Welcoming the Year of the Horse at Wing Lei

Photo from www.progrexion.com/

2014 ushers in the year of the Wood Horse, a year that is to be filled with conflicts and energy, at least according to this article. So what better way to welcome the horse than with a grand dim-sum brunch at Wynn's Wing Lei.

Wing Lei is a fascinating place. It's the only Chinese restaurant in North America that has received a Michelin star. The restaurant's decor is gorgeous. It is decorated in gold and green, plates are plated in gold and the servers wear white gloves.

I suggested going to their bi-annual dim-sum brunch so that we could taste a variety of dishes, thereby getting a good overall flavor of the place. At $68.88 (yes, that's the price, Chinese love the 8) I assured my gastro-superior dining mates that it would be worthy of their palates and we will not be getting the leftover scraps fried with chop suey. And the quality of the food did not disappoint. Actually, we agreed that the brunch is a veritable bargain, as one could go to town at their seafood bar alone and easily eat $100 of lobster tails and king crab claws.

As much as the high quality seafood was around and plentiful, I only reserved a small portion of my stomach for it as there were so many other fascinating dishes to try. Their dim sum was exceptional, none of it was overly creative or extraordinary, just the best of old favorites. 

Lobster dumpling, scallop dumpling, pork bun and pork dumpling

Pineapple pork bun

My favorite dish were the pork belly with the top layer of fat cooked to caramelized perfection. Two other memorable dishes were their sea bass and their Peking duck. Michael and I had eaten at Blossoms the weekend before and both of us were ecstatically telling Shawn that it was the best Peking duck we ever had. Low and behold, the Wing Lei version was just as good. It had the perfect crispy skin, fatty duck meat, and the most amazing five spice seasoning I've ever tasted. 

Tummies full, we wandered over to their decadent dessert table where the three of us went to town. My favorite dessert of the night was the caramel coffee crunch and their salted caramels. 

Sidenote: the executive chef, Ming Yu, was visibly standing by the tables but seemed shy, so I didn't ask for a photo-op. Besides, I can't stand foodie groupies. 

Overall, it was an amazing experience. I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves dim sum, buffets, or the Wynn. The service was exceptional, even though it was partially self-serve. And being buffet-style did not take away from the overall experience. 

P.S. If you want to read a very detailed description of all the dishes we samples, click on Michael's blog here. 

P.P.S. Wing Lei is a Michelin star restaurant but they don't seem to enforce a dress code. You can wear shorts, but please don't. 

Gong Hei Fat Choy!