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| - I avoided this place for almost a year because the lineups were way. Too. Ridiculous. Even with "reservations", expect to wait, especially on a weekend. However, I recently found myself there (in the too-ridiculous lineup) again for a special occasion and wondering if the line spilling into the seating area/washroom stairwell was a possible fire hazard. But who cares? Everyone loves Lee Garden!
True, it is one of the few chinese restos on the Spadina strip where 85% of the patrons are in fact not Chinese, but Lee Garden is the exception not because their meals are Canadian-fied, but because it is just so darn good and really does appeal to all taste buds. Favourite specialty dishes here are: striploin (?) sitr-fried with black-peppered avocado slices, a tofu-as-omelette block filled with vegetables, and bird's nest with vegetables. All delicious - and all good.
Service here is top-notch indeed, which might explain the number of returning customers greeted warmly by members of the wait staff. We requested the bird's nest dish without meat (to accommodate our veggie friend) with our server, and when another server brought out the dish without the amend, our original server spotted the mishap from across the restaurant and hurried over and quickly swiped the dish away to replace with our proper order. Damn, he's good!
If I had the patience, I'd likely be here more often. However, the overwhelming crowds are well-deserved for this little establishment. Long live Lee Garden!
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