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Lee
Category: Restaurants Asian Fusion Asian Fusion [Edit]
601 King Street WToronto, ON M5V 1M5
(416) 504-7867
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 5:30 pm - 11:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Dogs Allowed:
- No
72 reviews for Lee
Review Highlights
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"The spicy crisp tofu was delicious." In 6 reviews -
"Also memorable was the slow braised beef, so tender, rich..." In 8 reviews -
"Lighter mix - we tried the CARAMELIZED BLACK COD." In 6 reviews
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72 reviews in English
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Review from Stefany B.
5/9/2012
One of the best (and most interesting) restaurant experiences I've had in recent memory. Went with a large group while in Toronto on business, all of whom have different tastes and tolerances to spicy foods. Add to that my GF requirements, and my expectations weren't too high. I've never been so happy to be wrong!
Server was great - a bit overdramatic, struck me as the theatrical/drama type, but he was just so darn cute that we could forgive him for it. And, bless him, he dealt with a table of 6 loud Americans (and one Brit) who were trying to out-drink each other all night. He kept the cocktails coming, for which he was handsomely rewarded. Note: don't be fooled by the fancy name for the blanco tequila thing... it's just lime juice and tequila, and it tastes like gasoline.
We took his suggestion to order the "Chef's Choice" meal (we have a few foodies in the group who lost their ish over eating in a Top Chef restaurant). The first course - the slaw perhaps? - was presented in a way so beautifully artistic that it actually pained me to destroy it with my fork. Each subsequent item was presented with an eloquent description, perfectly timed to coincide with the end of the previous course. Our server took note of my GF needs and in some cases, prepared a specific GF version of the main course item just for me (+10 points right there). I love that it was a bunch of things I wouldn't normally order - really forced us to step outside of our comfort zones and try some really delicious food, and I'm sooo glad I did. Two words: green curry. Seriously, you need to eat it.
Dessert looked delicious... I'm not qualified to give much of a review here as I was only able to eat one of the 5 or 6 options, but that one thing was yummy.
Overall... call ahead, make a reservation, and go there. Just avoid the tequila cocktail (stick with the seasonal Bellini, can't go wrong). I'll definitely be back! -
Review from Rich B.
4/22/2012
I was in Buffalo for business (is there another reason?) and after a frustrating work day my co-worker and I decided to leave Buffalo for dinner and drive to another country to eat. A friend in Toronto sent us lots of recommendations and I picked Lee because, well, I thought chef Susur Lee was pretty cool on the Top Chef Masters TV reality entertainment program (he was in the restaurant the night we were there).
Let's see. Where to start. First: we seemed to be surrounded by awkward first dates. That's not the restaurants fault, but it did make for fun dining.
Cool space - typical urban/modern/fusion/slightly asian decor. Is that a thing?
Food we had:
The Singapore Slaw. I enjoyed this and didn't find it overly sweet as some other reviewers did. Maybe they are tweaking the recipe? Maybe my palate was off as I was coming from the culinary capital Buffalo? My dining guest and I both said that we could eat that salad every day. 19 ingredients!
Peking Duck. Great duck and delicious accompaniments - including a little blob of foie gras. Yup. That was good.
We also had a cod of some sort. That classic cod dish that Nobu popularized. It was fine. We also sweet and sour soup, also fine.
Good wine list and the staff were on the ball. I'd go back. -
Review from Laura T.
2/27/2012
I had heard RAVE reviews about Lee, so decided to go with coworkers one night. I wasn't blown away, but it was a neat experience.
Lee is 'sharing style' so they recommend ordering a selection of dishes for the most bang for your buck. For 3 ladies, they suggested 4 -5 dishes which ended up being the right amount of food. Now Lee is not for the faint-of-appetite, it's fairly adventurous menu, so go with like-minded stomachs.
The Singapore Slaw was my favourite - and everyone else at the restaurant seemed to agree as we saw plate, after plate coming out from the kitchen. We tried the mahi mahi tacos that were a special that evening, beef/shrimp/chicken satay (decently spicy, but pretty good), cheese burger spring rolls (meh), and mexican goat cheese tart (ah-ma-zing)! So our dishes were not phenomenal across the board, but no major disappointments.
The servers are VERY knowledgable & friendly. It's a fun evening atmosphere, just the right amount of noise & funky decor.
My quam. The price. For what it is, I found it very overpriced. Beware, portions are NOT huge. Drinks are also very pricey - beer is the only beverage that seems on par with...everywhere else. I exaggerate slightly, but the cheapest glass of wine was $12. That's expensive, right?
Note - make a reservation, as we were quite literally given the boot at 9pm SHARP for an incoming table.
I'm glad I went, good to get the Lee-experience, but I will most likely return to a Firkin next time 'round... -
Review from Annette L.
Toronto, ON
5/8/2012
I went to Lee with some friends for Winterlicious. Again, The 'licious program sponsored by American Epress is a wonderful way to sample some of Toronto's best restaurants. Which is what we decided to do this past Winter at Lee. Dinner was really good-I wouldn't expect anything less by owner and Top Chef Master: Susur Lee. we went off the fixed menu and ordered their famous slaw-which was definitely worth the added expense. The food and drink-awesome cocktails were impeccable as were the wait staff. However, the staff came off very professional but, a little rigid which really isnt a bad thing. And the decor is very cool.
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Review from John K.
5/3/2012
Easily one of the top 5 meals I've ever had, and I feel like that is saying something.
We had to go early to dinner so we weren't hungry and that was unfortunately but I can strongly recommend everything I had:
The Mexian Goat Cheese Tart was a fantastic starter. The flavors in this just worked so excellently together, I could have eaten it all night I think.
Singaporean-Style Slaw. Without a doubt the best salad I've ever had, and one of the best dishes overall. This is a must-taste if you go.
Green Curry Chicken. I don't love all the curry I have to say the least, but this was excellent. As curries go, the flavor was pretty subtle. I want to mainline that sauce.
We had a chocolate dessert as recommended by our waiter (who was excellent and made excellent suggestions).
I would probably give this place 4.5 stars due to the prices, but it was worth it, and the food was so good I'll round up instead of down! -
Review from Brian T.
Toronto, ON
2/11/2012
Having never dined at a Susur Lee establishment before I decided to go check out Lee with a few friends recently. While my expectations were slightly tempered by the fact that Susur is a man of many cities now I am surprised to say that I came out quite disappointed. Here is a quick summary:
Hits...
Duck Pancakes - everything on this dish was very competently executed and the flavours mixed well. The scoop of fois gras served with this dish was a nice touch but not nearly as innovative as it was meant to be. Regardless I would order this again.
Spicy Crisp Tofu - this oddly enough may have been the winner of the night. It was perfectly fried and the sauce it was served with was actually subtle which was refreshing compared to the one-upsmanship of the other dishes.
Diced Vegetable Chow Mein - very flavourful veggies that eat by spooning into a lettuce leaf and eat as a wrap. I don't particularly like lettuce leafs outside of salad but this was pretty delicious.
Misses...
Slow Braised Beef - I don't know what everyone else was raving about here. The taste was okay but the texture felt pre-chewed.
Szechwan spicy pork ribs. These ribs were straight up tough (which is frankly mind boggling given that they weren't smoked, which would have been the only conceivable excuse) and were covered in a sauce that kind of tasted like a pureed jelly donut. At first bite I admit to kind of liking this but then I remembered that I am a grown man. Pass.
Meh....
Singapore Slaw - it was good. Not bad. Not great. But good. Less dressing and a bit more subtlety would have been well used. It kind of reminded me how everyone used to get really worked up over cloyingly sweet and over-sauced pad Thai dishes back in the day because they were "novel".
Mexican tart - it's hard to find fault with something that incorporates both cheese and pastry but the fact remains that the pastry in question was average and the flavour lacked any dimension beyond a bit of cumin.
So?
In conclusion the food was thoroughly okay and was typical King West in being style over substance. Given the price point and the pedigree of the chef however this restaurant should be much, much better.
I hope that when David Chang comes to town he challenges Lee to stop being so complacent. -
Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
Winterlicous 2012 Dinner ($35) at Lee was quite delightful.
No Susur is NOT in the house but I am here to taste the food, not to see him.
Making a reservation even on a Monday is wise because this place does get busy and filled up. Don't expect a quiet romantic atmosphere here.... the noise level can be quite high at time, but at least the lighting is dim and dark enough!
The services was a little slow to start with, then my waiter realized I was not waiting for anyone... I am ready to order, ready to eat and ready to go to the Yelp event.
Lee's pot stickers with salted chilies
- they looks hard of hard but when I bite into one, it was surprising soft and the wrapping just have the right texture and thickness
- The chillies just gave the sauce a little kick... a little salty, a little sour and a little spicy
Slow braised beef with sour cream, potato leek purée & crispy shallots
- This definitely taste beef brisket I used to but with a more intense flavour
- The gravy from the beef is thick and heavy
- hearty and comfort food
Chocolate Banana Cake
- Warm Chocolate cake?! that's all I need to know!!
- As always the dessert is really the best part of the menu....
I really appreciate how the server always explain the ingredients in every single dish that serves... so I don't need to guess what exactly I am eating in the dark.
I need to come back and try out the Singaporian-style slaw (btw Gourmet Malaysia does serves that but usually over the Chinese New Year) and their Top Chef Green Curry Chicken.Listed in: Licious Sent Me Here!!
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Review from Cindy H.
2/5/2012
With high hopes of seeing Susur, we ventured out to Lee for dinner. We were seated at table for 2 which was a bit too close to other couples, but not a big issue.
The$35 Winterlicious menu had a good selection so we selected the Lee's pot stickers, ginger crusted Mahi Mahi and the chocolate banana cake with wild blueberries. We also ordered the Singaporian-style slaw and the Top Chef Green Curry Chicken.
The best part of our meals were the beginning and the end. Absolute best dish was the slaw, by far. It's fresh, crunchy peanut texture and very flavourful dressing tasted amazing. The pot stickers were OK, nothing special. We also found the Mahi Mahi to be a bit bland. It was accompanied by a aloo ghobi croquette which added some flavour. The green curry chicken wasn't too outstanding either.
Highly recommend the chocolate banana cake with wild blueberries. All of the flavours work nicely together.
Service was fantastic for us - the waiters were very attentive with water refills and re-folding napkins when guests left the table. They also described all of the ingredients in the dishes, as they were delivered to our table.
No glimpse of Susur Lee but when we go back next time, we'll splurge on the slaw again and try some new dishes. -
Review from Jessica W.
Toronto, ON
2/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
We got the tasting menu which was 7 courses and reasonably priced, especially if you want to try a variety of dishes.
The standout was definitely the slaw. I could've eaten a bucket of it, it was so good. Everything else was great, I really liked the spiciness of the shrimp and the fried tofu. The service was very attentive, but still friendly and comfortable. -
Review from David F.
Toronto, ON
3/31/2012
Was at Sursur tonight. As always, the food was exceptional and the staff... attention to detail - amazing! Even the DJ, took our request to elevate... Great experience!
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Review from Nooreen J.
Toronto, ON
12/19/2011
Scrumptious, delicious, divine! These words do not do Lee justice! A cornucopia of flavours danced across my tongue all night. The Singapore slaw was an utter delight. It ran from tangy to sweet, and had just the right amount of zip to be labelled perfection. Other notables were the satays and mexican goat cheese tart. I'm surprised I wasn't rolled out of there!
The DJ was phenomenal and has me smiling all night after he played "50 ways to leave your lover". Our server was fantastic, helpful and charming without being overbearing. I only wish that it was a touch quieter, so that conversation is a little easier but really who has time to talk when you're devouring food that fantastic!? -
Review from Holly B.
Dartmouth, NS
3/1/2012
Mind-blowing. Absolutely the most incredible dining experience ever. We ordered half the menu...the cod was unreal, as was the filet, the shrimp - the cheeseburger spring roll!! Susur Lee is a genius. The servers were so knowledgeable and professional. I honestly don't even know where to begin. If you go to Toronto, go here. If you want to impress a date, go here. If you are on a date, book it here. Just make an excuse and go, it is unreal. It isn't just a meal, it is an experience.
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Review from Thu N.
Updated - 12/22/2011
I'm amazed that even after a year, the excellent quality at Lee has not changed. We made the mistake of having 8 people with RSVP for dinner anywhere on king west! We decided to pop in Lee to check and the staff were courteous and opened up the private room for us!! Next time you have dinner with clients, definitely consider the private room here! You get to walk thru the kitchen into a quiet stately space. It's great for conversations and feeling comfortable.
Ok so onwards to the food. Everything we ordered was solid. Started with the amazing Singapore slaw, the famous top chef curry chicken (still one of my all time fav dishes), duck done in multiple ways (Peking duck was delicious)! Scallops, braised beef, gosh I don't even remember the rest. Desserts were heavenly too. I love sharing portions and trying a little of everything. The food all came out on time and the wine was poured with the right pace.
Honestly you could never hope to have this quality of food and service for the price anywhere in the city. I think it was about $500 all in for 8 of us. Everyone at the table was incredibly stuffed and happy and I'm definitely going to come back.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/29/2010
I'm always skeptical of asian fusion because sometimes it turns out to be just really overpriced… Read more »
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Review from Juliana H.
Toronto, ON
9/11/2011
This weekend we ventured out and fought the TIFF traffic for my birthday dinner at Lee. Since our reservation (told in advance we had a maximum of two hours) was for 6:15 pm, we beat the main dinner rush and the restaurant wasn't full. We had a choice of inside or patio. Having never been there before, I opted for inside so I could look around.
In the background, Susur himself was bustling around plugging in extension cords and fixing floral arrangements. The hosts were pleasant and took us to our table. Almost immediately, our server came over and took our drink order. While waiting for our drinks, three separate staff members came over and repeated the same script: "Have you dined with us before? This is a sharing style restaurant" and so on. Inefficient? Yes, but forgivable.
We ordered the potato chips and hamburger spring rolls for appetizers. I wasn't a huge fan of the filling in the spring roll, but I could appreciate the variety of textures. For mains, the infamous slaw, the tuna feature dish, and the green curry despite the servers insistence that the beef dishes are superior. I enjoyed all of them, especially the slaw and the green curry (YUM!). The only issue was the pacing at which the dishes were served. There was an uncomfortably long gap after the initial rush of the first few. I was actually speculating if they 'd forgotten the rest of our order when our server came over and said she had told them to hold off, so we could have a break. I suppose, in retrospect, I can appreciate her consideration because we left the restaurant pleasantly full with two carry-out containers.
Overall, I enjoyed Lee and would definitely consider returning for another special occasion meal. -
Review from Jack V.
2/6/2012
Ok so the hype had us convinced this should be the first place for dinner in Tor. Unfortunately the service and well below optimal portions has me waiting for a burger down the street! After dropping $160 I came out hungry and annoyed. Well done.
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Review from Valerie G.
3/4/2012
Simply AMAZING! This is the best dining experience I have had in Toronto.
We went with 6 girlfriends and they were able to do a chef's tasting menu to compliment exactly what we wanted. We just told the waitress what menu items caught our eye and she just took it away from there and every course she presented us with was unbelievably tasty.
What we loved:
- Singapore Slaw
- Beef Brisket
- Dumplings
It was a top notch experience from start to finish. Service was impeccable, the place was bumpin, but not too noisy and the DJ was spinning great background music. Dishes were presented impeccably and tasted even better than they looked.
To top it off, the bill was a great surprise. $75/pp with a few bottles of wine and a fantastic memorable meal worth every penny. I will be back as often as I can! I am dreaming about the singapore slaw. -
Review from Nina P.
7/21/2011 1 photo
SUPER DISAPPOINTED IN MAY - THIS PLACE WAS A CROWDED MESS!
I was in Toronto with hubby for our anniversary and we wanted to go big for our special weekend so we decided - on the spur of the moment - to try Lee. We like watching Top Chef and we're super foodies - so we thought why not!
WHAT A MISTAKE! We got there at 6:30pm on a Saturday and the host looked like someone had threatened him with a sawed off shot gun! We realized it's probably a busy place but it seemed even worse than that. We knew we had no chance of getting a table so we hit the bar for some cocktails and appetizers. The place only got more zoo crazy after that - it was like watching a horror film.
LOADS of people crammed in trying to get a table - the host often all together DISAPPEARING! (This was funny to watch from the bar in a sick way) From chic to geek tons of people tried to jam in there.
I was glad we had a little bar table and thinking this was a genius move! We had beer and champagne by the glass cause the cocktails were just outright ridiculously priced.
The decor was unique and cool- very east meets west. And to my surprise Susur Lee was there darting in and out of the kitchen, greeting tables, and SEEMINGLY terrorizing the staff! We watched as staff would go out of their way to not get near him - go around the whole dining room almost in a way just to avoid him. He smiled when meeting guests and taking pictures but at all other times seemed pissed. I thought it might be cool to try and get a photo with him before we left BUT then we had some of the appetizers and I decided IT WAS A WASTE OF ANYMORE TIME - CAUSE THE FOOD WAS AWFUL!
We tried "SUSUR'S FAVORITES" PEDESTAL which consisted of:
EDAMAME = Always tasty YET I could make this at home
WHIPPED CHICKPEA DIP = Flavorful but could have easily been surpased by a gourmet store dip
SALMON CEVICHE = only OK - not memorable or unique
PEKING DUCK ROLLS = only good thing on the plate (probably cause it's fried?!)
HUNAN CHICKEN WINGS = a total joke
CHEESEBURGER SPRING ROLLS = HORRIBLE! Tasted strange and as if one too many herbs were in the mix.
After having a Cheeseburger Springroll I didn't want to order anything else ( even though I had already asked for a Singapore Slaw) I was officially turned off.
I had just had enough of the whole experience. I was turned off that the great Susur Lee seems to be pandering to the masses. THIS WAS NO MORIMOTO'S! Maybe it was an extremely busy night but the place just seemed chaotic. Like the computers were down BUT THEY WEREN'T!
I'm glad we didn't get a table - I'm glad I didn't spend lavishly on a whole meal there cause the dessert from my hotels room service was amazing that night compared to everything at LEE RESTAURANT! -
Review from Izzy S.
Toronto, ON
4/13/2012
One of my favourite restaurants in Toronto. Amazing food. I am not giving 5 starts only because I have had issues with the servers on occasion. I have been spilt on there one night while being served our drinks. I had no problem with this, accidents happen. My issue was that the manager on duty did not offer to pay for our drinks. They offered to comp our dessert at the end of the meal (which we do not order). I would have expected more since I have given the restaurant a lot of business over the many years it has been open. I have had one or two more instances such as this. In terms of food however, I have NEVER been disappointed.
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Review from Betty T.
Toronto, ON
7/5/2011
To preface this review, you should know that I'm a huge Susur fan... top chef master ftw! So be warned, I am slightly biased.
I walked into Lee Restaurant on a Saturday night without reservations and got seated in what I think was Lee Lounge, at one of their bar tables with the high top stools. It didn't matter to me because we still got to order the same food.
The ambiance was nice, tons of people all around including families, young adults and old adults. I actually really enjoyed the music - hello flashback mid 2000 hip hop.
I ordered:
- singapore asian slaw (great flavours and texture.. make sure you order it with the salmon sashimi!)
- top chef green curry (delicious, juicy chicken)
- braised beef (melted in my mouth)
EVERYTHING was delicious. Although I do wish that the green curry had more sauce.
The only thing I didn't quite enjoy was the service. My friend and I were served by 4 different waiters.... asking us the same thing again and again. I don't understand why they didn't communicate with each other. 3 different wait staff each dropped glasses full of drinks when I was there. One of those drinks spilled on me - thankfully I was wearing dark shorts and none of the glass bits actually hit me. But I found that to be a highly excessive number for a restaurant that should be offering top notch waiters.
The meal was expensive, but the food more than made up for it. Plus, Susur was around and came to talk to me and my friend. *heart flutters* -
Review from Bill T.
8/28/2011
Having seen Top Chef Masters, I've always wanted to try Lee Susur's restaurants. I went in with very high expectations knowing that Lee was named one of the "Ten Chefs of the Millenium", and was not at all disappointed. The meal at Lee Restaurant was the best I had in Toronto, far exceeding the likes of Mistura, Scaramouche and the ever-so-popular Guu.
My GF and I ordered four dishes and two desserts, of which I strongly recommend the Singaporean slaw. If there is one thing you should get, order the slaw. We ordered it plain, without the sashimi, but I could definitely see how the fish could add an additional dimension to the already perfect salad -- something I'm looking forward to trying in the near future. The salad honestly tasted better after each and every bite, so I would suggest ordering at least one salad for every two persons in the party.
We also ordered the black cod, but I went a little overzealous with the lime juice and made it slightly too sour. The turnip cake underneath was a delight.
The top chef curry chicken was probably my second favourite dish of the night. The strong S.E.A. influence completely took me by surprise, and I absolutely loved it.
The last thing that came was a special duck dish that was not on the menu: chashu duck (basically peking duck with a twist). The dish came with some bbq'd duck pieces, a foie gras mousse spread, crispy tofu skins, various traditional peking duck condiments and pancake wraps. The tofu skin provided the crunchy texture that replaces the duck skin of peking duck (to my understanding) which I thought was genius. It was a fun and engaging dish, but I would probably not order it again.
We ordered a banana cake (meh) and a "French Tong Yuen" dish for dessert. "Tong yuen" is a traditional Chinese dessert dumpling made with sesame paste wrap inside glutenous rice flour. This one was essentially that, but with chocolate ganache, peanuts, sesame and a few other things instead. Amazing.
The overall dining experience was great. We called at about 9 PM on a Thurs. night, and got a reservation at 9:30. Our waiter was attentive, and very knowledgeable of the dishes and gave us well appreciated recommendations. The ambiance was lively, and the decor was very unique.
Four dishes, two desserts, two drinks, came out to slightly over $200. -
Review from Jackie P.
Toronto, ON
4/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
Susur Lee was in the house the evening I dined at Lee, but not even his presence could change the fact that food at Lee, is lacking heart.
Food with heart you ask...Yes, food has heart. It's in the way the chef/cook cares for every component of the meal they make. From the ingredients they source, to the care they put into making it; watching it carefully as it sizzles, stews, simmers or bakes. You can tell Lee's kitchen is lacking real heart or care for what their sending out.
The food was nothing more of average. The duck was too fatty, the cod too fishy and scallop over cooked. The only redeeming item on the menu is the singapore style slaw. All of the items on the menu are meant to be shared family style. The portions are a fair size with a price tag of $24-28+ for every entree. The menu is exciting and promises interesting fusions of food, but is a huge let down when it comes to flavor and getting the science of cooking right.
Service also was weak and unorganized. First, they were 30 minutes late to seating us, then our waitress kept trying to up-sell us on food and alcohol. There's nothing worse than a server whose not listening to what you want and only thinking of racking the bill up. All the food came out at the same time, we had to tell them to slow down. It was also brought out in the wrong order. Each waiter dropping our food off had the same bewildered look on their face. It also took my waitress 15 minutes to bring me chop sticks. Whose hiring these people?
Susur Lee needs to stop stamping his name on more restaurants and get a hold on his kitchen. -
Review from Wendy C.
Milton, ON
1/5/2012
This was our first time at Lee and we've decided that we'll be going every year we're in Canada for a visit.
I was surprised by how reasonable the prices were. Probably because we live in Stockholm and the meal we got at Lee would have easily cost us twice as much.
We ordered the oyster caesars to start. We found it surprisingly spicy. Mine was really hard to drink because the plum tomato kept clogging up the straw. The spiciness was a bit overwhelming.
Oyster shooters were just divine. It was the highlight of our meal. I could have had a dozen oyster shooters and called it a meal.
We ordered spice crusted diver scallops, Szechwan spicy pork ribs and oven roasted heirloom carrots and Jerusalem artichokes. Overall, all the dishes were really good but there were little issues here and there. I think the biggest issue I had with our meal was the Szechwan spicy pork ribs. The first piece I bit into was really pink. We normally eat our pork slightly pink but this was a bit too pink. The waiter told us that the ribs are cured beforehand and that it's safe to eat. The rest of the ribs were nowhere near as pink.
For dessert we ordered the French tangyuan and panna cotta. My husband (Swedish), who don't find regular tangyuan as delicious as I do (Chinese), thought the tangyuan was great. I really liked the panna cotta.
I think one of the thing that influenced my opinion has to do with the fact that I have certain preconceived ideas about some of these foods. Chocolate in tangyuan conflicts with what I'm used to when I eat tangyuan but I did find it less conflicting after my 2nd tangyuan.
We were informed ahead that Susur would be wandering around the restaurant throughout the night. He thanked us for coming when we were heading out. He was such a relaxed person, a lovely man. Much better than the hostess. Her snooty attitude when we showed up gave us something to laugh about when we got to our seats.
We weren't terribly fond of how loud the restaurant was but we also know that we're not like other people. We were seated in what I assumed as the "lounge" area and we definitely liked the relaxed atmosphere. Just would be that much better if we didn't have to yell at each other.
Since this was our first visit my opinions of Lee aren't fully formed. We will most definitely go back for the food. -
Review from Nate G.
Toronto, ON
3/7/2011
Big fan of Susur Lee on Top Chef Masters and after finding out he had restaurants here in Toronto, made it a priority to check it out.
Things got in the way and it took almost a year to finally pull the trigger, but this weekend the wife and I finally got to check out Lee.
Couple of notes:
1)Susur himself was there, wandering around and checking in on people, talking to staff, and just being a presence in the restaurant. AWESOME.
2)Wife got the Diver Scallop dish. I got the Braised Beef. We shared a Singapore Slaw to start.
The Diver Scallop dish was the best seafood I've ever tasted. To be fair, I haven't tried much as a I'm a staunch anti-seafood guy for the most part, but it was just incredible.
The Braised Beef was great, very tender, melt in your mouth, creamy goodness. It could have used a touch more seasoning but that's nitpicking.
The Singapore Slaw is, as most have said, a must-have. The amount of flavors and textures in the dish were amazing, and I could literally eat that every day.
3)Staff were incredibly fun and knowledgeable on all the dishes, and I was incredibly satisfied on that end.
4)Atmosphere was really fun, the music was great (Gangstarr for like an hour? YES PLEASE). It was noisy as hell but I didn't have a problem talking to my wife and it made up for the fact that the tables are REALLY close together, so you don't end up hearing everything the people next to you are saying.
5)Cocktails are a bit pricey but delicious. The Japanese Margarita with Sake was good on the first sip and delicious the more I had.
Honestly I can't say a bad thing about the place that wouldn't just be nit-picking. Highly recommended, a great Toronto experience. -
Review from Brian K.
My partner has particular tastes when it comes to food (and to be honest, many other things), and so shot down my offers of Canoe or Bymark for her birthday dinner. Of course, she couldn't (or wouldn't?) be helpful and offer any alternative locations in return. Luckily, I struck gold - managing to decipher her various disparate remonstrations - by surprising her with Lee.
Note: there's no sign on the outside of this establishment, and we could only confirm we were at the right place by looking at the Dine Safe tag (green, natch). Look for the wood/reddish restaurant just east of Conviction.
The two-tops were a little closer together than I'd prefer, and overall the restaurant was pretty noisy; larger groups seem to be more popular here, and it fits the style of food. Our waiter was extremely helpful and attentive, and recommended four dishes for the two of us. Not one to listen to direction, my date ordered five.
We had: (1) garlic potato chips, (2) Mexican goat cheese tart, (3) Singaporean style slaw, (4) orzo saute with crab, and (5) slow braised beef.
The waiter forewarned that the dishes come out rather haphazardly, and indeed they did. For example, the slaw came out first, and was all we had until about halfway through it (and there's a lot of slaw). We were then blitzkrieged (or the Chinese-fusion equivalent) with the remainder of our dishes, filling our table. Rather than be forced to polish off the slaw early, I would have preferred to have the slaw available throughout the meal to counter the heavier mains. Oh well.
As per the other reviews, the slaw is indeed very popular (saw a lot of it going to other tables), and our waiter promoted it as well. Honestly, I wasn't blown away. I've had versions of this dish before to celebrate CNY, and though it is a superior interpretation, it's still just a shitload of shredded veggies. Like I said above, nice to have almost as a side salad, not particularly strong on its own.
The chips and tart were great. The tart, though a bit lonesome on a plate by itself, was packed with tasty olives and goat cheese. I love anything orzo, and the thai-curry flavour was unexpected and great. We were surprisingly stuffed by the time we got to the braised beef, but still managed to crush this large hunk of meat. I was a bit disappointed with the taste: I expected it to be significantly different from typical Chinese braised beef dishes...and it wasn't - but the texture was fantastic.
Booze was expectedly expensive: bottled beer (no draught) was $7, and cocktails were $14 (eep!). Despite being stuffed, we still ordered dessert. The chocolate molten cake was good, but the stuffed apple crisp was phenomenal.
Re-reading this review it's sounding a bit critical, but we had a great time at Lee. It was definitely on the high-end (including tax and tip, $190), and we may hold off for larger groups, but we'll Susur-ly be back again.
Bonus: Susur was actually there, mingling around. Isn't he supposed to be in New York? -
Review from omar k.
Toronto, ON
12/3/2011
i'll say what everyone else is saying: the slaw is fantastic, the beef is wonderful. the drinks are tasty.
now some stuff most people don't talk about much:
the highs: the dj was really turning out some awesome old beats, quite a pleasure.
the lows: the decor feels a little too clubby and gaudy for the food, which should be the real focus in this place. second, it's way too loud. i was in a group of 3, and we had to shout and often repeat what we had just said so all could hear.
despite that, the food really is fantastic and that's why i only dock 1 star. -
Review from Cindy C.
Toronto, ON
3/7/2011
Amazinggg restaurant. Pricey, but well worth it. Everything is a work of art and a great combo of flavor/
Server recommended 4 share plates between two people, I think 3 is more than enough, depending on what you order.
SIGNATURE DISH - SINGAPORE STYLE SLAW. Must get, this thing is a masterpiece within itself. It had a great mash of asian flavor, must try!! Very unique.
THE DUCK SPECIAL - not sure if it's on the menu all the time, but if they have it, get it. It's like Peking Duck on crack. Taken to a whole new level, it had wraps, it had hoison sauce, it had pate, it had duck with mushrooms and the veggie and fruit stuffings.
SASUR-STYLE DICED VEGGIE CHOW MEIN - this was also a variation on lettuce wraps. It was delicious and filled with flavor. I don't even know what kind of veggies were in them, all of the veggies were so well infused with flavor.
Lighter mix - we tried the CARAMELIZED BLACK COD. This was amazing, it was light and it was on top of a bed of asian turnip cake - very delicious!!!
Overall, I really enjoyed this highly modified version of the traditional asian food - yes it was pricey but omg, well worth it. Great music, knowledgeable staff - excellent!
Yelpers, don't hate on it just because it's a bit pricier. It's good food. -
Review from Jessica H.
Toronto, ON
12/28/2011
The food = amazing
The service = horrible
I would love to go to Lee's every day if I could because the food was extremely delicious, plated and presented perfectly, and made your mouth water.
The service was horrible. Now I only say this because of one server, I can't speak for any other service. But the fact remains that this one server ruined the whole experience. I have never felt so uncomfortable or appalled at this waitresses attitude. During the our dinner she was very short with us and spoke extremely quiet so we needed to ask her to repeat her self several times. Which is excusable because not everyone is outgoing or loud. But at the end of the evening when presented with the bill she had the audacity to attempt to solicit a tip from our table. We had every intention of leaving a tip for her in cash that would be left on the table before we left but she felt it was her job to continuously remind us that we didn't give her a tip on the credit card. Over and over again she would say "Do you realize you didn't leave a tip?" "Do you plan on leaving more money?" "Your friend didn't give me a tip." "You know that you didn't put extra money on your card?"
This is inexcusable and unfortunately I have yet to return to Lee's because of this. Hopefully she has left because I don't want one horrible waitress to ruin Sursur Lee's delicious food. -
Review from KAT t.
6/29/2011
We love Susur Lee... we just went to his restaurant in Washington, DC and now Lee in Toronto.
A couple of the dishes are the same and just as wonderful. I highly recommend the Singapore Salad & the Black Cod. They are just delicious. We also had a special of the day an Asparagus salad with blackberries & goat cheese... Oh my was that wonderful!!! Actually everything we had was just fabulous.
I highly recommend this restaurant. It is a bit pricey but well worth it! Our meal for two with a couple of beers & dessert was about $160 before tip. -
Review from Jen L.
6/9/2011 5 photos
AMAZING, DELICIOUS. There were 5 of us and we went all out. It was my first time in Toronto and this was the only place I wanted to go to. Amazing! 5 of us $450. Make a reso. Cocktails are expensive. Entrees are $20-28 each and fairly small portioned but delicious and worth the price.
- Singaporean style slaw with 17 ingredients. Texture and flavor combo is to die for,
- Caramelized miso black cod on a turnip cake. I always love black cod!
- Garlic tiger shrimp with potato pea croquette - my favorite!
- Top Chef Green Curry Chicken - delicious!!!!
- Duck wraps - duck was kind of chewy but flavorful.
- Bison filet x2 orders - tender, delicious
Leave room for desserts!
- Banana chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream
- Peanut butter chocolate mousse cake with blackberries and sauce
- molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream
- berry and apple crumble cake with vanilla ice cream
AND I got a picture with Susur Lee, which I could have just died. He's wonderful, kind, and the best chef ever! -
Review from Dan C.
North York, ON
12/19/2011
Hands down one of the best restaurants in Toronto. The food is fantastic. The service is great.The slaw, top chef chicken curry and the Korean style skirt steak were just delicious. The molten chocolate cake needs improvement, but was good. This restaurant has fair prices for the quality and quantity you get. It is now my benchmark when comparing other restaurants in the Toronto area.
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Review from Tara A.
12/30/2010
I must admit, I didn't know much about Chef Susur's history until yesterday when two of my girlfriends decided that's where we needed to go for a much deserved holiday dinner together. As to not look like a fool, I Wikipedia'd him and read all about his accomplishments. I was quite impressed.
Upon entering Lee, I was impressed with the atmosphere. The photos on the web site were a bit deceiving. It was cozy and I know this seems ridiculous but I loved the temperature of the restaurant. (For the ladies, the servers were the best eye candy I have seen since Dos Caminos in NYC).
We ordered 5 items off the menu and each were quite delicious and filling, my favs would be the Orzo and the braised beef. The Mussels were seasoned quite well too.
Their Wine list was remarkable and the servers were quite wine savvy (you'd be surprised at how many restaurants have servers who know absolutely nothing about the wine list)
Overall, I would say this restaurant has won me over and will become a staple in my future dining experiences.
One suggestion - make reservations and follow up a few times with them. The people taking the reservations were a bit flighty. -
Review from Viviana M.
Toronto, ON
11/21/2010 3 photos
Dining Experience: Lunch
Venue: Lee
Specialty: Asian Fusion
Menu items: Famous Singaporean Style Slaw, Spicy Crisp Tofu & Four Satay
Working in the King West area, one definitely feels like royalty when indulging in any of the fabulous restaurants located on the King West strip. LEE, a masterpiece by chef Susur Lee, happens to be one of those restaurants where one can easily get to indulge in at lunch time.
Although I have not been to LEE for dinner, I can assure you their lunch menu will have you coming for more, especially during those rare days at work where you happen to have the time to sit down for more than half hour and enjoy a nice meal.
Our lunch started off with the famous Singaporean Style Slaw. According to the restaurant staff, the slaw is made out of 17 different ingredients, which make this salad a delicacy and a mouthwatering masterpiece.
Eating the salad is a ritual on its own. The waiter comes with the salad, tells us about the wonderful mysterious ingredients and proceeds to mix it in for us. It turns out the dressing needs to settle in, once mixed, for about 1 minute before you can start eating it...oh, the beauty of ingredients. Once all ingredients and slices of thin tortilla chips are settled in, the salad becomes crunchy and moist, but not watery or dense. It is just perfection at its best.
From what I tasted, I noticed hints of cilantro leaves, wine sherry vinegar, peanuts, sweet onion, lemon zest and bean sprouts. Clearly, I am missing over 10 ingredients here, but this is as much as I could grasp from the salad. I guess you will need to try it on your own and tell me what else you discover!
Next up, Spicy Crisp Tofu. Not being a vegetarian or a super fan of Tofu, I decided to try this appetizer and give it a shot.
Well, this was worth the shot! The dish is basically composed of big pieces of good quality tofu, lightly battered and deep fried with a wildflower honey soya chili glaze, golden sand, topped with fresh basil. The combination of the chili with the soy sauce, sugar (cane?) and basil, make this yet another hit by Chef Susur.
Our order of appetizers to share finished with the Four Satay. A very sweet end to our degustation.
Let's just say the presentation of this dish was the show stopper. The basket-styled dish, which seemed to be a thin rice cake mix, was delicious. Once we dug in it, we found fresh chili mint chutney (brings memories of Ravi Soups), peanut sauce, Kung pao sauce, all mingling and coating pieces of shrimp, beef, chicken and pork. Of course, having had non-protein "appies", it was about time we introduced protein to our meal. Yet another hit.
For those of you who are highly interested, LEE is only open for lunch between 11:30am - 2:30pm. Also, if you can't make the time for a dine-in meal, LEE offers certain items of their lunch menu for take-out, just call ahead and ask them if they can hook you up!
Bueno Provecho,
VIVIANAListed in: Best Restaurants in Toronto
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Review from JJ K.
6/8/2011
I really wanted to like Lee Restaurant, especially since I was a huge fan of him on Top Chef Masters...but I left wanting/expecting more.
All the reviews raved about the Singaporean Style Slaw, which really is amaaaaaaazing. I'm actually drooling right now, just thinking about it (and I went to Lee Restaurant 3 months ago).
For our entrees, I had the the Slow Braised Beef, which was a huge disappointment. The beef itself was tender, but lacked any real flavor on its own and was a bit too fatty for my taste. The combination of the tender/fatty beef with the potato puree and dollop of sour cream made me feel like I was eating a bowl of mush/baby food. I guess the crispy shallots were supposed to provide some texture, but really didn't add anything.
My boyfriend had the Diver Scallops, which were cooked nicely. All the components worked well together and the crispy bacon was a nice touch (i have a not-so-secret love affair with bacon).
Drinks were $$$. My dragonfly cocktail was tasty, but cost $14.50.
The decor & music was nice, but I hate being packed into a restaurant like sardines. Our table was sandwiched between tables on either side of us, then tables in front and behind us (really really difficult to get into and out of our seats). When our waiter was mixing together our slaw, one of the patrons at the table next to us actually had to STAND UP in order to give him room to do his thing!!! I guess she could've stayed sitting down if she wanted his butt directly in her face.
I don't live in Toronto, but plan on visiting again in the next few months. Will I go back to Lee Restaurant? Yes, but only to sit at the bar and devour the Singaporean Style Slaw. -
Review from Lola L.
10/29/2010
Honestly, this might have been the best restaurant experience of my life.
My boyfriend and I had reservations for 9:30 on a Saturday night, but thought we'd pop in earlier (around 8) to see if they could fit us in. They could! And we got a table which is a little removed from the bustle of the main dining room, so it was perfect.
We started off with a drink special of the night, which was a delicious watermelon martini. Then, we ordered five dishes to split between us and a glass of wine each. We got the Chickpea Sweet Onion Fritter, Mexican Goat Cheese Tart, Curry Chicken, Caramelized Black Cod, and Rack of Lamb.
These dishes all played with flavour in a way that I imagine is very unique to Susur Lee. For example, the fritter was crunchy, yet creamy; savoury, sour, and sweet--all at once. A delight. My favourites were probably the Mexican Goat Cheese Tart and the Caramelized Black Cod. The tart, with black olives, avocado, goat cheese, tomato, etc--was enveloping. It was like a savoury, decadent pillow. The cod was just spectacular. My boyfriend flipped for it. The Curry Chicken and Rack of Lamb were both excellent, as well. If you go, you must get the cod. You will love it.
Aside from the food, the service was superb. Our waiter was attentive and helpful, he brought all the dishes very quickly--we hardly waited between dishes at all!
Bottom line: if you want to have an incredible meal with impeccable service and don't mind spending a little extra for it, this restaurant is the one. It's worth it. -
Review from Marina R.
We had the garlic potato chips (awesome), the fried beefsteak tomato (delicious), the Orzo sauté with crab (spinach, pine nut, fresh pineapple, Thai basil, calamari, diced pork, wrapped in coconut & egg crêpe), the Slow braised beef with sour cream and shallots, and the wrapped apple tart with berry confit for dessert. The food was some of the best tasting/looking food ever. The service was great (we sat at the bar). This was a truly amazing culinary experience for me...I was so in love with the food and the flavors and colors of the dishes.
My advice is to go in a big group so you can order more and taste different dishes. All hail to Susur the King. -
Review from Bryan W.
8/14/2010
Divine. Had lunch and dinner here on the same day. Our waiter and the food itself brought us back. We held back on our lunch order to be all the more surprised by the dinner menu.
At lunch we ordered the two color gazpacho (red and yellow tomato), the spicy crisp tofu, the hamburger (recently rated #1 in Toronto as claimed by a sidewalk chalk sign and our waiter). We also enjoyed Toronto's Steam Whistle pilsner along with our meal. The acclaimed hamburger was good, but the black cod burger was the most unique dish... note the fish is not ground, so it's more of a black cod sandwich. The flavor of the curried tempura cabbage is more noticeable on this sandwich than on the hamburger. If you are deciding between the too and you enjoy fish opt for the black cod. The spicy crisp tofu was delicious. We assumed they made the tofu in the kitchen it was of such great texture and flavor, but they puchase the tofu itself. The spice rub and sauce will transport you.
We were encouraged a dozen times by the wait staff to order Lee's signature disk the Singaporean Slaw. You will be amused by how many Singaporean Slaws you see exiting the kitchen. At one time I looked up and there were three waiters on the floor carrying these towering salds to diners. The Singaporean Slaw has numerous ingredients (19?) and is tossed at your table. Even though everyone else is ordering it you should too!
We also tried the Prince Edward Island Mussels, the Slow braised beef with sour cream and potato leek purée, and finally the green curried chicken that won Susur Lee the highest rating ever on Top Chef Masters.
& crispy shallots
I'm confused by the Yelpers giving low ratings to Susur Lee and Lee Restaurant. The comparison one Yelper makes between Lee and a chinese restaurant is a gross misrepesentation of the food. -
Review from Sandra K.
North York, ON
7/10/2011
The service here was so horrible, that i have no choice but to give it one star. The waiter was absent for the most part. It took them forever to bring the food. The waiter kept forgetting to bring our drinks until the end of main courses. Then he brought our bill before we were done eating. He then brought our coffee for our desserts after we'd paid the bill. After the first sip of our coffee, we were approached by a young staff member, who very rudely told us we had to leave because our time was up! This was despite the fact that there was no visible line, and the table next to us was empty. I've never had such terrible service. While the ambiance was nice, and the food alright, nothing can make up for this, and we left with a bitter taste in our mouths.
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Review from Areej H.
Mississauga, ON
1/29/2012
Had heard a lot about the chef so came here for summerlicious. Everything was amazing. The restaurant is pretty small, so I wouldn't come here with a group. I had the cheeseburger appetizer, which is amazing. my friend had the cucumber salad which came with a really nice dressing. For the entree I got chicken-I can't rememer exactly what it was called, it might be the Thai chicken. It was delicious. The service wasn't that great, and we felt a little rushed, but the food made up for it. Everything was well plated, and the server went into detail about each course. Would definetly return.
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Review from Karen G.
8/27/2010 1 Check-in Here
Went to Lee for lunch today and sat on the patio. We had a lovely meal. The Spicy crisp tofu with wildflower honey soya chili glaze, golden sand, fresh basil was outstanding as was the Mexican goat cheese tart with black olive, tomato, red pepper, eggplant, jalapeno & tomatillo - that was probably my favourite. We also had the cod burger with fries which was really good but I wish I had gone with my gut and tried the Caramelized black cod. I saw someone else order it and it looked amazing.
The Tong Yuen Sweet Rice Dumpling with chocolate ganache,
shredded coconut hazelnut, peanut, & sesame seeds were outstanding.
The presentation of all of the dishes (except for the burger which was nothing special) was beautiful. The service was good, not outstanding. The espresso martini was decadent.
I would recommend this restaurant. -
Review from Larry L.
Toronto, ON
12/6/2010
Very little can be said about Chef Susur's creations that is bad. In a city where many have tried to do the "fusion" thing and failed (cf. Monsoon), he gets it right - probably because his training is actually chinese and his ingredient selection goes beyond soy sauce.
It gets really crowded here, so a reservation is definitely advisable. Their menu changes every so often, but the wait staff usually have a good idea of what's good and what's great. I always am happy that their Singapore Slaw remains on the menu as I always am sure to order a portion or two for my table.
Oh, and once and a while, if you're lucky, Chef Susur might even come out and say hello! He's a bit gruff, but who cares - his food speaks for him, and it's better than poetry. WOHO!
