunch menu appetizer, it is worth a try. Their main courses are all quite good, although none stood out as the best in town.
Dessert-wise, I must say that they have quite good of a pastry chef. All of the desserts that I've tried there were excellent, although my favorite had to be the Chocolate Mousse... but then my favorites almost always have chocolate in it.
Now the thing that I didn't really like about Market by Jean Georges is the service. In generally, I am disappointed by the service by the Shangri-La Hotel in Vancouver. The first time I went for lunch, it was very busy, and the service speed was much too slow. Although the second time I was there, the speed of service has improved, the servers are still not as attentive as they should be in a luxury hotel restaurant. For example, I would finish my glass of water during main course, and never had it refilled throughout the rest of my meal, although the server came by several times to clear the table and serve us coffee and dessert. Now I didn't ask him to refill my water, but at a restaurant like that, I shouldn't have to ask.
Other than the service not being up to par for a luxury hotel restaurant, I think Market by Jean Georges is a pretty good choice for quality lunch in Downtown Vancouver. For $28, the portions are decent and filling, and the quality of the ingredients and the dishes are excellent.
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