JJ’s Fine Dining

The food here is beautifully presented and the service is considerate and attentive.
The 3-​course dinner for only $ 24 is such a great deal, and the quality is exceptional.
The seared scallop and pork belly appetizer was paired with a bright, crunchy salad and all of the components on the plate really complemented each other. My beef entrée was not only gorgeous to look at, the flavours were incredible. The beef was cooked to medium-​rare perfection, the vegetables were tender without being overcooked and everything was seasoned just right.
The lemon tart, although a bit small, was a nice finish to the meal. I found this to be the least impressive of the three dishes, but it was still quite enjoyable.
A lovely meal with wonderful company — what more could I ask for?

I love to come here and eat the food here the food is good I love the food so much I just can’t get enough of the food here the stuff is wonderful and amazing they’re always smiling delightful and Sherry they will serve you the food in the way that has never been done before they’re serving expertise will blow you are your chair the gastronomic shaft lights will have you feeling like you had the angel suck your balls just such a wonderful place I just can’t get enough of it if they close their doors I simply will not be able to carry on with my life I love this eating and drinking establishment, face.

I’ll be honest, I do have my apprehensions when dining at school-​run restaurants because chances are every single meal you eat here is prepared by different students and supervised by different instructors. Consistency, has been a major concern.
Having said that I can say for most part the instructors teaching at JJ’s (Tony, Anthony, andI Peter) have done a fabulous job teaching chefs in-​training how to work professionally in front-​of-​the-​house. I can confidently say that because ‘ve been here on a couple of occasions for lunch and my food was pretty good. I have had duck terrine with toasted house-​made brioche, butternut squash ravioli, pan seared ling cod with tomato broth, roasted turkey breast with mashed potato, stuffing, and house-​made cranberry sauce, winter fruit crumble which consists of granny smith apples, cranberries served with vanilla bean anglaise, chocolate terrine, and pineapple upside down cake. The food successfully feasted the tongue and the eyes.
The dinner rolls were warm, soft, and fluffy. The coffees, both regular and decaf were fresh and strong. The service was attentive. The students check on our tables on a periodic basis without being overly intrusive.
Service can be longer than usual depending on when you arrive at the restaurant. If you got seated behind a large group (time wise), be prepare to wait. The kitchen has to run just like a regular kitchen would, first come first serve. This place can be quite busy during December as I heard a lot of businesses host their company Christmas parties here.
I can’t comment on the three-​course-​meal dinners during the evenings and the buffet that takes place every second Friday night as I have not tried them.
Every service time there’s a signature cocktail priced at $ 4.50. I’ve heard they make anything from Crantini, Caesar, Pina Colada to mojito. This is bang for your buck. I can’t think of any where that sells cocktails so affordably.
Excellent food. Excellent service. Excellent price. Job well done!

I came here with my culinary meet up group the other day for a 3 course quality chef inspired 4 — 5 star meal for $ 26 plus tax and tip. This is student driven so patience is required as they are learning, however, all went smoothly. They were patient in addressing some of my dietary concerns, the food was plated awesome and the taste (s) were amazing. I had the salmon which was flavorful and tender. While eating you can watch the students prep your food. It is like watching a food network reality show without a lunatic yelling and screaming f-​words at you. We ate at the Bistro 101. I will come back to try their bakery.

Did a spur-​of-​the-​moment lunch here today. Fabulous! Pan-​seared scallops, with truffle gnocchi and crispy artichoke, in an exquisite sauce. Seriously, to die for.
The rum cake with Okanagan peaches and whipped cream stretched the waistband to its’ limit.
The food is so darn good that every citizen of Vancouver should be eating here at least once each year. Support a student! Eat at JJ’s.
A surprisingly good wine list, too! Great value all around.
Reservations are needed — but I called at 11:15am and was in for the 11:30am opening.

I loved it.
Both Evening Teacher and day teacher/Maitre’ds treat everyone with the utmost respect and attention — from the Students to the customers.
Their level of attention is astounding.
The students there do a fine job at serving.
It’s a great place to get a great fine dining meal at an affordable price.

LOVE the live-​feed on the dining room tv on the happenings in the kitchen. The idea of supporting the training of up-​and-​coming chefs is also appealing to me. And yes the service was filled with nervousness and awkwardness, but they are student chefs not professional servers, so that was okay.
The food was alright. I had the lamb that was cooked well, but the vegetable sides lacked in both taste and presentation. The crab cake was a bit disappointing in that it needed more salt and less mayonnaise. The pavlova for dessert was very pretty, but the dessert just again, lacked the finesse and complexity in flavour. (I thought I would get schooled in meringue making, but the one I baked at home, actually did have the fluffy inside, as well as a vanilla bean and lemon zest infused cream. This meringue at JJ’s was disappointingly just all tough candy shell).
I guess the students are practicing the art of executing a service and perhaps did not create the menus themselves. I think it is the passion and creativity that really make a dish, anyways :)
I wanted to love this place, but was left disappointed. Perhaps I will try the cafeteria next door instead.

I really wanted to like this place but wow, what a let down. Came here with my class of 10 for a lunch. Subtly nervous servers, some of whom couldn’t answer simple inquiries of the menu. As a fellow learner who feels the pressure of an evaluator, I can empathize. Their uneasiness and stiff service rubbed off on me though and it became a discussion (read distraction) in our dining experience.
Maybe I’m not much of a foodie, but I was disappointed by the portion sizes. Haute coulture presentation and culinary artistry, but positioned beside the cafeteria food and inexpensive bakery, my stomach was left yearning for more (and not because of any inspirational excitement of my taste buds).
All in all, given the imposed learning environment, wasn’t a good place for a casual eat. Maybe, to enjoy it, I need to go back for an intimate dinner with more formal attire. But then, given the out of the way location, I probably wouldn’t muster up the energy to do so.
Note: You can’t just drop in. Have to make reservations a few days in advance.

This place rocks.
Great value, fantastic menu options, high quality foods, beautiful presentations, and oh-​so-​adorable service.
Though the food is delicious, it’s not even my favourite part. My most memorable part of the experience here is the service. VCC’s chefs in training are expected to alternate work in the front lines as well as in the kitchen. The result? Beautiful meals served by people who would rather be in the kitchen (we had the sweetest guy and his hands were shaking with nervousness when he served us the food, but he did such a great job). It’s really neat to see the passion of a cook working the front lines. It really makes me appreciate cooks for what they do, and how they are the unsung heroes who often go unseen while we enjoy our incredible meals.

I visited this restaurant for the first time this week and was totally impressed. Fine dining for a reasonable price. $ 24 provides a three course meal in a room of white table cloths, well dressed servers and a big screen that provides a view into the kitchen of the chefs-​in-​training.
I dined with a friend. We had a tasty salad of mixed greens, followed by a main course. I opted for salmon while my friend had chicken. Both were delicious. We both chose the lemon tart for desert. Each course had three items to choose from.
For the quality and cost, I would definitely recommend this. It’s a perfect location for the opera and theatre crowds, who come well dressed. For my friend and I who were attending a literary event at the Vancouver library it was easy walking distance. Also close to Skytrain.
Reservations are recommended.

It may not be in the most glamorous locale, but if a fine dining experience at bargain prices is what you’re after, JJ’s serves innovative three-​course meals for about $ 20 to $ 25. It’s situated within Vancouver Community College’s downtown campus building and functions as the training room for VCC’s culinary arts program. All the food is prepared and served by students under the watchful eye of their instructors.
I have been here several times for lunch, and the food is fantastic. I’m not being generous because they’re students; the school is very up-​to-​date with food trends and they really do serve the dishes with flair and little garnishes and all the frills. It’s a full-​on, full-​service, white tablecloth experience, and nice enough even for a business lunch or dinner date. It’s not a huge secret, though, so you generally do need to reserve ahead of time.