Toronto's foodies are buzzing – Susur is back.
The superstar chef's much-anticipated Lee Lounge isn't scheduled to open until Valentine's Day, but a few eager diners got a sneak peek of the space when Mr. Lee served one of his signature tasting menus this week.
The new restaurant marks a return for Mr. Lee, who has become something of a global brand in recent years. He has opened restaurants in New York, D.C. and Singapore, appeared on Iron Chef and then Top Chef Masters, and was named one of the 10 best chefs in the world by Food and Wine Magazine.
Inevitably, perhaps, some local diners felt abandoned by the celebrity chef when he shut down his landmark restaurant Susur nearly three years ago.
"There was a perception, rightly or wrongly, that after he closed Susur and then Madeline's that his attention was elsewhere," said Dick Snyder, editor of City Bites Magazine. "In the early days of Susur it seemed like he was always there and he'd come out and work the room."
Mr. Lee is aware of the criticisms levelled against him by the local food community. "Lee is definitely my flagship property. It's got my name on it," he said. "I've got my sons, Levi running the front of the house and Kai in the bar. Everybody always expects me to do something like Susur [the restaurant] and after it closed people thought that Susur's name is gone and Susur's restaurant is gone, but ... I've still got Lee."
Judging by the vigorous applause that greeted the ponytailed chef whenever he entered the dining room, he is being welcomed with open arms. Food writer James Chatto, who hosted the evening, said this was a big night for Mr. Lee. "[He] feels like he's coming back to the city and is keen to show us what he's been doing."
Anyone who has followed Mr. Lee's career will recognize the space. It's the same room that housed the original Susur restaurant and then Madeline's, and like those restaurants it was designed by his wife, Brenda Bent. But the decor was toned down from the dark, ornate Chinoiserie style it sported as Madeline's and has returned to embrace some of the more subdued elements of its original incarnation as Susur.
The first thing regulars will notice is that the two illuminated light boxes are back, casting a purple glow over the room. Unlike the tiny, almost secretive windows of Susur, a long wall of glass now opens the space on to King Street. Similarly, the wall separating the space from Lee has been opened in several spots, allowing easy access to both sides.
Mr. Lee is revealing few details about the new menu, but he will say that the idea behind it is "a small-bite menu based on things you can pass around that you don't need a knife and fork to eat." There are a few items that are a twist on classic Lee, including a cheeseburger spring roll and a take on Peking duck that involves char siu marinade, Asian-style duck confit, and Beijing-style duck – a dish that's as labour intensive as it is delicious.
But this is a lounge, after all, so Mr. Lee plans to pay special attention to his cocktail menu. "I want to use some exotic fruits," he says. "Things like red dragon fruit, calamansi limes or salted plum powder that we'll shake over a drink like a dirty martini instead of olive juice. It's not going to be a molecular cocktail bar, just good quality based on my experience."
Despite the criticism the chef has faced, Mr. Snyder believes that Mr. Lee's experience around the world can only improve his skill.
"That's always a double-edged sword because he's out of the kitchen, but I can't help think that he must be learning from the exposure to all these different techniques and cuisines," he said.
For his part, Mr. Lee sees the restaurant as a new adventure for him in Toronto, but not a homecoming. "I always call Toronto a temple and I always call this home. I'm proud to be a Canadian and all these things are what made me successful from the time I first came to Canada until today."
Special to The Globe and Mail