Restaurant Review – Modern Chinese Vegetarian at Miss Lee

Step this way if you're ready to meet Miss Lee.

Calling all foodies! There’s a new restaurant on the block by the name of Miss Lee and our taste buds have something to say about it. Read on to learn more…

About Miss Lee

First opening its doors at the end of 2019, Miss Lee was created by the ZS Hospitality Group, the great minds behind other Eastern flavours such as contemporary Cantonese restaurant Lee Lo Mei and Vietnamese favourite Moi Moi.

Miss Lee is centrally located on Wellington Street, and inside you’ll find a beautifully designed space with comfy booths and tables, ideal for small groups. The restaurant has a cosy, welcoming ambience with design quirks that are reminiscent of an old-school American diner, but with an Eastern twist. Pastel colours and an adorable logo also add to the warm, neighbourhood feel.

What’s on the Menu?

With meat being the usual focus of Chinese cuisine, Miss Lee are turning this tradition on its head to bring us a new and innovative menu of modern vegetarian Chinese. Their lunch, a-la-carte, signature and take-out menus are all loaded with mouth-watering and healthy choices, ranging from veggie versions of old favourites to unique and inspiring dishes for those of us looking to try something new.

As well as the whole menu being vegetarian, many of the dishes are also suitable for vegans. Those with other dietary requirements are also catered for, with each menu showing handy advice about gluten-free and Buddhist-friendly options, amongst others.

The chefs over at Miss Lee are keen to showcase plant-based and vegetarian eating at its finest and are passionate about nutritious ingredients. Their full-flavoured dishes focus on Eastern flavours fused with Western cooking methods that will leave even the carnivores amongst us feeling satisfied.

Signature Menu – The Review 

If scouring through a big, long menu isn’t appealing, the restaurant’s top picks have all been compiled into one place: The Signature Menu. This consists of four courses and costs a reasonable $288 per person. Should you wish to add a drinks package, the three-course juice pairing costs an additional $128 or the three-course wine pairing is $138. Whichever you choose, these drinks have both been specially created (the juices) or selected (the wines) to complement each course and are a great enhancement to the meal!

Miss Canape: Smoky Quartz & Flower Bouquet

First comes the Miss Canape course. Here, you can select either the Smoky Quartz or the Flower Bouquet. Considering this is a pre-starter, both are generously sized and with a generous punch of flavour to match. The divine smouldering aromas of the Smoky Quartz waft over before the dishes arrive, beautifully presented, onto your table. The Flower Bouquet is a delicious veggie wrap with finely chopped, meaty vegetables and hoisin flavours, reminiscent of duck pancakes. Its companion, the Smoky Quartz, is a smoked veggie skewer composed of mushrooms and asparagus which is flavoursome and moreish. Both dishes come with a homemade, vegan dipping sauce.

Miss Bijou: Golden Flowers & Misty Veil

Now for Miss Bijou, the starters, a choice of Golden Flowers or Misty Veil. These expertly designed dishes deliver on all fronts: great texture, flavour and presentation. Firstly, Golden Flowers (this reviewer’s favourite of the whole menu) is a cauliflower dish served with mushroom in a river of creamy egg yolk and pumpkin sauce. Though an odd combination on paper, the flavours worked together in perfect harmony. The Misty Veil, a strong opponent, is layered with sheet noodles, shredded mushroom and cucumber with a full-flavoured sesame sauce. The result is a fresh flavoured starter that is bound to have you prepped and ready for the main course. Get one of each and share them with a friend!

Miss Mighty: Lotus Leaf & Fungi Farm

Miss Mighty is up next, the main event. Now, you have your toughest decision yet: a choice of three dishes. They are Garden Soil, Lotus Leaf or Fungi Farm. More appetizing than its name would suggest, the Garden Soil is a tofu-based dish served with mushroom, edamame and a seaweed broth. The Lotus Leaf, on the other hand, is a saucy mix of mushrooms and tofu. This is served with a delicious and nutty sticky rice. Last but not least is the Fungi Farm a firm textured mushroom and pearl barley risotto. The flavours are complemented by the tangy, creamy addition of parmesan which completes the dish perfectly. The latter option is great for those of us who err towards more familiar, western flavours. If traditional Chinese textures and flavours are more up your street, the former two dishes are both good options.

Miss Sweety: Hawthorn Tree & Yellow River

Now for the finale, entitled Miss Sweety. The options for the dessert are Hawthorn Tree or Yellow River. With a sweet apple sorbet, a chocolate sponge and sharp mascarpone filling, the Hawthorn Tree presents your palate with a delightful fusion of flavours. On the other hand, the Yellow River will please fans of the classic Asian dessert of mango sticky rice. Miss Lee’s offering, however, features coconut jelly and purple rice to accompany the mango. We were pleased that neither option was overly sweet and they were the perfect palate cleanser to end our meal, leaving us feeling truly satisfied!

The Verdict 

We were delighted to find that Miss Lee offers up beautifully designed dishes, winning flavours and excellent service. They make use of unique ingredients and refreshing flavours, with lots of attention to detail and the dishes have clearly been curated with passion and care by expert chefs. The food itself is healthy and light, leaving you feeling full but without the sluggish bloat of a regular four-course meal. This restaurant is sure to become a firm favourite for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike so don’t leave it too long before making Miss Lee your new best friend!

Miss Lee, G/F The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street | 2881 1811

Find more excellent vegetarian restaurants in this roundup!

Kindergarten Teacher, tea-obsessive and serial bruncher, Emily moved from the UK to Hong Kong 3 years ago. When she’s not working, you can find her planning holidays and hunting for books to read while travelling! She’s passionate about body image, wellness and ex-pat life – check out her other writing at emilymoulds.com