Introducing: Luckee, Susur Lee’s new haute dim-sum restaurant at the Soho Met
Name: Luckee
Contact Info: 328 Wellington St. W., 416-935-0400, luckeerestaurant.com, @LuckeeTO
Neighbourhood: Entertainment District
Owners: Celeb chef Susur Lee and Henry Wu, Metropolitan Hotel president and founder of Chinese restaurants Lai Wah Heen and now-closed Lai Toh Heen
Executive Chef: Susur Lee
The Food: Refined takes on traditional dishes from the Guangzhou, Hunan and Szechuan regions of China. The around-the-clock dim sum service sticks to classic Cantonese dishes prepared with subtle modifications, like minced chicken instead of pork in steamed shumai dumplings, or Italian prosciutto draped across a traditional Shanghainese ham dish served with osmanthus honey sauce and whole wheat buns. On the main menu, the Luckee duck comes with classic Peking-style garnishes and an optional foie gras supplement. The bar has its own menu of finger foods, like curried shrimp spring rolls and Kung Pao chicken wings.
The Drinks: Wine, spirits and themed cocktails by Bent bartender Kai Bent-Lee, including a signature sangria. Coming soon: draught sake made exclusively for Luckee by Ontario sake company Izumi.
The Place: The big, modern space was designed by Susur Lee’s wife, Brenda Bent, and her partner Karen Gable. It blends sleek, modern decor with traditional Chinese motifs (painted screens, calligraphy, decorative pagodas) and touches of 1950s American Chinese restaurant kitsch, like the kaleidoscopic carpet in imperial reds and golds. Diners perched around the open dim sum bar can watch their meals being prepped.
The Numbers: • 120 seats, including 10 at the dim sum bar • 60 types of scotch, whiskey and cognac on the spirits list • 47-plus years of kitchen experience between dim-sum chef Raymond Fung and chefs de cuisine John Kwan and Vincent Leung • 2 dragons guarding the entrance foyer • 1 dim sum bar
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