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
270548 <strong>Luckee</strong> is housed in the ground floor of the Soho Metropolitan Hotel on Wellington Street (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-1-Street-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-1-Street.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-1-Street.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-1-street/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-1-street 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
270545 Curios fill the space, including a floor-to-ceiling Chinese medicine cabinet behind the hostess stand (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-14-ENTRANCE-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-14-ENTRANCE.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-14-ENTRANCE.jpg 667 1000 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-14-entrance/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-14-entrance 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
270540 (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-25-DECOR-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-25-DECOR.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-25-DECOR.jpg 1001 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-25-decor/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-25-decor 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
270541 The symbol on the neon sign means “double happiness” (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-24-DOUBLE-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-24-DOUBLE.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-24-DOUBLE.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-24-double/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-24-double 0 0
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270538 (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-30-CABINET-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-30-CABINET.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-30-CABINET.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-30-cabinet/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-30-cabinet 0 0
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270539 (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-28-TABLE-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-28-TABLE.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-28-TABLE.jpg 1001 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-28-table/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-28-table 0 0
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270543 A private dining room is separated from the main restaurant via screens that are stamped with the message “Eat better food” (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-20-PRIVATE-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-20-PRIVATE.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-20-PRIVATE.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-20-private/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-20-private 0 0
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270542 The private dining room is decorated with thematic murals by artist <strong>John Leacy</strong> (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-21-PRIVATE-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-21-PRIVATE.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-21-PRIVATE.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-21-private/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-21-private 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
270544 The Luckee bar is separated from the main dining room and has its own menu of snacks and finger foods (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-15-BAR-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-15-BAR.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-15-BAR.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-15-bar/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-15-bar 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
270547 (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-5-DIMSUMBAR-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-5-DIMSUMBAR.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-5-DIMSUMBAR.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-5-dimsumbar/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-5-dimsumbar 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
270546 Guests seated at Luckee’s dim sum bar can watch the chefs work as they eat (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-7-DIMSUMBAR-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-7-DIMSUMBAR.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-7-DIMSUMBAR.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-7-dimsumbar/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-7-dimsumbar 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
270537 (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-34-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-34.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-34.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-34/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-34 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
270532 Braised black-pepper beef bao with mushrooms, veal jus and chef’s master sauce in a deep-fried green onion bun ($6) (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-46-BAO-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-46-BAO.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-46-BAO.jpg 1001 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-46-bao/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-46-bao 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
270529 Shanghai ham in osmanthus honey sauce, served with cucumber, romaine, crispy tofu skin and steamed whole wheat baos ($20) (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-53-HAM-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-53-HAM.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-53-HAM.jpg 1001 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-53-ham/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-53-ham 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
270530 (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-50-HAM-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-50-HAM.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-50-HAM.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-50-ham/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-50-ham 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
270528 An assembled Shanghai ham bao (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-54-SANDWICH-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-54-SANDWICH.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-54-SANDWICH.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-54-sandwich/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-54-sandwich 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
270533 Shrimp <em>cheung fun</em> (rice roll with crispy rice paper and soya sauce) ($8) (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-44-RICEROLL-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-44-RICEROLL.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-44-RICEROLL.jpg 1001 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-44-riceroll/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-44-riceroll 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
270534 <em>Shumai</em> (chicken dumplings with shrimp) ($6) (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-41-SUIMAI-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-41-SUIMAI.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-41-SUIMAI.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-41-suimai/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-41-suimai 0 0
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270535 <em>Har gow</em> (i.e. shrimp dumplings) ($6) (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-40-DUMPLING-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-40-DUMPLING.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-40-DUMPLING.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-40-dumpling/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-40-dumpling 0 0
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270527 A trio of house-made condiments: chili-spiked soya sauce (slightly sweeter than regular soya sauce), traditional chili sauce with Chinese mustard, and green onion and ginger pesto (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-56-CONDIMENT-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-56-CONDIMENT.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-56-CONDIMENT.jpg 1001 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-56-condiment/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-56-condiment 0 0
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270526 Cocktails are infused with Asian ingredients like plum sake and yuzu (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-58-CALM-AURA-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-58-CALM-AURA.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-58-CALM-AURA.jpg 1001 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-58-calm-aura/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-58-calm-aura 0 0
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270536 Executive chef <strong>Susur Lee</strong> (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Luckee https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-37-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-37.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-April-2014-Luckee-37.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/luckee-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-37/ renee-suen-toronto-life-april-2014-luckee-37 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
“Refined takes on traditional dishes from the Guangzhou, Hunan and Szechuan regions of China.” What, so traditional dishes from these regions of China are unrefined?
Traditional dishes are becoming plain, boring and…905 (and 905 is already more “sophisticated” than old Chinatown). We’re talking about more sophisticated plating, ingredients, etc…no different from take-out pizza vs. the “gourmet” stuff at Queen Margherita or Libretto.
Old Chinatown isn’t even representative of traditional dishes to begin with (considering how much they’ve been adapted for a North American audience, as well as the North American perception of Chinese food as something that should be cheap and economical), so the question of whether traditional dishes are refined or not has nothing to do with what you find in old Chinatown. As for more sophisticated ingredients, the idea is laughable. Traditional Cantonese cuisine (which is the cuisine of Guangzhou, referenced in this article), for example, has always been made up of delicacies and “sophisticated ingredients”. This isn’t a cuisine made up of day old bread and mutton. And if the writer only meant that Luckee serves dishes that have fancier plating, then she should have said so. “Refined” is a loaded word and infers a lot more than just a nicer looking dish.
Statements suggesting that places like Luckee are serving “refined takes on traditional dishes” shows just how provincial Toronto really is when it comes to international cuisine. There are tons of Michelin award winning restaurants in Hong Kong, for example, that serve traditional Chinese dishes the way they were intended to be served, and no one would call those restaurants, or the food they serve, unrefined.
There’s a difference between Michelin-grade restaurants in HK and the old nearly “dai pai dong” (basically street cafes with questionable cleanliness. I think they’ve mostly shuttered in HK) type restaurants that opened up in Chinatown, starting in the late 70s, catering to HK immigrants. I remember my parents taking me to these places when I was small (and they definitely DID NOT serve Canadianized food that white people preferred at the time) and me being grossed out by the entire venue. This would have been in the early 80s and I was 2 or 3. I hated going to certain Chinese restaurants at that time. Scarborough/Agincourt was a breath of fresh air in the mid-80s and things weren’t “to par” for this Jook Sing (look it up if you don’t know what this means) until the late 80s when “GOOD” restaurants started opening in the 905 (and places like Dynasty and Lai Wah Heen downtown).
I’m not disputing your account of your personal experiences at Chinese restaurants in the 80s, but I’m still not sure how any of this is relevant to the use of language like “refined takes on traditional dishes”, which only infers that the traditional dishes are therefore UNrefined, which is what I’m critical of.
The dishes served in Chinese restaurants of the 80s were rather plain compared to what we’re seeing at Luckee (though it isn’t 100% new. More “refined” fare has been seen since at least the 90s at places like Dynasty and Lai Wah Heen). I think that’s what Toronto Life is trying to get at, anyway. 905 restaurants and those that date back 30+ years just lack the “sophisticated” air. It’s all about presentation and service. Would you call restaurants with plastic tablecloths, “sophisticated?” What about HOW the servers/bussers clear tables? I remember them just gathering up the plastic, dirty dishes and all. Total turnoff.
I don’t disagree that places like Luckee will have more upscale presentation and service standards compared to Chinatown or parts of the 905. However, my original criticism was, and still is, about how inappropriate it is to say that Luckee offers “refined takes on traditional dishes”, which is a statement about the dishes themselves (i.e. the cuisine) rather than presentation or service.
It’s one thing to say that Luckee offers a more “refined” take on specific comfort food dishes like congee, which would be akin to saying that a restaurant offers a more “refined” take on specific comfort food dishes like burgers, but a whole other thing to say that Luckee offers “refined takes on traditional dishes”, as it infers that traditional dishes from this region as a whole, i.e. the traditional cuisine, are therefore un-refined. In this day and age, I’d hope Toronto Life would know better than to label any regional type of cuisine as unrefined. Presentation and service can be refined, I agree, but I’m not sure what refined cuisine means…
Even my comment earlier about day old bread and mutton clearly referred to specific items and not any general regional cuisine, because I honestly can’t say I know of a cuisine as a whole that is “unrefined”. Sure, every cuisine has its comfort foods that are simpler and not “fussy”, but I’d also argue that every cuisine has more “sophisticated” dishes too, and as such, I’m not sure when it’s ever appropriate to paint a picture of the traditional cuisine of any region as unrefined.
I don’t know about that. I can say (and WILL SAY) that, for example, chicken pot pie is “unrefined.” Same with mac and cheese or grilled cheese. It’s comfort food, just like wonton mein or gohn chow ngaw haw (my best phonetic take on a dish made with broad rice noodles, beef and sprouts – LOL). If Luckee has wonton mein or gohn chow ngaw haw on its menu, then yes, it’s going to be a more “refined” take on the dish. Besides, who’s to say that they aren’t adding different ingredients? Going back to my grilled cheese example, one can say that replacing cheddar with brie and adding spices, avocado and tomato to the sandwich is more “refined” – especially if you’re going to accompany it with homemade ketchup. And spelt and flax bread. Semantics, I guess.
ETA: Dictionary.com defines “refined” as : “having or showing well-bred feeling, taste, etc.: refined people.” or “freed or free from coarseness, vulgarity, etc.” (there are two more definitions). I can’t say that peasant food, in its most “traditional” form, can be described as “refined.” Cantonese food is more “peasant” than, say, northern Chinese cuisine, according to some people. Really subjective, though.