28 replies to this topic

[Fukui San]

Susur Lee. Torontonian, not a football fan, has an awesome girlfriend (now wife, according to Wikipedia) who puts him in his place. Apparent front runner. Lovably clueless or insufferably overbearing? George Takei's voice twin.

How much do I want to try his food? A hell of a lot. It's impressive to me how he's adapted his style of food for broader tastes without compromising it's authenticity.

But what the hell was up with that German dumpling? If he could have figured out a way to do a dim sum BBQ Pork Bun at the tailgate, it would have been his win.

[ForeverWild]

Three interesting articles about Susur and his family from different perspectives:

Susur himself (a foodie's-eye bio) - 12-2009

Lee family life - 03-2007

On communal sleeping - 01-2006


Obsessed, you say? Why, yes, thank you. And you?

He's a complex and fascinating guy, isn't he?

[celestial605]

I agree, ForeverWild - that's why I would love to have a drink and chat with him... he would be so amusing, plus I'm sure he has a lot of insights into what he's encountered.

Friggin LOVE his wife and his brother(?) who told him to knock that #@%! off and come work in the kitchen.

[barnesi]

Here's an interview on his TCM experience.

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=wg8d96-7Bk0

[biakbiak]

If anyone wondered what Susur meant in the preview for next episode his first wife was on this flight.

[nannerbadnanner]

If anyone wondered what Susur meant in the preview for next episode his first wife was on this flight.

Thanks because I was completely confused by that comment. That's so tragic.

[shimi]

I have a soft-spot for the foul-mouthed, artistically inclined Asians. Birds of a feather and all that. So I have ended up rooting for Susur and his earnestly literal yet complex flavours. And thanks for the link, I was all WTF???at that statement in the previews.

[celestial605]

Here's another informative link regarding Susur's life, including his relationship with his first wife.

[TudorQueen]

No disrespect to Susur, who really does seem to be an amazing chef, but I feel as if he practically got a 'bye' on this round. I mean, really guys - 'chocolate/peanut butter/lust'? That wasn't an improv; even I could have turned out something that would have left that crowd in a state of bliss. Compare it to 'burnt sienna/depression/avocado' and if you factor in degree of difficulty, it looks rather different.

[aquarian1]

I'm not so sure, given how often we've hear "I'm not a pastry chef", or phrases of the like, from every incarnation of this show. Just because Susur seems comfortable with deserts doesn't mean most chefs would. I think many would complain - how could Rick incorporate seafood? (I'm sure there are ways, but you get my gist).

[TudorQueen]

I would think even if you weren't doing a dessert, that chocolate/peanut butter/lust was at least something of a gimme. Make a sauce using bittersweet chocolate and peanut butter and have it ladled luxuriously on your protein of choice. Or use it as a dipping sauce, which practically screams 'lust!'

[karashi]

Given that I live in Toronto, I'm feeling like I really need to go to Susur's restaurants. Just reading all the recaps is making me feel like whoa.

Edited by karashi, Jun 6, 2010 @ 1:26 AM.

[Myndela]

Perhaps something is wrong with me, but I think that Susur is one sexy, sexy beast. Like wow, is he handsome. Made even more so because he can cook up a storm. Rawr. I imagine he smells like slight body odor and CK1.

[Rammchick]

I would think even if you weren't doing a dessert, that chocolate/peanut butter/lust was at least something of a gimme. Make a sauce using bittersweet chocolate and peanut butter and have it ladled luxuriously on your protein of choice.

Like Susur, perhaps? ;)

[Charis]

The man's a walking soundbite generator and seems to have no verbal filter whatsoever. He was made for this kind of reality TV.

That said, most of his food has sounded fabulous, and I'd love to try it.

[cherry malotte]

Perhaps something is wrong with me, but I think that Susur is one sexy, sexy beast.

I totally second that emotion. Though, any man that can cook gets gold stars with me.

[HeavenLy]

What impresses me about Susur is how well-rounded he is as a chef. His savory dishes all look divine, but so do his desserts. We've seen a number of chefs bust out a nice bread pudding or panna cotta, but never the vast array of impressive desserts he has presented. While his carrot cake fell short, it was still beautiful and much nicer than the sad looking cake put out by poor Susan Feniger.

With the Improv challenge, I agree his combination of words did not require as much creativity or inventiveness as required by Johnathan's three words but Susur's execution was still impeccable. He was beat out by 1/2 a star only.

I actually like his grouchy nature. It's a nice counterpoint to Susan's cheerfulness. He may complain about the lack of pics in Rick's cookbook or that he doesn't know the Greek gods, but it hasn't stopped him from presenting successful dishes. He doesn't use these things as an excuse for failure- I mean, he hasn't failed yet.

I travel to Toronto 2 or 3 times a year, and fully intend to dine at his restaurant the next time I go.

[rose711]

Now I know that Susar's first wife was killed in a plane shot down by the Russians- I'm not so sure the title of this thread is appropriate.
He said on the show his current girlfriend and mother of his two kids refused to marry him -so maybe the wife in the title should be changed?

I think Susar's food looks fantastic. He has a restaurant in NYC that my son wants to go to for his birthday. I'm rooting for Susar all the way. He seems fearless and deeply intelligent about his cooking.

[peterredtail]

Thank you Rose - I'd forgotten about Susar's first wife - there was a biography of him on FN Canada...it really did impact him almost to the point of not being able to work. He was getting a bit of a villain edit but from what I heard - he is actually an ok guy - just very focussed on his career. There have been a number of shows about him - one made a few years ago where he travelled around Asia trying to focus on the cuisine and entertain two bored pre-teen sons at the same time. His gf/wife stayed home.

Susar and Marcus have very interesting backgrounds...

[weedgrl]

Karashi, I live in Chicago and am thinking about heading to Toronto for a Susar meal, seriously. I'm so intrigued by his food and almost pissed he doesn't have a restaurant in Chicago.

[SimplyObsessed]

Definitely dine at Susur's restaurant if you can!

My brother and I, having obsessively watched this season of TCM, took our mom out for her birthday to Lee in Toronto last month. (His other restaurant was under renovation.)

The menu is tapas style - we ended up ordering 7 dishes (photos) to split among 3 diners. The portions are smaller and meant to be shared.

I'd recommend the Asian Slaw, which was described as his signature dish by the server.

We had an early dinner reservation on a weekday and Susur himself was there! He was front of the house, managing his staff until the service picked up and then he disappeared into the kitchen.

Edited by SimplyObsessed, Jun 10, 2010 @ 1:01 AM.

[cricketc]

Susur's back in Toronto? I heard "Lee" was inferior when "Susur" was still open. But if he's back at the helm....this can only mean good things.

Edited by cricketc, Jun 10, 2010 @ 10:54 PM.

[Fukui San]

I wonder if he's always this messy, or if it's only because he was under the gun of the challenges?

Of course, the expectation that a star chef is actually the one cooking your meal at any given restaurant is pretty low, but it is true that the way a kitchen runs can be dictated by the head chef, whether its a raucous atmosphere or "like a hospital" like Rick Moonen said of his kitchen.

[HeavenLy]

I have to think he was so messy because of he was so under the gun. I can't imagine the kitchen of any 4 star restaurant (or any acclaimed restaurant) being so unkept. I mean, wouldn't he normally just pass the pan onto a dishwasher? I think he was stressed, and figured it was just easier and more efficient to focus on the food. They appeared to stack up the dirty pans (which looked semi-organized).

I've toured the kitchens at Charlie Trotter's, Craft, and Guy Savoy (Hung gave me the tour!), and all were beyond immaculate, cleaner than my bathroom. I would think Susur's restaurants would be similar, but I have no personal knowledge.

[walkingguide]

I felt like sobbing when he told of his wife being on KAL 007, shot down by the Russians. How heartwrenching.

Edited by TWoP Nikita, Jun 11, 2010 @ 10:29 PM.

[ForeverWild]

An absolutely adorable and charming post-TCM interview with Susur here.

[Mr Basset]

Thanks ForeverWild for the find!

[Shayol]

Just saw Susur featured in "At the Table With..." (I think the show can be seen on the Cooking Channel in the U.S.) Interesting stuff, although nothing startlingly new. HeavenLy, you'll be happy to know his kitchens look very clean.

[Kjmeow]

I was watching rerun of Top Chef Canada, and Susur Lee was on as a guest judge. One of the contestant Dustin used to be his Sous Chef, at the time I just thought he works for Susur as an employee and he was just saying the mentor stuff for TV. I just finish watching episode 9, when they are preping for the elimination challenge I notice something really funny. Dustin was sharpening his knife and he was noticing something he instantly blur out a pretty serious old school Chinese curse. He immediately told the camera men that he was swearing in Chinese. I just found it endearing because Susur had really made an impact in his life as a mentor, it's not uncommon to swear in a Chinese kitchen, I was just surprise he blur out that Chinese curse phases so effortlessly with perfect pronunciation.