Lee Chen Diner in Yorkville

[foodiction2]

Anyone been here?

Always thought it was westernized Chinese food, but recently heard good things about it. Still skeptical so I thought I would ask some fellow Chowhounds what they thought before spending any money.

It's nearby so if its good that'd be amazing.

[happycamper]

It's fine for a quick lunch if you are in the neighbourhood. I have done take out lunch specials and have no complaints. Northern Chinese-inspired. I like their dim sum more than, say, Cha Lau. Though with Dynasty and Crown Princess in the neighbourhood, it wouldn't be my top choice for Chinese in the area.

[londonhk]

I think some of the menu items are westernized Chinese food while others are somewhat authentic (just for background, I'm a Hong Kong Chinese Canadian). I've only been once and had a hot and sour soup noodle (I was in a rush) and it was decent.

[eatravel]

I'm certainly not an expert, but I've gone a couple of times and really enjoyed it. The soup dumplings are delicious, and the pork bao (off menu) is much better than Momofuku's.

[prima]

I haven't been yet, but the spicy beef noodle soup http://leechenbistro.com/noodlesoup.html , fried dumplings and soup dumplings http://leechenbistro.com/specialty.html have been recommended:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/853697#7401264
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/834434#7159497

http://leechendiner.com/

[prima]

Finally tried Lee Chen. Shared the soup dumplings, steamed veg dumplings, pan-fried shrimp dumplings, hot + sour noodle soup, and braised eggplant lunch special with a friend. Very generous portions. I will definitely return for the soup dumplings and fried dumplings again.

Hot + sour noodle soup was very hot, not as sour as most, with less sweetness and more sodium than most I've tried, with a LOT of noodles. I wouldn't get both a noodle soup and dumplings next time, unless I planned to have ample leftovers to take home, or am sharing with 3 or 4 people. Too many noodles for me.

Nice and close to Yonge + Bloor.

[hungryabbey]

Great tip! I will definitely check it out! Thanks!

[mkhall]

Comparable to Asian Legend in quality?

[prima]

I haven't been to Asian Legend since 2003, so I can't really compare. I liked Lee Chen's soup dumplings more than my last order at Chinese Traditional Buns, and thought they were equivalent to my last order at the midtown Joe's Shanghai in NYC. No star anise in these soup dumplings, which is fine with me, but might not work for people who want star anise in their soup dumplings.