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| - I've been at the latest incarnation "Lee" about 5 times in 5 months. I love the place but there are some funny problems, outlined in this review.
The food is usually good but the service is usually bad. Sometimes comically bad.
They try to make up to it if you let them know -- so if you get bad service it is important to let them know. They will try to treat you right next time you're in. I think Canadian's are generally too polite to give feedback but they would benefit from more. The funny thing is that they can deliver a great service (when they are making up for a bad one) but their default service is pretty juvenile. It's not like the old Susur days when the place had a more exclusive air.
I think Susur understands food 100 times more than he gets service. Which is funny, if you know Susur's personality. It used to be I'd rotate my rectangular plates by 15 degrees to watch the staff rush in and re-align them. "Chef likes it that way" is what they'd say, which is adorable to me and part of Susur's charm.
Now when they put a round plate down in front of me I play a joke by shifting the plate to the left, coyly telling the staff "Chef likes it that way". If they've been around a while they smile and get the joke immediately.
One time the staff (incl. chef's) screwed up the service amazingly (mains before appetizers, same dish for both of us but it was prepared very differently with different topings, missing drinks, missing dishes, huge delays, spilling, shift-change during meal with no context hand/off, etc...). It was funny to have things appear that I didn't order.
Almost always the waiter comes to the table and asks "Is this your first time at Lee's?" -- their computer should show it's not the case. Don't expect to feel like a regular here from the staff -- but Susur will recognize you as a regular and speak with you if he knows you. He's let down by the professionalism of the staff.
I think it would take me about 4 months work to polish the crew to the level the food deserves. The crew needs to work more in unison. Less repetition, more context on the diners quirks.
The crew at his other restaurant (Luckee) seem to be way more relaxed and we joke about "Chef likes it that way" with audible laughter.
So to be clear: I adore Susur and love his personality and his skill. I like his restaurants but the service is sort of sloppy and juvenile, even though it's well intentioned.
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