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Y! MyWebRestaurant Review
Mr. Lee's Fine Asian Dining
Restaurant brings the heat to fine Asian dining
Thursday, January 10, 2008
VANDALIA — One look around Mr. Lee's Fine Asian Dining, and you'll know you're not in Cooker anymore.
To say the interior of the restaurant was renovated is an understatement. The owners of northern Montgomery County's newest Asian restaurant, which opened Jan. 2, spent five months gutting and renovating the building at 7580 Poe Ave. that used to house Cooker's Restaurant, and before that, China Coast.
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Jeff Weng (left) and Kenny Jiang work the sushi bar.
Susan Howard and Pete Stodd, both of North Dayton, enjoy lunch together at the bar at Mr. Lee's Fine Asian Dining
A variety of sushi is available at Mr. Lee's Fine Asian Dining.Mr. Lee's Fine Asian Dining
- WHERE: 7580 Poe Ave. (north of Little York Road, east of I-75), Vandalia. [Map]
- HOURS: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10: 30 p.m. Friday, noon to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.
- COST: Lunch $7.50-$8.95, dinner $10.95-$15.95.
- DISHES TO TRY: Minced Chicken Lettuce Wrap (spicy! $6.95), Crispy Shrimp Balls ($6.95), Triple Harvest ($13.50), Lake Tung Ting Shrimp ($13.50).
- MORE INFO: (937) 898-3860
- MORE: Reader ratings, complete profile
More information
The result is visually stunning. The restaurant's lines, lighting and interior woodwork offer an atmosphere as elegant and inviting as any in town. The owners have decades of restaurant experience and own Hunan House and Hunan Lion in suburban Columbus.
Of course, putting the phrase "Fine Asian Dining" into the restaurant's name sets the bar high. For the most part, the restaurant delivers, particularly for lovers of spicy Asian dishes.
The Minced Chicken Lettuce Wrap appetizer ($6.95) boasts a pronounced heat and an addictive sour garlic sauce. The Crispy Shrimp Balls ($6.95) seem to combine the flavors of shrimp toast and hush puppies, and with its mild soy-ginger dipping sauce, represents an antidote for the lettuce wraps' heat. Shanghai Spring Rolls ($3.95 for two) contain both chicken and shrimp, but are a bit greasy.
Triple Harvest ($13.50) combines beef, shrimp and chicken with peanuts and generous heat, though in this dish, the heat doesn't just come from hot peppers, but also from the chunks of fresh ginger. Hunan Chicken ($11.50) blends chicken breast with broccoli and mushrooms and a decided chili-pepper kick.
Firecracker Scallops ($13.95) were dusted with black pepper and stir-fried, and contained a decidedly more moderate heat level. For those who avoid the spice, the Lake Tung Ting Shrimp ($13.50) is a good bet — several large shrimps in a mild lobster sauce, although more fresh-cut vegetables and less of the canned baby corn would have made the dish even better.
During one of our dinner visits, our server wisely warned us that the heat level of some of the dishes — even those labeled with one star — was robust, but promised it could be toned down upon request.
The restaurant's ambiance and sushi offerings merit a return visit. And the wine list is better than most Asian restaurants, with a handful of good wines by the glass.
The restaurant's Poe Avenue location on the east side of I-75, north of Little York Road, can be a bit of a challenge now that the Little York exit no longer exists. But drivers who get off at the maniacally designed Benchwood/Wyse exit should head east, then look for the small yellow sign indicating the right-turn exit to the Poe Avenue connector. Head north on Poe Avenue, cross Little York and when you see Mr. Lee's neighbor, El Rancho Grande, continue forward, you're almost there.
