One of the many things I love about embarking on this blogging journey with my notfoodies partner is that we often want to eat the same food at the same time, it’s like a notfoodies sixth sense! So you can see how excited I was when she suggested going to Susur Lee’s newest endeavour Luckee for Dim Sum.
We arrived at 11am and as one of the first people in the restaurant, we were able to get a look at the entire space without any patrons dining (by the time we left almost every table was filled). The decor is a great mix of funky and classic with some cute touches like the glass window and bar area that allows you to see into the kitchen as they prep the dumplings.
But we were really only there for one thing, the food! We ordered a lot of amazing dishes and some great dessert so I will try to keep my descriptions short.
Har Gow (shrimp dumplings)
These dumplings were cooked to perfection and the filling was just as amazing. It was delicate but also melted in your mouth. I later found out that Chef Lee flew in his close friend master dim sum maker Raymond Fung! This would explain why they are so good!
Chicken Bao (with ginger and green onions)
The Chicken Bao
I will be honest with you and tell you that I was a little disappointed when we were told that the Xiao Long Bao (pork soup dumplings) and the Braised Black Pepper Beef Bao were not available BUT when the Chicken Bao arrived my disappointment vanished. The Bao was fluffy and the chicken filling had great flavour. The ratio of filling to pastry was perfect.
Sui Mai (chicken dumplings with shrimp)
At first glance these looked like the standard sui mai you would get at any Dim Sum restaurant, but they put some kind of an orange liquor or oil in the mix and it takes this to a whole new level!
Luckee Duck
This was the over all winner for today’s meal! Our awesome waiter told us this was the best item on the menu and he was right. I don’t think any of the people we were dining with had a bad thing to say about it! The duck was cooked to perfection and the skin was so crispy I swear I wanted to ask for a plate of just the skin. Usually, I’m not even a duck lover. This was a make your own dish with thin pancakes, perfect julienned batons of cucumber, leeks and apple! The hoisin sauce and chutney added a great texture and flavouring to it. My mouth is watering as I type this description.
Brisket with soy beans
Another amazing dish that was my personal favourite of the day! The brisket is cooked sous vide for 72 HOURS! I don’t think I can ever go back to eating brisket any other way after trying this. It was juicy and tender and complemented the sauce and soy beans perfectly. The slices are small so you don’t feel like you are eating a huge hunk of meat.
Wok fried green beans
Ashley was quite excited for the wok fried green beans and they were a great addition to out meal. They had an olive paste on top with a delicious sauce. Beans seem like a simple dish to cook but I often find that restaurants just don’t seem to cook them right, they are either rubbery or not cooked enough. The beans were warm and perfectly seasoned, with a great crunch to them.
Crispy tempura-fried roll filled with minced chicken and tofu, delicately double-wrapped in a rice roll
A great mix of crunchy and soft, the fried roll was wrapped and presented beautifully. I was half expecting the traditional greasy egg rolls. The filling I found was similar in flavour to the chicken bao but it was complemented by with the tofu and crunch from the fried shell.
Dessert
Chocolate Custard Steamed Sponge Roll
I don’t even know how to begin to describe this amazing “bite of fun” as the waiter called it. The hot chocolate sauce took this dish to another level!
Black Sesame Tong Yuen Tart
This was the overall winner of the dessert section. Served warm and not to sweet if you don’t want to push yourself over the edge after eating your main, this is the perfect desert.
Blood Orange & Lemon Curd Tart
This dish was almost to pretty too eat (almost). The blood orange gave this tart a beautiful color and the lemon gave it a little hint of tartness.
With everything we ate, the bill ended up costing us $35.00/person including tip. This is on the high side of Dim Sum but worth the splurge every once in a while.
We also discovered a great private dining room that looks like it would be great for a large group
The stunning private dining room!
Best: The Luckee Duck, the flavours of everything on its own was great but putting it all together in a personal thin pancake really made this dish out of this world amazing !
Not the best: Compared to other dim sum restaurants I found their selection to be smaller than most. I assume this will change over time though and I hope to go back when they have soup dumplings!
328 Welington Street West
not foodies. 