Chinese New Year is a festive time of large, roundtable dinners with family and friends. Market by Jean-Georges at the Shangri-La Vancouver has custom designed a festive menu to celebrate the Lunar New Year, available exclusively from now until February 28th.

This custom menu is available during dinner service only and feature a spectrum of delectable dishes served on exquisite custom Blue Willow china. Whether you favour ocean flavours such as the Atlantic Lobster Spring Roll or the juicy, tender Shangri-La Squab, this 3-course curated menu lets you experience unique tastes of greens, seafood, meats and handcrafted desserts to cap off your evening.

Here’s a visual walkthrough of all the delightful and beautifully presented creations from the Market by Jean Georges culinary team. While it isn’t our first visit to the restaurant, we are repeatedly surprised by the attention to detail of the entire experience, from the warm greeting at reception, the attentive server keeping a close eye on all our needs from napkins to more water, and the consideration of how all the ingredients on a plate work together to deliver a medley of flavours in each dish - Market by Jean Georges serves up a fine dining experience that is hard to beat.

We started off our meal with shared appetizers rich in flavour. The Scallop Black Truffle Dumplings were topped with shoyu ikura, a light finishing touch to balance the pork within. 

The Atlantic Lobster Spring Rolls were hot and crispy, with Atlantic lobster, foie gras,  honey and soy for a decadent treat with a crunch in every bite. It’s definitely unique to include ingredients such as foie gras to heighten the taste profile of a spring roll.

To round out the appetizers, we each received individual plates of mustard greens topped with grilled Sakura pork cheek with spicy black garlic aioli, a lovely sauce to add flavour to the dish.

For our mains, each dish incorporates sayings of good fortune to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The Pan-Roasted Sea Bream signifies wealth, Shangri-la Squab with black bean risotto and refreshing nashi pear cubes stands for harmony within the family, and the Cha Ca La Vong noodles symbolize longevity and is served in a delicious curry sauce with carrots slices. Executive Chef Ken Nakano was inspired by a curry he tried in Vietnam, and adapted the flavours to this dish.

The entrees are served in generous portions so we suggest you come hungry, as you will still need to save room for the three desserts. The Tangerine Pavolova with Lychee and Pomello Sorbet is a light and refreshing wrap to the dinner. The Pomello Sorbet with its tanginess is a great way to cleanse the palette after the more intense flavours of the squab and noodles.

The Mochi Daifuku is my personal favourite, as I look forward to eating sweet sesame dumplings at every family gathering. Slightly cool to the lips, the mochi is filled with a creamy sesame filling that spills out on your first bite.

We recommend slowing down the evening with the aromatic Time Traveler tea by O-Five Rare Tea Bar. Sip the tea from China’s Yunnan province, taken from trees that are 700 years old, and nibble on the candied carrots it is served with to wind down the luxurious dining experience. Again, served in custom blue willow china, our host took the time to share the story behind the design, one of a princess falling in love with a commoner and how their love story.

The Chinese New Year menu at Market by Jean-Georges at Shangri-La Vancouver is an experience that is not to be missed. It’s a treat for both you and your guest and a refreshing way to ring in the new year.

Call 604.695.1115 today or use your Opentable app to make a reservation to experience their limited time Chinese New Year menu, we guarantee it will be a memorable meal that will keep you coming back for their future menu offerings.

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1115 Alberni St, Vancouver

(604) 695-1115

Photos by Florence Leung