For years Susur Lee has been at the top of Canada’s culinary scene. In the early 2000s, his restaurant Susur was named the best restaurant in Canada. The high-end restaurant catered to the city’s elite but the award-winning celebrity chef wanted something that better reflected his personality.
“I said to myself, I need a more casual place so people don’t need to break the bank and can still taste my food,” he recalls. “So I opened Lee right next to my building in 2005. It was extremely successful. It was like upscale casual dining.” When the economy took a turn, Susur switched game plans – he closed Susur and expanded Lee.
Susur now runs multiple restaurants in Toronto and overseas, but Lee is still the flagship of his restaurant empire. “It has my name, my family name. This is very close to me,” he says. “I have been in that space since 2000, so it’s a long journey. It has a very close relationship to me.”
The service here is great. I'm obsessed with the Singaporean-style slaw to the point where I've drove across the city just to get it as take out.
The portion is great to save for a quick bite the next day.
The tables are a bit close together in the room off the main room but the attentiveness of the servers makes up for it!
I had heard many great things about Lee over the years, so when a friend suggested it for a birthday celebration I was game. We had a great server who had some great recommendations for food. I loved the variety, and the dessert was probably one of the best I've had. We did notice that almost every table was getting the same one, clearly a hit.
Our group was heading to the theatre after for a show; the server was extremely mindful of this, and actually reminded us of our timing. Overall, thought is was great and have recommended it to several people since.
I have been to my share of restaurants, including quite a few fine dining venues. I regret to say that I was highly disappointed with my experience at Lee. Friends have given rave reviews to the old Susur from back in the day, so i was excited to see what Lee would be like.
Upon arriving, the atmosphere was nice, although it seemed a little over done with the Asian-fusion vibe. Our waiter was ever so subtly pushing recommendations at us, and when we didn't bite, we never saw him again all evening until the credit card was out. Our subsequent servers were pleasant enough, but we were already off on the wrong foot with that sour first impression. Lastly, I'm all for fusion cuisine, but the elements that meet on a plate have to make sense. There were some dishes that just had me perplexed from start to finish. Overall, it's a nice place to go for a drink and an interesting experience, but not somewhere I would revisit a second time.
The slaw was by far the most beautiful and pleasant salad/slaw I've ever eaten. The presentation was fantastic and the fact that your server mixes it right at the table and serves it made the experience even more special. We had ordered about 6 different small dishes to share and each dish had very interesting flavour combinations. Duck confit roll was a bit on a salty side for my taste but the seabass was cooked perfectly. I would visit again if were in the area.
We went there for a friend’s birthday. The slaw was very good and most of the food was ok. As we were eating the food, it seemed like the same sauce/flavour was used for most of the food. So, it was too much of the same thing. The server said that she would take care of a little desert because we were celebrating a birthday, so she brought a little chocolate molten cake. We thought it was nice of the server to do this. The way the server was saying she would do a little something for the birthday, gave us the impression that it was a complimentary little desert, as many restaurants do something like that. We were surprised to see that there was a charge for that desert. We were planning on ordering a desert and if we were going to be charged for it, we would have liked to have looked at the desert menu. It left us with a bad impression – as if we were tricked into that desert. Another friend of mine had a similar bad situation at this restaurant where she had surprise charges on the bill. There are better restaurants in the city in terms of food and customer service.
Wonderful atmosphere and great service.
The fusion style of Asian food in a tapas setting is excellent!
The Singoporean Slaw is a must for any newbie to Lee.
It is located close to the Theater district also!
I will be going back for sure!
Restaurantica-dot-ca, thank you! For about 6 years you have not let me down in choosing a restaurant, but this was exceptionally good. On restaurant-crammed King Street West in Toronto, this simple rectangular tightly packed dining-room offers much more than one would expect.
We were lucky that the chef, Susur Lee, was in-house that Saturday night, so we did not even order. He took care of choosing our food and the sequence it came in. Nine courses came in delightful succession with a lovely desert to follow. The variation of taste and mixture of aromas were perfect. It was difficult to imagine a better meal.
Zofia, our waitress was very pleasant. I agree that the food description was a bit over the top, but hey the have earned the right to brag. The music was nice and the atmosphere pleasant. The tables were a bit tight.
Would definitely recommend Lee's
We stumbled upon Lee and decided to go in because it was so busy and so inviting. The waiter suggested we order a few dishes and share, his recommedations were fantastic. The flavours, presentation and food was just incredible. Would return in a heartbeat, still thinking about the incredible flavours.
Food is good but sometimes clouds the taste because of many, many ingredients in a single dish. It's like blended scotch VS single malt. Lee is a very good blended food option, or as they call it, fusion. To me, the best food is still measured by it's simplicity.
Our waiter, Crystal, was wonderful but one of the 'specialists' that bring the individual dishes and give you the lecture about it was too pretentious and it was obvious that he had cold and runny nose. I really didn't like that.
I did like the restaurant interior and lights. I did not like the sound of the stereo system.
Lee is a different experience and worth a visit.
At this price you can't do better. At another price, I haven't found better. A little busy the night we were there, but eat the food an you'll understand why.
This restaurant and its celebrity chef are so well known, I was expecting to be disappointed, assuming there was more hype than substance. How pleasant to be proven wrong. The food was a taste sensation, unparalleled quality in my experience. Expensive, but worth the price. Service was equally attentive, knowledgeable, and courteous.
Home to one of Canada’s most well-known chefs, Susur Lee, this spot focuses on fusion cuisine. Expect dishes like Singapore Slaw, which has 13 different ingredients, or the cheeseburger spring roll. The balanced flavours and complex fusions are what the restaurant has become known for, and Chef Lee’s television appearances don’t hurt either!
Often touted as one of the best chefs in Toronto, Susur Lee’s flagship restaurant is a fan favourite among Winterlicious foodies. The restaurant has perfected fusion cuisine offering the famous Singapore Slaw. You can find these types of dishes and more on the prix-fixe menu this Winterlicous.
