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 ocal foodies were disappointed - and utterly curious - with the seemingly abrupt closure of the King West restaurant, Susur. It had appeared that Toronto, home to this Food and Wine's Top 10 Chef, had lost not just the restaurant, but the titular chef, to a certain other city.
But, with a lightning quick turnaround, the master of Nouvelle Chinoise is at it again, re-inventing the old space with something decidedly more European. After a rather quick re-tooling, the Susur space has been released to the masses, as Madeline's.
 And it's not the chef's middle name; the restaurant is named after his mother (or more specifically, the name the British army had given her when they could not pronounce her Chinese name). The irony, Lee informs me, is that she is actually not a very good cook. But between yelling at her son for who knows what, she expressed gratitude for the honour.
The just-opened restaurant is a departure from the cuisine he is responsible for branding, which brings us to yet another change at 601 King Street; Susur is no longer the one in charge (at least theoretically). With Madeline's, Lee hands over the reigns to his longtime second-in-command, former Sous-Chef of Susur, Dominic Armanal
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 AT A GLANCE
Madeline's
601 King Street W, Toronto, ON
416-603-2205
Contemporary
King West
Venue:
Restaurant
Hours:
Mon. to Sat.: 6:00pm-11:00pm
Price Range:
$$$ (Within Reach)
Payment:
Visa, Master Card, American Express
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THE BUZZ
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IN THE AREA
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30 Reader Reviews | What a joke this place is! The decor? A sight to see, I must agree. The service? Very enjoyable! However, the plates??? Please remind me of why the majority is not willing to eat out at French restaurants because of the lack of food they provide but are willing to have so little from such a restaurant just because of all the hype it generates from so-called food connoisseurs? The food was ok, at best, and after feeling utter "humiliation" for bringing my group of friends there and see them all stare into those tiny food plates that even my 7 year-old wouldn't feel full on, I decided that Madeline's is just another pretentious spot who will eventually get eaten up by the competition...
1. Anonymous's Review :: September 22, 2008 Anonymous's Rating: 2 Stars |
50 reviews, 4.5 star average, why should I even bother to write anything here? I mean if you're not already planning to go what could I do to change your mind? Madeline's is truly hot - a great chance to sample Susur cuisine, but this time it's affodable.
2. Daphne Plummer's Review :: September 16, 2008 Daphne Plummer's Rating: 4 Stars |
Nice change-over! The price was great especially because you had an explosion of flavour and presentation as well! The seating was limited however we didn't have to wait to sit for our meal. This definitely one of my favourite restaurants in town!
3. Dan Livingston's Review :: September 16, 2008 Dan Livingston's Rating: 4 Stars |
A pricey, tapas-oriented eatery with fantastic ambiance. I only ate outside, and found the vibe to be great but the food a little short of what I would expect for what they're charging. However, I can see it being an ideal place to bring a date and go through a bottle of wine or two.
4. Rose Templeton's Review :: September 13, 2008 Rose Templeton's Rating: 3 Stars |
Fantastic, incredible, amazing! On a gorgeous Saturday night one of my fellow dining geeks and I indulged ourselves at Madeline's. I arrived early and was greeted promptly and was escorted to the bar for pre-dinner drinks. This was great, I had some time to look through their very impressive menu. The staff was attentive and helpful in trying some new things. We had the Braised Pork Belly with Rice Beans. The pork was so tender and delicious, it literally melted in my mouth. The waiter again was more than helpful on selecting another fantastic brew to pair harmoniously with this plate. Also was the Duck Confit. Again the kitchen did another phenomenal job with presentation and flavour.
5. Nancy Gardiner's Review :: September 06, 2008 Nancy Gardiner's Rating: 4 Stars |
The service was great at this place, but the dim sum plates were over-cooked and lacked flavuor. I didn't really like the sauce on the side, either. I wasn't a huge fan of the dessert selection, either.
Overall, this place was ok. I wouldn't recommend it unless you are a huge Susur Lee fan
6. Jamie Lee's Review :: September 04, 2008 Jamie Lee's Rating: 2 Stars |
A very fine, yet (surprisingly) unpretentious restaurant serving excellent food.
7. Brenda L.'s Review :: September 01, 2008 Brenda L.'s Rating: 4 Stars |
We came here based on the recommendations of martiniboys.com. I have to say, this new rendition is pretty good. And it's not too expensive. It's like higher-class dim sum food. I had the fish, it was excellent.
8. Jack Johnson's Review :: August 25, 2008 Jack Johnson's Rating: 4 Stars |
Very good, but definitely did not blow my mind.
I liked the space, but did think it was a tad bit too dark and it was busy! My friend and I both had the smattering of small plates - but found them to be very salty. Overall it was a nice meal at a reasonable price, but with so many restaurants out there..it didn't stand out.
9. Anonymous's Review :: August 21, 2008 |
Very good, but definitely did not blow my mind.
I liked the space, but did think it was a tad bit too dark and it was busy! My friend and I both had the smattering of small plates - but found them to be very salty. Overall it was a nice meal at a reasonable price, but with so many restaurants out there..it didn't stand out.
10. Daphne Ng's Review :: August 21, 2008 Daphne Ng's Rating: 4 Stars |
Yes, its better not to think about how much you are paying for your meal and just enjoy the ride. The room is elegant and intimate. The service is top-notch and above all else the food sublime. Some may find it a little stodgy I am sure but hey, we all look a little stodgy in a suit. Highly recommended!
11. Anonymous's Review :: August 13, 2008 |
Yes, its better not to think about how much you are paying for your meal and just enjoy the ride. The room is elegant and intimate. The service is top-notch and above all else the food sublime. Some may find it a little stodgy I am sure but hey, we all look a little stodgy in a suit. Highly recommended!
12. Randy Selley's Review :: August 13, 2008 Randy Selley's Rating: 4 Stars |
Holy hell, the small pates are is so good they makes my mouth water just thinking about them. If I lived closer, I would sample those dishes at least weekly, no doubt. I recommended this place to an 905 friend and his mother and they loved it as well. The ambiance is great, the staff friendly and ... affordable
13. Anonymous's Review :: August 09, 2008 |
Holy hell, the small pates are is so good they makes my mouth water just thinking about them. If I lived closer, I would sample those dishes at least weekly, no doubt. I recommended this place to an 905 friend and his mother and they loved it as well. The ambiance is great, the staff friendly and ... affordable
14. Trevor Lynn's Review :: August 09, 2008 Trevor Lynn's Rating: 4 Stars |
The food here is sick. Outrageously sick. From the first morsels of amuse buche to the dim-sum-style mains. The lady and I dropped over 300 bones on this place and every penny was worth it. We will be back for our third time next week and I can't wait. Such whores.
15. Anonymous's Review :: August 08, 2008 |
The food here is sick. Outrageously sick. From the first morsels of amuse buche to the dim-sum-style mains. The lady and I dropped over 300 bones on this place and every penny was worth it. We will be back for our third time next week and I can't wait. Such whores.
16. Dan Sherman's Review :: August 08, 2008 Dan Sherman's Rating: 4 Stars |
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17. Anonymous's Review :: August 01, 2008 |
There are already many reviews, so I'm going to keep this short and simple:
Madeline's is DELICIOUS! SPECTACULAR! (I could go on and on...)
Yes, it's hard to get a table. We went at 7:00 on a Thursday and waited for an hour. No reservations. Our fault, I know.
Hint: the patio rocks
18. Anonymous's Review :: July 30, 2008 |
There are already many reviews, so I'm going to keep this short and simple:
Madeline's is DELICIOUS! SPECTACULAR! (I could go on and on...)
Yes, it's hard to get a table. We went at 7:00 on a Thursday and waited for an hour. No reservations. Our fault, I know.
Hint: the patio rocks
19. Jennifer Cammpbell's Review :: July 30, 2008 Jennifer Cammpbell's Rating: 4 Stars |
Gorgeous! I was brought here on Saturday night for dinner... and could hardly recognize the room.
20. Anonymous's Review :: July 28, 2008 |
Gorgeous! I was brought here on Saturday night for dinner... and could hardly recognize the room.
21. Sarah Bright's Review :: July 28, 2008 Sarah Bright's Rating: 4 Stars |
Surprisingly unpretentious. I always thought that the earlier rendition (Susur) was a little to haughty for my taste. But, admittedly, this Madeline's re-vamp is very down to earth.
kudos.
22. Anonymous's Review :: July 25, 2008 |
Surprisingly unpretentious. I always thought that the earlier rendition (Susur) was a little to haughty for my taste. But, admittedly, this Madeline's re-vamp is very down to earth.
kudos.
23. Jackie Olive's Review :: July 25, 2008 Jackie Olive's Rating: 4 Stars |
This opened quietly. We ate at Madeline's on what might have been the first night - saturday. Everything was first rate, and no indications of this being a first night. Small plates were great, and very dimsum like.
Will be a regular (wasn't a huge fan of the original Susar restaurant)
24. Anonymous's Review :: July 24, 2008 |
Yes, the food was amazing. So many great dishes, mostly tapas sized... made for sharing. But considering the price and the "Susur" hype, I still want to nick pick couple things.
The small plates courses were awesome. Best ever? I'm not so sure. But very good nonetheless.
25. Anonymous's Review :: July 24, 2008 |
Gorgeous. We popped in when we saw activity... and the place is completely revamped. Small plates, but looks like tapas style. Table reserved for Saturday.
26. Anonymous's Review :: July 24, 2008 |
This opened quietly. We ate at Madeline's on what might have been the first night - saturday. Everything was first rate, and no indications of this being a first night. Small plates were great, and very dimsum like.
Will be a regular (wasn't a huge fan of the original Susar restaurant)
27. Diane Lindberg's Review :: July 24, 2008 Diane Lindberg's Rating: 4 Stars |
I actually liked the old look... the white walls with the colour tinting. But I do see the reason for the change. Too dark. But, like it said in the article, it looks like they're going for a new market. It will do well regardless.
28. David Nicholas's Review :: July 24, 2008 David Nicholas's Rating: 3 Stars |
Yes, the food was amazing. So many great dishes, mostly tapas sized... made for sharing. But considering the price and the "Susur" hype, I still want to nick pick couple things.
The small plates courses were awesome. Best ever? I'm not so sure. But very good nonetheless.
29. Gregg Sheppard's Review :: July 24, 2008 Gregg Sheppard's Rating: 3 Stars |
Gorgeous. We popped in when we saw activity... and the place is completely revamped. Small plates, but looks like tapas style. Table reserved for Saturday.
30. Jess Tabler's Review :: July 24, 2008 Jess Tabler's Rating: 3 Stars |
| Click here to view all 19 reviews |
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 601 King Street W, Toronto, ON |
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MBO Toronto :: Toronto Restaurants & Dining Guide
