#FOOD: ICONIC LAI WAH HEEN ENTERS A NEW ERA

As Lai Wah Heen marks one year since its return following a two-year hiatus and extensive renovation, husband-and-wife owners Gary and Ming are guiding the next chapter of a restaurant that has helped shape Cantonese fine dining in Toronto for more than three decades.

Rather than reinventing Lai Wah Heen, Gary and Ming have built on its established identity through a philosophy rooted in the belief that, though traditional, Cantonese cuisine has never been static. Shaped over centuries by trade, migration and cultural exchange, the cuisine has continually absorbed new ingredients and influences while preserving the techniques and principles at its foundation. For Lai Wah Heen, this means continuing that evolution, bringing traditional Cantonese technique into conversation with new ingredients, contemporary ideas and the experiences of a new generation. Today, that philosophy extends across the restaurant. Executive Chef Heyden Sin, Executive Dim Sum Chef Victor Huang and Executive Pastry Chef Ying Long bring contemporary perspectives to Cantonese technique; Oliver Leung draws on the flavours, memories and everyday rituals of Hong Kong for the cocktail program; Beverage and talent director Peony Cen approaches wine through the principles of the Cantonese table.

Central to the culinary program is Dragon Farm in Norfolk County, Ontario, where seeds sourced from China are grown in Canadian soil specifically for Lai Wah Heen’s kitchens. Acquired and developed by Gary in 2020, the pesticide-free farm grows Chinese vegetables, herbs, edible flowers and specialty produce, creating a direct connection between the restaurant’s Cantonese roots and its place in Canada.

Reservations for Lai Wah Heen can be made HERE.

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About The Culinary Program

À La Carte
Lai Wah Heen’s culinary program is led by Guangzhou-trained Executive Chef Heyden Sin, who studied under his uncle, Chef Guo Hui Tan, one of Guangzhou’s Top Ten Chefs and an early pioneer of molecular gastronomy in Cantonese fine dining. Sin went on to build his career across luxury hotel kitchens in China and South Korea, including Conrad, Ritz-Carlton and Hilton, before bringing that foundation in traditional Cantonese cooking and contemporary technique to Lai Wah Heen.

Sin’s à la carte menu explores traditional preparations, premium seafood and Canadian proteins alongside ingredients grown specifically for the restaurant at Dragon Farm. San Bei Norway Black Cod ($65) takes its cues from the aromatic three-cup preparation with sesame oil, yellow wine, soy and basil; and Canadian Prime Short Rib ($77) brings together Hong Kong oyster sauce and Cabernet Sauvignon reduction.

Tasting Menu
11 Courses | $180 per person
Sin’s 11-course tasting menu moves through dim sum, seafood, premium proteins and pastry, balancing traditional Cantonese technique with contemporary presentation. Highlights include Koi Fish Dumpling, with scallop and prawn hand-shaped into a delicate koi and served with spinach consommé, and Lobster Har Gow with lobster, prawn and uni.

Chef’s Table
Sin also leads Lai Wah Heen’s Chef’s Table, an intimate, interactive experience inspired by the Cantonese Merchant’s Feast and shaped around the season and the best ingredients available, including produce harvested from Dragon Farm. Dishes are prepared and demonstrated throughout the meal, giving guests a closer look at the ingredients and techniques behind the cuisine.
Dim Sum

Lai Wah Heen’s dim sum program is led by Executive Dim Sum Chef Victor Huang, who brings more than two decades dedicated to the discipline. Huang trained under acclaimed dim sum master Xiao Hong Huang before working alongside Sin under the mentorship of Chef Guo Hui Tan. He later served as Executive Dim Sum Chef at The Shilla Seoul, bringing traditional Cantonese dim sum to one of South Korea’s leading luxury hotels.

Offered à la carte and as part of Lai Wah Heen’s set menus, dim sum balances traditional handwork with premium ingredients and intricate presentation. Highlights include Hokkaido Uni Siu Mai ($32), pairing heritage pork with sea urchin and scallion oil, and Lobster Har Gow ($33), with lobster, green pea and green onion.

Afternoon Tea & Pastry

Executive Pastry Chef Ying Long leads Lai Wah Heen’s pastry program, reimagining traditional flavours through French pastry techniques, Cantonese herbal traditions and seasonal Canadian ingredients. Before becoming a pastry chef, Long worked as a jewellery designer for luxury jeweller Chow Tai Fook, a background that continues to influence her attention to detail, form and presentation.

Lai Wah Heen’s High Tea reinterprets afternoon tea through a Cantonese lens, bringing together dim sum, savoury dishes and pastry Monday through Friday from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Guests can build platters of five to nine selections, with highlights including the Pear-Shaped Crispy Dumpling, Roasted Duck Spring Roll and Lychee Shrimp Balls, alongside Long’s signature Swan Pastry filled with sweet lotus paste.

Beverage Programs

Cocktails

Lai Wah Heen’s new cocktail program was curated by Oliver Leung, co-owner of Suite 115, ranked No. 13 on Canada’s 100 Best Bars 2026, alongside Suite 115 Designer and Senior Bartender Jasmine Zhu. Rooted in the flavours, memories and everyday rituals of Hong Kong, the menu brings together Leung’s culinary approach to cocktails with Zhu’s design-led perspective.

“As someone who grew up in Hong Kong, I don’t see Hong Kong culture as something that needs to be recreated; it is something I carry with me,” says Leung. “These first three cocktails are a celebration of Hong Kong through the things that feel familiar to me. The drinks we grew up with, the condiments on the table, the fruit we ate as children, and the rituals that quietly shaped our idea of home. Just as Cantonese cuisine is deeply rooted in memory, balance, and tradition, these cocktails are an attempt to translate those same ideas into a glass. Each drink takes something unmistakably Hong Kong and gives it a new form, while keeping its original spirit intact. For me, this is what Hong Kong tastes like.”

“As both a designer and a bartender, I see cocktails as a form of design,” says Zhu. “Every decision, from flavour and aroma to texture, glassware, and presentation, is made with intention. I approach each drink the way I would a design project: starting with a concept, refining it through experimentation, and paying close attention to the smallest details. This menu reflects my belief that thoughtful design can be tasted as much as it can be seen.”
Highlights include The 852, combining Hong Kong lemon tea and Ribena and served with an egg tart; Ginger & Scallion, inspired by the condiment traditionally served alongside Cantonese barbecue, poached chicken and steamed fish; and Dragon Eye, a floral, spirit-forward interpretation of longan, a childhood fruit whose name translates to “dragon’s eye.”

Wine

Beverage and Talent Director Peony Cen

Lai Wah Heen’s wine program is led by beverage and talent director Peony Cen, who is WSET Level 3 certified and currently pursuing Level 4. While most of her wine knowledge and experience has been developed through Western fine dining, Cen being a Cantonese sommelier, grounds her approach to wine in the way she was taught to understand food.

“Growing up within Cantonese culture, the dining table was never simply a place to eat. It was where family gathered, where traditions were passed down, and where care was often expressed without words,” says Cen. “Food carried memories. A particular aroma, a bowl of soup, the bitterness of herbal tea, or the flavour of something slowly braised could immediately connect you to a person, a place, or a moment in your life. That understanding of food has become the foundation of how I approach wine. I do not believe Cantonese cuisine needs to be reshaped to accommodate wine. Instead, I ask what wine can learn from Cantonese cuisine.”

Rather than beginning with conventional pairing rules, Cen considers how acidity can lift the richness of roasted meats, minerality can echo the purity of steamed seafood, and mature wines can connect with dried tangerine peel, tea and aged ingredients. For Cen, pairing is about creating “a conversation between two histories,” with a cellar that respects the traditions of wine while being unmistakably informed by the Cantonese table.

Featured selections include the 2023 Domaine du Nozay Sancerre from the Loire Valley, a Sauvignon Blanc with notes of pink grapefruit, lychee, lemon and yellow peach; the 2018 Domaine Michel Arcelain Bourgogne Côte d’Or Pinot Noir, with red-fruit character and soft tannins; and a 2018 Tempranillo Reserva from La Mancha, Spain, with dark berries, vanilla and baking spice layered over smooth, mature oak.

Tea

Lai Wah Heen’s tea program is led by Tea Sommelier Isaac Paluga, who oversees the restaurant’s Chinese tea collection and service, guiding guests through selections chosen for their provenance, character and relationship to the food.
The program explores some of China’s most celebrated tea-growing regions. Jin Jun Mei, made from tender spring buds in Fujian province, is a naturally sweet and aromatic black tea, while Da Hong Pao, from the Wuyi Mountains, is a revered rock oolong known for its roasted complexity. Snow Tibetan Chrysanthemum, grown at high altitude in western China, offers a delicate floral expression. Closer to home, Organic Fig Leaf Tea is grown at Dragon Farm in Ontario and roasted in Lai Wah Heen’s kitchen to develop notes of toasted coconut, vanilla and maple.

Distinctive Spaces
Designed in collaboration with Alfred Wong of Studio CK, Lai Wah Heen’s 6,800-square-foot interior draws inspiration from the elegance of Hong Kong and Shanghai, with jade marble, gold accents, sculptural lighting and warm textures. Beyond the main dining room, the 115-seat restaurant includes four private and semi-private dining spaces.

Sol (曜), the largest, seats up to 25 guests around a round black marble table and includes a private entrance, bar and washroom; Lune (月) seats 12 in an intimate, naturally lit circular room; Silk Road (丝绸之路) seats 14 in a boardroom-style setting with a projection-ready wall; and Starlit (星光) seats 14 in a semi-private space defined by reflective black surfaces and deep red accents.

About Lai Wah Heen
Originally established in 1995, Lai Wah Heen is a Cantonese fine dining restaurant in downtown Toronto, re-imagined under owners Gary and Ming Its culinary philosophy draws on the evolution of Cantonese cuisine through trade, migration and cultural exchange, pairing traditional Cantonese technique with contemporary approaches and Canadian ingredients, including produce grown specifically for the restaurant at Dragon Farm.

Website: laiwahheen.com
Instagram: @laiwahheen

Hours of Operation
Monday – Thursday | 10:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Friday | 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Saturday | 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Sunday | 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Reservations can be made [HERE].