We came across Le Marché St. George when we got lost in the residential area after having Egg & Co. Brunch a couple of weeks ago. It really stood out from the surrounding residential houses, like a lighthouse among the dark coast. It really looked like a thriving community, so we took the name down to come back later. Today, we are back. If you don’t read anything else in this article, just know that this is a must-try cafe even if you are only slightly interested in the French culture. Le Marché St. George is located on St. George Street and 28th Avenue in Vancouver.
Strength: Good atmosphere. Tasty Food. Strong Community
Weakness:
Other Hidden Gems
- Kin Kao Thai Kitchen (3.5 Stars)
- TerraCotta Boyz (4 Stars)
- The First Dessert (5 Stars)
- Thai Express (4.5 Stars)
Beautiful exterior space with retractable awning
Le Marché St. George is located on a corner. To the left of the entrance, you can find some seating areas along 28th Avenue. There is a retractable awning to provide shading from the Southern sun and rain cover. During my visit, I saw a lot of dog walker come in to grab freshly made baked goods.
Some seating and a small garden to the right side
To the right of the store, there is a bench with a couple of seats along the storefront. You can see a small garden in front.
Weekly special signage next to the entrance
Before entering, you can see the weekly special sign to your left.
Rustic atmosphere that just works
Le Marché St. George opened in November of 2010. The interior decor has a lot of history and culture. There is no shiny decor or fancy crown moldings,but the the carefully crafted rustic style really work congruently to provide an European cozy experience.
International Treasures on shelf
The owner of Le Marché St. George categorized themselves as a grocery store specializing in local artisan product and international treasures. That is self evident on the display shelving.
Wooden box decor with nature
The side display area is decorated with wooden plank boxes with some flowers. The nature elements make this area looks like it’s right out of a fairy tale.
Earnest Ice Cream also sold here
In one of the fridge, you can see ice cream, pies, and even macaroons. I was surprised to see Earnest Ice Cream at first, it’s quite fitting to see artisan small batch ice cream here. A pint of ice cream cost $9.00 at Earnest, but $11.50 at Le Marché St. George.
Sausage and cold cuts also being offered
In another fridge, they sausage and eggs for sale. The original strings still tie around these sausages.
Antique baked goods display
Maybe it’s just me, but the baked goods in the antique display case looked very delectable. This is so beautifully done. The display case and croissant really compliment each other. We couldn’t resist the urge to order two croissants try.
A place that aged really well
There are discoloration on the floor and furniture of Le Marché St. George. It seems like the furniture and decor has seen better days. I really feel that they aged very beautifully along with the store’s heritage and culture.
Each table has a small vase of flower
Each table has a small vase of flowers. This little detail brought each table to life. Not to mention they are really photogenic. The croissants and almond croissants looked really delicious in the antique display case so we got one of each despite the fact that we have already ordered two crepes. They are simply irresistible.
Plain croissant was beautiful
My croissant was not only really beautiful but also taste good. It is very puffy in all direction. Each layer within the croissant is very clearly separated. You can see evidence of the egg-wash from the darkened shiny areas on the exterior.
The interior is very airy
The interior is very puffy. I like how the exterior is not overly crunch. A super crunchy croissant often involves lots of falling flakes. My croissant au beurre stayed in-tact throughout. I was surprised at how airy the interior is. This croissant tastes very buttery. It’s such a satisfying experience.
Almond croissant with overflowing fillings
The almond croissant looks like a square puff pastry simply folded in half to form a triangle. You can see the almond filling pushed out from two sides. There are some sliced almond on top with icing sugar. The sides of the dough is beautifully golden brown to make this appetizing to look at. which allured me to order it on top of my crepe.
Reasonably airy and layered
I just wanted to take this shot for you to see how beautiful the inside looks. Compared to the croissant au beurre, the Croissant aux Amandes has less buttery taste. The rich almond taste really come through, and I’m not even talking about the almond filling that got pushed out. That, is just an explosion of sweet almond flavour in my mouth.
A bowl of Latté
Le Marché St. George is also a very good coffee shop. My latté came expertly made in a small ceramic bowl on a plain white plate. I enjoyed the way I had to cup the bowl with my two hands to enjoy my latté in this cozy ritual-like manner.
My latté is very well crafted. It was rich and foamy, but the brightness of coffee still came through. Steam milk masked the coffee’s bitterness and also introduced a little bit of sweetness to this beverage. The barista’s skill is demonstrated on the uniformity the bubbles. It’s also worth mentioning that there are distinct color between the coffee and steamed milk.
London Fog with flowery plate
This is where I got even more impressed with the barista. To make latté art with espresso shot is like child’s play compared to doing it on tea. Tea’s thickness and consistency quite quite different from concentrated espresso. A big round of applause to our barista. I probably should have tipped her more.
Ham & Gruyère with Bechamel
Unfortunately, this is where my language is going to fall short on praising this crepe. I am not even going to pretend to know much about French cuisine. This is a basic ham and cheese crepe, using very good ham with Gruyère cheese, and topped with Bechamel sauce. It comes with organic greens with balsamic vinegrette.
Inside of the Ham & Gruyère with Bechamel Crepe
I don’t know why this crepe is so full of . All I know is their Cheese comes from Farmhouse Natural Cheeses. The owner of which is one of the twelve people in Western North America that is part of the prestigious French Cheese Guild (Guilde des Fromagers Confrerie de Saint-Uguzon).
The cheese curd has a lot of savory taste. It is a little squeaky like how good cheese curd should have. There are lots of butter in this crepe. Towards the end of my crepe, some of the melted butter started flowing out.
Pear with Brie & Honey
I am usually not a big fan of the sweet crepes, but this pear with Brie crepe has changed my opinion a little. The taste of pear and brie came together very nicely and complement each other. I assumed the honey came from Le Marché St. George’s own beehive in the back garden.
Dull knife may be a good thing
The sweet crepe has topping placed on top of the folded crepe. We can see the consistent thickness from this view. When they are so close together I can feel the multi grain flour’s texture. The knife was unsharpened and very dull. I think this is intentional because the crepe would break when pressure was applied. This decision increases the children-friendliness of the store.
604 Food Critic Assessment
This is the first time that I feel that my vocabulary is too narrow to describe an establishment. I don’t think this article did justice to this cafe grocery store. I simply cannot praise Le Marché St. George enough. This is what a restaurant with integrity and superior standard. They preserved tradition and created a safe haven in the . Parents would bring their young children here for Sunday outing. The children would know exactly what to do, shouting out what they want from the menu, and sitting down in their favorite spot to play. Coming here really made me wonder. Perhaps this is what we work so hard for. Le Marché St. George costs about $15 per person, and this is a place you owe it to yourself to try.
Menu
How to get in touch
- Phone: (604) 565-5107
- Address: 4393 St George St, Vancouver
- Hours: 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
