Winter Olympics 2010 - Market by Jean Georges

Wow, it's been months since I've posted anything here. Not that I haven't been eating out, but I've just been so busy to write reviews. I just came across an interesting article about the restaurant Market by Jean Georges in the Shangri-La Hotel in Downtown Vancouver.

Apparently, from Feb. 15 - 17th, celebrity chef Jean George will be in town, joining his team at his restaurant. Hours of operations will be from 11:30 am - 1:00 am with a heated, tented patio.

Read more about the article at Scout Magazine here.

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Shi-Art Chinese Cuisine

Being in Vancouver, we are very lucky, as there are so many choices when it comes to authentic Chinese restaurants. There are tiny ones where the maximum seating is 20 or so, and there are huge ones where you can hold a banquet for several hundred. But whatever the size, there's always quite a couple with quality food. One of the ones that I go to the most is Shi-Art Chinese Cuisine in Richmond Centre. Both their dim sum and dinner are quite good, and the best thing is, they are the only place where you can get dim sum at four in the afternoon.

One of the best thing about Shi-Art Chinese Cuisine is that you can't really go wrong no matter what you ordered. Of the many times I've been to this restaurant, there hasn't been a time when I had thought a dish was terrible. True there were times when I didn't think it was fantastic or anything, but nothing stood out as absolutely horrible.

There price could be a little higher than others in Richmond when it comes to seafood, but at least they are honest when telling you how many pounds that lobster is, as opposed to some other restaurants that will tell you it weighs more. The best thing is just to pick whatever that's on special. If you're an early riser, go to have dim sum there and finish before 11AM to get a discount. The food and quality is all the same, it's just that if not for the discount, not many will go for lunch that early.

Shi-Art Chinese Cuisine is not necessarily the best authentic Chinese restaurant in town, but it's definitely decent. Although the service can be sloppy if you don't know the managers, with the consideration of their food quality and pricing, it's really not bad of a choice when you're craving for Chinese food.

Shi-Art Chinese Cuisine 1302-6551 No. 3 Rd Richmond, B.C. Tel: 604.279.8998

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Market by Jean Georges Restaurant

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.

Market by Jean Georges 1115 Alberni St. (3rd Floor in Shangri-La Hotel) Vancouver, B.C. Tel: 604.695.1115

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Cupcakes

More than once in a while, I get a sweet tooth (hence my flabby belly, hehe), and one of the things that I crave for is cupcakes. And since I live in Vancouver, getting cupcakes is not a difficult thing. Especially when we have the Cupcakes store that specializes in them.

They a great variety of colorful cupcakes with a good selection of flavors. Their stores are usually small, but staffed with friendly people. I like the fact that they have signs on every cupcake that you don't need to ask the cashier about every single cupcake flavor, and it greatly reduces the time at the line up too. The only problem is that they have too many flavors to choose from it gets a little difficult to decide.

My favorite one is the Mint Condition, chocolate cake with mint butter cream and mini chocolate chips on top. My mom really like the Koo Koo, coconut cake with cream cheese frosting and shredded coconut. They're a little on the expensive side though, $2.95 for a cupcake. It gets close to $30 for a dozen. So only buy for your friends if you're feeling super generous.

If you're watching for calories though, there are Minis available for $1.25 each. A good treat for those who needs portion control or those who couldn't finish a regular sized cupcake. Or, if you're the opposite, and want more, they also have the Big Ones for $7.50 each. But just be aware, the icing on the cupcakes are really sweet, so unless you have a super sweet tooth, it's difficult to finish a Big One.

The store has multiple locations, but I've only been to the ones in English Bay and the one near Robson Street. They're both great, and I really don't think it makes a difference of which one you go to. I'm only listing the address for English Bay here, but do checkout their website for all their store locations.

Cupcakes 1168 Denman St. Vancouver, B.C. Tel: 604.974.1300

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