Generally, Chinese restaurants that serve both Dim Sum and dinner employ specific chefs for each service. There are times when one person does both, yet that is usually reserved for smaller restaurants and/or a very talented chef. Hence, it is a good idea try both Dim Sum and dinner service at a Chinese restaurant to get the full picture. We were having the same thought as we were doing Dim Sum at Lee Garden Seafood Restaurant. Therefore we made a reservation to come back within the week for dinner.
We decided on their set menu ($128.00) and added a Peking Duck for good measure. The first dish to hit the table was the Fish Maw with Crab Meat Soup. It was mild with only a hint of sweetness. The starch-thickened broth was silky and filled with ingredients. The lumps of crab were okay with a fluffy texture, yet the diced fish maw itself was crunchy. It was either lower quality or needed to be soaked longer. Next, we had the first course of the Peking Duck. Sporting a beautiful roasted colour (thanks to a quick deep-fry), the skin was crispy where some of the duck fat was rendered. They left a significant amount of meat on each piece of skin which made each wrap substantial. The crepes were thin and slightly chewy. We weren't big fans of the watered-down hoisin sauce though.
Moving along, we had the Lobster with consomme sauce. For a set menu, the lobster was a fair size at approximately 2lbs. With a buttery bounce texture, it was fried just right. As much as the sauce was flavourful without being overly salty, it was too goopy. At least there wasn't too much of it though. The second Peking duck course, being the Duck Lettuce Wrap arrived next. The fresh crunchy lettuce was trimmed and cut properly where it was uniform in shape without any tears. As for the filling, it was full of moist duck meat. The veggies retained their crunch from the stir-fry that exhibited adequate wok heat. The addition of Chinese sausage added the necessary saltiness.
Much like many Chinese restaurants, the food was arriving faster than we could eat it. With a large mound of Basa atop celery, the Stir-Fried Fish with Broccoli was impressively portioned. As evidenced in the picture, the broccoli was vibrant and crunchy as well as the celery (but it was rather greasy). The fish was moist and soft being well-seasoned with ginger and garlic. A somewhat different dish was the Pork Chop Hot Pot with ginger and green onion. Even before we dug in, the aroma from the onions and garlic was intoxicating. Although the dish was deep fried then wok-tossed, it wasn't extremely greasy. Due to the aforementioned aroma, the flavours were solid as well, but they did overdo it with the salt though.
Finally, we had the Marinated Free-Range Chicken. If you look closely, the side of grated ginger was not mixed with anything else (like green onions) - a rarity these days. Too bad it was really salty. As for the chicken itself, the skin was gelatinous while the meat was fairly moist for free-range chicken. For dessert, we were served both Mango Pudding and Sweet Mung Bean Soup. The pudding wasn't too sweet but it wasn't particularly full of mango flavour. As for the soup, it was not overly sweet, but I'm personally not into sweet soup for dessert. As with our previous Dim Sum visit, the dinner at Lee Garden proved to be above-average. Again, it is nice to see a good higher-class Chinese restaurant in an area usually devoid such establishments.
The Good:
- Decent eats
- Nicely appointed interior
- Fairly good service
The Bad:
- On the pricier side
- Food comes out too fast
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