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- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
14 reviews for Lai Wah Heen
All Reviews
Lai Wah Heen
8/21/2010
this review has nothing to do with the price, because for years i got to (and continue to) wave my "kid status" at family gatherings - uhh... let the awwn-tees and unk-kos fight over the bill.
in fact, i just recently learned that it was the Lai Wah Heen that so many rave about. i only knew it as the place close to grampa's. when he was alive, we'd go here for dim sum and dinner pretty often. but now that he's dead, we never go there. the wider-family takes turns in Markham and Mississauga for meals.
the point is that Lai Wah Heen's quality of food and service, as well as central location make it *the* downtown Toronto choice for chinese food in a more formal setting. but if not for the convenience factor, it may not be worth your while when similar quality is to be had in the near-905.
Lai Wah Heen
8/1/2010
1 photo
Very fragrant jasmine tea. Food was pretty good. The lobster "har gow" was shaped into a lobster. Pretty cute. presentation was excellent. It is one of the better and cleanest dim sum place in downtown Toronto.
I only give it a 3 star because i had better/tastier dim sum elsewhere.
Lai Wah Heen
7/29/2010
So many hater reviews I had to say something.
It's understandable that most people think this is an overprice place for dim sum but this is an UPSCALE restaurant, not some place in chinatown. It's like going to a nice french restaurant and expecting to pay bistro/cafe prices. Most chinese restaurants are loud, sometimes dirty, and the food can be very spotty if you don't know where to go. This place is very clean, the food is good and the atmosphere is great for a NICE meal.
I grew up in Toronto and have been here probably 25 times over the years and have always had great service. Granted my family are regulars in the chinese restaurant scene and therefore know everyone but I don't think that's the only reason.
The dim sum is pretty good but I also had my wedding at the Metropolitan Hotel and Lai Wah Heen catered the event. All 150 of my guests were VERY VERY happy with the dinner and we had a GREAT time! The food was awesome and menu options were great for those who might want to spend less or those who don't mind splurging on their events.
All that said, I was so happy to have our reception catered by Lai Wah Heen and would recommend dinner here to anyone.
Lai Wah Heen
8/19/2010
Nice room. Fresh dim-sum, but lacking flavoring. Not impressed!!!
Lai Wah Heen
3/9/2009
4 photos
Located in the Metro Hotel, Lai Wah Heen is a gorgeous restaurant and dim sum location. We decided to have dim sum for Sunday brunch and were happy to be seated without much of a wait.
All ordering is done from a paper menu that includes English and Chinese translations. Selection is good and prices are moderately high.
Service is polite but otherwise unspectacular and the decor is perhaps the most notable thing about Lai Wah Heen. It really is a beautiful place in the Metro Hotel and great to take out of town guests or visitors.
As for the food, it's solid but not noteworthy. Most items are done well and they do try to add some variations to befit the high class location. For example, XO sauce is included standard on all tables, the shiu mai is topped with a scallop, and the egg custard consists of egg whites only.
In the end though, while I appreciated these touches and the nice atmosphere, I thought the food was only ok. I'm guessing there are better dim sum choices in Toronto, but if not, Lai Wah Heen is a safe bet.
Lai Wah Heen takes American Express.
Lai Wah Heen
3/13/2010
I admit, we weren't necessarily in the mood for Chinese, but given the option to stay in our hotel instead of venturing out into the tsunami-like weather conditions, we went for this place... I would have been much happier if we'd decided to order pizza. The service was very spotty and the food was over-priced and unsatisfying. I shan't return.
Lai Wah Heen
2/4/2009
The best part of this meal was the fact that I didn't have to pay. And the fact that I was living across the street at the time. My friend's father was visiting from Hong Kong and took a group of us out for a fancy pants dinner at this restaurant. I had peeked into the dining room during a fire evacuation (the hotel kindly took us in for a few hours...February in Toronto is NOT FUN) but never thought I'd have a chance to dine there.
That said, we enjoyed several dim sum appetizers, and delighted in Peking Duck prepared in 3 ways. The most memorable was in the classic Chinese pancakes. The waitstaff prepared everything for us, cutting the duck before our eyes and arranging the juicy meat and crispy skin in the rice crepes with some scallion and cucumber for good measure. The cucumber was a wonderful match for the duck.
If my memory serves me correctly, the second preparation of the duck was sauteed with vegetables and glass noodles, which was then wrapped in lettuce leaves as you would with bulgogi. It was yummy, but kind of like a duck spring roll and I was definitely over spring rolls at that point (While I was living in Toronto the closest restaurant that everyone could agree upon was a Thai chain called "Spring Rolls").
I had a very lovely dining experience here...I am guessing that the previous reviewers did not order the Peking duck and did not enjoy a free meal. I find that I enjoy an meal less when it seems to be overpriced. So...get someone to pay for you!
Lai Wah Heen
3/9/2010
Ok yes it's over priced for dim sum. Yes some of the food is just well presented regular dim sum. And yes it seems hard to get into without a reservation. The whole staff is very professional and friendly, but yes the place is a little too high brow. Not exactly what I'm used to when I just want to dig in and stuff my face with yummy dim sum, but I can see what they are trying to do and appreciate it. The presentation is beautiful with quality ingredients and preparation. The food is very detail oriented and is an interesting take on classics. I would definitely go again, but when my wallet is a bit heftier! If you want to go, make a reservation!
Lai Wah Heen
11/14/2009
13 photos
See Blog for full review, highlights below:
Greeted promptly by a friendly young Chinese woman we were asked if we had reservations and when we responded to the negative we were told this was "not a problem at all" and swept away to a table in the main dining room - a beautiful two top near the stairs and adjacent to the large bay windows with an excellent view of the street and the room. Browsing the immediate dining area as we were presented with our menus, water, and a pot of green tea I was impressed by the mixed population - older, younger, Chinese, Canadian, businessmen and families were all represented in large numbers and the room had a "buzz" without being loud.
Kicking things off, from Chef Chan's "Innovative" menu, a steamed dumpling of smoked sturgeon, shrimp and minced butter squash and a steamed crystal purse filled with five spicy shredded duckling & heart of garlic. If the measure of a chef's skill in dim sum is gauged by the creativity, flavor, and thinness of his noodles then I've no doubt we were in the presence of a master - the translucent noodles alone were works of art with my friend's lobster featuring the crustacean's characteristic shape and the sturgeon presented as a small fish while the purse did appear to be a tied-off bag. More impressive than the appearance, however, were the textures and flavors of the dumplings with the mildness of the sturgeon perfectly complimented by the sweetness of the squash and the spicy anise/clove/ginger bite of the five spice duck proving an adequate foil to the pungent and sweet heart of garlic. While certainly not "cheap," the quality of the ingredients was apparent and I'd gladly re-order each dish again.
The next round of dishes were again served in threes, yet somewhat more interesting than the pork dishes. The first dish, Deep-fried taro root paste dumpling filled with sweet plum & minced duckling was an absolutely astonishing dish that my companion summed up as "light, but really dense." Featuring a crispy and airy taro root shell absolutely stuffed with an amalgam of chopped plums and minced duck I have to say that this may have been my favorite flavor pairing of the afternoon and it honestly could've served as a dessert or a savory - an absolute must order. The second option, Filet of bass & thousand years egg in rice roll served with sweet soy sauce. Having never tasted the unique egg-preserving technique prior to this I have to say I didn't know what to expect, but what I received was superb. Mildly salty and somewhat sour the egg proved a balance to the smooth and meaty bass while the sweetened soy brought out the flavors of both the egg and the fish without masking any of their more subtle notes.
More or less stuffed at this point we opted for only one small dessert - traditional Chinese Egg Custards. Served as four small 1/2oz tarts the custards were barely set with the buttery pasty and only a thin skin of custard preventing the creamy vanilla egg compote from being a liquid - absolutely delicious and flawlessly executed - a great end to a wonderful meal.
Making our way to the exit after paying the somewhat impressive bill (I mean, Dim Sum isn't supposed to be "haute cuisine" normally) we took a look at some of the party menus and both agreed that Lai Wah Heen would be an awesome place to return with a larger group in order to sample some of the noodle and rice dishes (normally intended for parties of 4-6 according to the menu) as well as the myriad soups and entrees. Thoroughly satiated and happy we made our way out the doors where our hostess bid us farewell. While I can't say I'm a dim sum expert by any stretch, I can say I've been to some great restaurants and would rank Lai Wah Heen's presentations, flavors, and service favorably amongst many of them.
Listed in: Most memorable meals.
Lai Wah Heen
2/6/2009
The dim sum of my DREAMS! The snow crab and lobster dumping came-- SUPRISE (!)-- shaped as a trembling pink rice crab, down to the chewy pink claws!! Every steaming portion was perfect-- the yellow crystal packets were savory and...well..I just keep using the word perfect. Worth every penny (more like fiver) per dish.
I was tempted to knock a star for pretentious service. I mean, it's wobbling rice in little bamboo baskets-- skip the 'tude!
On the other hand, this place wasn't as cacaphonous as some more authentic dim sum places, and my clothes didn't smell like dried shrimp afterwards. And the place is clearly family owned-- I could tell by the sky-high cheekbones and dashing way all the men sashayed the aisles in their suits.
Lai Wah Heen
10/4/2009
While this is quite expensive for Dim Sum it was DELICIOUS. Verrry authentic and very fresh. The Lai Wah Heen fried noodles are amazing with big pieces of fresh seafood. We ate the crystal shrimp dumplings, the chicken dumplings, bbq pork buns and the steamed spare rib with black beans. All were very satisfying. I wish all dim sum was this way. THe other food looked amazing but we only had 2 people so we couldn't handle anymore!
Lai Wah Heen
9/23/2009
As far as Chinese restaurants go...this is an extremely nice restaurant...and the food excellent...the Metropolitan Hotel itself (in which the restaurant is) is somewhat depressing.
Lai Wah Heen
10/3/2008
Dim sum is great but you are much better off going elsewhere. The food is well prepared but you can get similar if not better dim sum for about half the price at the North end of Toronto. The service is pretentious and not welcoming if you're not a well dressed tourist it seems. Overall, if you're comfortable paying twice as much for adequate dim sum, go ahead.
Listed in: Dim Sum in the GTA
Lai Wah Heen
9/11/2008
The same owner as Lai Toh Heen, very similar food. This is a little more convenient to the hotels and other things, however the service was AWFUL and I would not go back. Make a trip to Mt. Pleasent location it is only a 10 min or so cab ride from most areas and is worth it.
