The Signature Singapore Style Slaw arrives tall: twenty-four ingredients raked into a crisp tower over salted plum dressing, built to be pulled apart and shared rather than eaten politely from one plate. It is the dish most first-time diners reach for at Lee, and it explains the place faster than any menu line could. This is Susur Lee's Toronto flagship, where the cooking runs classical French technique along a Southeast Asian spice route, and the slaw is where that idea turns physical — a vegan composition that still lands as theatre.
From there the menu fans out without losing the thread. Lobster Dragon Dumplings come with ginger pesto and a superior soya broth; Luckee Spicy Shrimp Cheung Fun folds courgette and scallion pesto into rice noodle. Wild Caramelized Black Cod sets miso mustard and Cantonese preserves against a dim sum daikon cake and crisp noodle fish, while the Char Siu BBQ Duck arrives as an assembly project — foie gras pate, maple mustard, cranberry compote, and steamed chun bing for wrapping at the table. Even the lighter swerves are specific: Burrata Cheeseburger Spring Rolls stack angus beef and aged cheddar inside a lettuce wrap. Dessert keeps the bilingual streak going with French and Chinese Tong Yuen, warm chocolate hazelnut-nougat rice dumplings under vanilla creme anglaise.
Lee is not just chef-branded in name; the menu, signatures, and room are all tied to Susur Lee's long Toronto career and his French-Southeast Asian cooking language.
Singapore Style Slaw, Wild Caramelized Black Cod, Char Siu BBQ Duck, Luckee Cheung Fun, and Tong Yuen give the listing concrete dishes instead of a generic upscale-fusion promise.
The Waterworks setting, bar, covered terrace, patio, private dining options, and design details make Lee useful for dinners where the atmosphere has to carry real weight.
Lee is inseparable from Susur Lee's authorship. The restaurant's story, dish language, and long Toronto run all point back to a named chef whose signatures still shape the meal.
Signature Singapore Style Slaw gives first-time diners an obvious anchor: a tall, crunchy, 24-ingredient salad with salted plum dressing that still defines the Lee order.
The menu rewards curiosity without becoming chaotic: cheung fun, black cod, char siu duck, curry chicken, scallops, and tong yuen all pull from different traditions with a clear Lee point of view.
Lee fits dinners that need to feel planned: polished share plates, a dramatic room, chef identity, cocktails, and enough ceremony to make a birthday or milestone feel intentional.
The bar is more than a waiting area. Cocktails such as the Elder Dragon Sour, La Hermosa, Emerald Elixir, Shanghai 75, and zero-proof sours give the room a full night-out rhythm.
The combination of dim lighting, shareable dishes, polished drinks, and a room with visual texture makes Lee a strong date-night choice when dinner is meant to carry the evening.
Lee has strong visual pull from the food and the room: stacked slaw, sculptural plates, woven textures, vintage embroidery, a statement bar, and the Waterworks dining room.
Share the nuances of your visit to Lee in Toronto — the standout dishes, the room, the service.
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