Exactly a month ago, after Fan Expo I had the opportunity to finally check out a restaurant I have been meaning to go to for some time now. The restaurant known for great Chinese food, is called Luckee by celebrity chef, Susur Lee. Keep in mind, just like all of my other food reviews, this is just for the vegetarian food. Before we start to discuss the food and experience, here is a little background on the chef himself.

Background

Susur Lee is a celebrity chef based from Toronto, Canada who has had opened restaurants all over the world. He has made several television appearances and is known for his fusion culinary style. He is probably most known by non-food lovers for opening a restaurant with Drake.

If you wanted to get a look at the restaurant in video format as well watch a short interview between him and his son Kai, check out this episode of Footlocker’s Sole Food below.

Location: 328 Wellington Street West, Toronto, Ontario

Review

Taste

When it comes to critiquing food, the expectations are always set. However, it is much higher when the food is from a celebrity chef’s restaurant.  In my personal experience, the only other celebrity chef restaurant I ate at was Vij’s in Vancouver. The food and experience there was great so I did have a reasonably high expectation for Luckee.

When it comes to taste, Luckee definitely scores well in my books. The quality of the food is rich with flavour, texture and portion. I say this because although it may not seem like a lot, all three components mentioned composes the balance your stomach requires.

I chose to place the two pictures above in this category because they were my favourite. The golden sand mushroom was well cooked and tasty. There were a lot in this plate and I decided to pack it because how well delicious it was. The ice cream dessert was also a solid dessert that complimented the main dishes. It was light enough to not overwhelm my stomach but had enough flavour to clean the plate.

Overall, all the food I ate tasted well. However, my top recommendations for you to try (in order of what I enjoyed the most) will be the golden sand mushrooms, teanhouse turnip cake, ice cream waffle dessert and vegetarian dim sum.

Price

Yes, the price may seem to be more on the higher end but to be honest, the prices are not that bad.

Yes, it is a famous chef so there will be a mark-up especially since the restaurant is located in the SoHo metropolitan hotel. The reason for why I don’t fully agree with it is because the dishes alone are not significantly priced high. However, they do add up and if you are part of a large group, the bill can come up a little hefty. Someone actually showed me their bill from when they went with their coworkers and it came up to over $1,000.00! 

Service

The waiter was respectful and kind. If she didn’t know the answer she admitted it but made sure she verified and provided with the correct answer. That is a very important part of customer service in my opinion and significant to the overall experience.

Venue

The venue and space was well thought out. There is so much details that the space is composed of and it is well kept. For instance, there is a branded place mat and candle light while you eat. Also, the design of the walls, paintings and lighting also gives the restaurant cultural value. With Susur having international experience, the post-card you receive when leaving is a great touch.

Would I Go Again? 

Yes, absolutely. I may not be going often due to location and timing but I will definitely return because I enjoyed the overall experience and food.

Recommendation 

All in all, I enjoyed the food. The balance between richness and texture did more than just satisfied my taste buds. The only recommendation I have, is to add more vegetarian options. Although, I wasn’t a big fan of the tofu but I know that is a popular option and I would love to try new items on the menu the next time I go.

Also, if you are interested they do sell an autographed apron for $60 CAD.

There you have it, here is my review of Luckee by Susur Lee. If you have any questions or comments let me know in the comments below. If you wanted me to do a review for your restaurant then don’t hesitate to send me an email!