R&D

Overall it was okay not worth the price. Everyone agreed that most things were way too salty. The chicken on Rice was good and the lamp skewers were good. The duck was not the best duck I've ever eaten as the name says. It was tender but didn't have any particular flavour except salt.

The servers where friendly and attentive. But the courses and portions are weird. Too big for an individual portion but too small to share. And the plates came at inconsistent times. It felt like we where taste testing not having a cohesive meal. Was hungry after spending over $100 per person.

Photo of Mao aside (bad guy) the food & service was perfect. The ambience was what a group of friends was looking for! Definite return visit planned! Reserving ahead best.

I wish I could try the whole menu (which means that I’ll definitely be back)

Highly recommend getting seated at the chef’s counter if you can - the chefs are super friendly and welcoming and you’ll even get to see Eric Chong in action!

Out of everything we got, loved the kalbi beef bao, beef tartare, shrimp toast and the lamb spiducci - the beef tartare was unlike any other I’ve had and the lamb spiducci almost has a delicious laksa kick to it (maybe it’s the indo-mayo)

For dessert, got the sticky toffee pudding and it comes with calvados (alcohol) which was super strong so if you’re looking for a dessert on the sweeter side, wouldn’t recommend getting this!

I took my boyfriend for his birthday dinner and it ruined by the experience of this restaurant. I was so disappointed of how they lost our order and we were waiting for an hour for our food. The server didn’t notice how long we were waiting for our food to come, until we decided to ask him to check on it. We were super hungry and when they realized that they lost our order then they apologized and that all they did. They should do better than this! We were so hungry! Offering us something small or something while we waiting for our food to finally preparing. Also, nothing special for my boyfriend’s birthday eve though I mentioned on the reso that it’s a birthday. Sadly, i loved their food but i’m so disappointed for anything else. I spend $250 for 2 people and it not worth it at all.

Recently, my partner and I went to R&D for a date dinner.
We found out about the place through the Michelin guide.
It was a very interesting and unique experience.
I'm giving it 4 stars because it was a bit challenging to find the entrance, and being a vegetarian, there weren't many options for me.
I tried the Brussels sprouts and fried rice.
The fried rice was extremely delicious, the best I've ever had.
We had a few cocktails, which were good.
The service was commendable, and overall, we had a great night.

This place is phenomenal. Food was exquisite, service staff was great.even had a few visits from the chef. Couldn't recommend this place enough. Grandpa's Fun Guo was mouth watering, as was the shrimp toast and R&D fried rice, which was flavourful and incredibly light as far as fried rice goes. Was great getting a chance to talk to Chef Eric. Will definitely be back frequently.

Food: taste and texture was great so it was a shame when everything was just a touch too salty! Salt helps carry the flavours (and it lingers on your tastebuds and builds), so if it’s the first thing you notice then it’s too salty!

Service: was here for a birthday dinner and the service was efficient; however, there wasn’t a whole lot of care, attention, love to customer experience. It was very baseline.

Atmosphere: has great potential, but the environment wasn’t particularly welcoming. The owner should gets a lighting expert… lighting can make such a big difference in a space!

Overall, it was fine… the recurring theme is the lack of attention to detail… being conscientious about little things can add up to something big.

The food was excellent. It was my first time here and my date and I loved everything we ordered from the summerlicious menu. Even though it was cool to see Eric Chong on the other side, I'd prefer not to sit at the "bar" /counter next time; the seats are kind of uncomfortable for eating and it was kind of awkward listening to the line staff cursing. I can't wait to come back but it'll have to wait til a special occasion as the menu is quite pricey. Definitely one of the more expensive places to eat in Chinatown.

Went here for the first time and it was amazing, great staffs/ atmosphere and exceptional service. Tried a bunch of different things such as the Popcorn Shrimp, Beef Tartare, R&D Fried Rice, Spicy Cucumber Salad and for cocktail I had the Buddha's Secret Passion.

Our first time here and we had a wonderful time. Food was so full of flavour! We especially loved the CSB, beef tartare and the R&D fried rice. We also had the “Best Duck in the City” - so good! Loved the crispy skin. Shoutout to Kyle who helped us out. He was fantastic, and I just love his name!

We ordered the
1) HOKKAIDO SCALLOP SIU MA.
2) Pekin Duck (Best Duck in the City)
3) R&D FRIED RICE
And
4) STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING

The Scallop Siu Ma was delicately prepared and expertly cooked and had a nice kick of spice. Though exceptional, I will continue to experiment through the dim sum choices.

The duck was cooked in the most impressive manner, much of the fat wonderfully rendered, with crispy skin and soft and fluffy boas. I found the leek and cucumber flavour very mild. The texture of the boas and soft fat of the duck, along with its chewy meat and hoisin sauce fused the whole sensory feelings together into likely indeed the best duck in town! (Maybe in Canada too)

The R and D rice gave me a lot to consider and definitely has that Masterchef touch- the dish was salty, smoky, nutty, crunchy and memorable. I had to consider all the flavours for some time- the mushroom, the olive leaf- it was “next level” rice.

We finished with a Toffee Pudding. From the first bite i was stunned- with flavours of bourbon, palm sugar, and caramel along with a soft buttery (?) cake that was somehow crispy on its top layer supporting a dollop of ice cream and shavings of gold. (When i was done i was deeply satisfied but somewhat anxious i could not time travel and lock myself into a time paradox of eating that dessert over and over again.)

Thankfully i got to make some brief eye contact with the stars of the restaurant and was overjoyed that they were on hand. Ill never forget this meal. Thanks!

My family was hosting another family, with children, who were visiting Toronto. We treated them for gourmet cakes and macarons at Daan Go Cake Lab (Spadina) since it had a good reputation.

Someone at R and D, at the back of the restaurant, decided it was the right time to fire a staff member, and the two got into a overly-loud, heated, and hugely repetitive argument with swearing, all in front of our group, and other guests in the front. They were completely obviously to the fact that they were terrifying all of the paying guests present. We thought a fist fight was going to erupt amongst the management!

A few of the paying guests had to ask them to keep it down and act more professionally. It was inappropriate, unprofessional and disgraceful for a restaurant of that supposed calibre.

I visited the restaurant back when they first opened about 7 years ago to celebrate my birthday with a few friends. We had the duck and were absolutely blown away. Fast forward, we decided to come again to have the duck, and celebrate our birthday once again.

This time, my experience was beyond amazing. Austin was incredible, offered a few laughs, checked in with me a few times while I waited for my party, and suggested some delicious food and drink options. The snow pea sprout and fried rice paired well with the duck. The popcorn shrimp was delicious - the outside was crisp, and the inside was nice and delicate.

I also loved that Chef Eric did some rounds around the dining area to make sure that we were doing well and had no concerns.

Lastly, I truly believe ambiance is important when dining. The wall decor was very cute, seating was comfy, and the lighting set a great mood. Open kitchens/bars are always great as well!

I’ll be back again, hopefully sooner than 7 years this time! (:

Booked for summerlicious, showed up on time, Was told there was no table for us. No ETA when we could have the reserved table. Other people showed up to reservation and were seated. Will try to come next time and see if there would be a table available, and before that, I would say today was very disappointing.

Went for a early dinner with my date on Saturday, I must say, five star Service, 5 star Food and super friendly staff. The décor is on the Lounge / hipster side, right up my alley. Chef Eric and his team were a pleasure to watch crafting the dishes, I highly recommend to reserve the chefs counter bar seating, highly entertaining and you might learn something from the chefs. Looking forward to my next visit.

The duck is amazing, we had left over for the next day.
Service is great, nothing to complaint.
The sitting lounge area is not comfortable to eat at.
The chicken popcorn is basically shrimp tempura with lemongrass diping sauce that we didn’t enjoy.
The truffle dumpling were very good.
I agree with the rest, it doesn’t worth the money. If prices were lower then the reviews will be higher.
We won’t come back but we had a good experience nonetheless.

As a fan of MC Canada, I had to try this place. It's nice to see Eric actually on site. He is so humble and hardworking. He was in the kitchen, serving and checking on the guests. His commitment to his work shows. However, it did take a while for a server to take our order.
The Plum line drink was refreshing and a nice compliment to the food which was very good. I liked the Iberico Char siu and fried rice. They were modern interpretations with influences from all over SE Asia of classic Asian dishes. The Peking duck has to be ordered in advance which I will be returning to try.

Two nights ago, we visited R&D for the first time expecting a good dinner. Having heard of the duck here, we also made sure to request that ahead of time.

The food and overall experience was phenomenal. Chef Eric was actually in front of house that night, and he spent quite a bit of time going over all the menu options with us and providing recommendations. We went with the foie gras puff pastry, snow pea leaves, and the duck for our party of three. It turned out to be plenty of food.

The foie gras was amazing. I expected it to be on the richer side with the brown butter and hazelnuts, but it turned out to be extremely pleasant with the puff pastry.

The snow pea leaves with the duck jus were an unexpected highlight of the evening. It paired really well with the duck, as Chef Eric recommended.

The duck, being the reason we came for dinner in the first place, lived up to its reputation as the best in the city.

We did not think we had room for dessert with how filling everything was, however Chef Eric convinced us to try the panna cotta. It was a refreshing delight!

Thank you so much to Chef Eric and the team at R&D for showing us so much kindness, warmth, and excellent hospitality. We look forward to coming back!

Stood at the front and the host was too busy sitting with a table, making us wait to be seated. Once we were seated, our waitor was unenthusiastic and there was absolutely no social aspect. The food was great, and the description of our dishes when given to us was a nice touch, the atmosphere was great as well. But at the end of the day, we did not feel like we got the restaurant experience and instead just ate on our own. Dissapointed but again, at least the food was good.

A restaurant owned by a winner of Masterchef Canada. The food is an unique take on fine dining and Asian cuisine.

Overall, the customer service was great though the food was mid and a bit pricy.

If you can't handle smoke essence, the lobster chow mein might not be for a good main to order (though a cool dish for tiktok, instagram reels and Snapchat)

Also, get the beef tartare, that stuff is bomb and the temperature is of it bomb.

My boyfriend & I have this in our top five favourite date night spots. The food is always delicious and the service is even better! We do miss the matcha lava cake tho. Please bring it back some time:)

R&D is simply superb! All staff members were welcoming and friendly. The Peking duck experience was impeccable – the perfectly roasted and sliced duck was beautifully presented and incredibly delicious and succulent. The French Onion Spring Rolls were fun and tasty. The snow pea leaves dish was a perfect balance.
We had the pleasure of sitting at the chef’s counter watching the celebrity chef Eric Chong and his team in action. Chef Chong was personable, calm, and very pleasant to talk to. After seeing how much effort and care he and his team put into the food preparation and presentation, it made us really appreciate the opportunity of eating at a great restaurant.
We would highly recommend R&D!

Giving an extra star because the CSB (bbq pork buns) was actually great. (Adding a sweet layer on top of the bun is not that innovative, though, as Tim Ho Wan in HK was the place that popularized that.)

The rest of the meal was frankly really disappointing:

1. The popcorn shrimp looked like something that was frozen and then thrown in the microwave. Also no interesting flavor profiles. Just batter and tasteless shrimp.

2. The scallop shiu mai were very badly executed. The scallop on top didn't have any flavor so it was basically a gratuitous gelatinous layer placed on top of a very mediocre ground pork mix. Very dry texture. Also I don't know why they added the crunchy outer shell as that contributed nothing.

3. Mushroom fried rice was extremely salty and over-powered whatever flavors were supposed to be in this dish. I could barely see or taste any actual mushrooms. One of the few times I left a plate unfinished.

4. Decor and ambiance of the dining room and bathrooms felt more like a diner/fast food joint than a gourmet restaurant. Apathetic and unpolished service.

I really wanted to like this place but am sorry to say I will not be back.

It was a good experience - the food was actually very good, especially the pecking duck. Only downfall is the service, our waited was in a mood the whole night, not very approachable or attentive which was unfortunate because we've heard good things about this place.

Come for the food and stay for the service. Our bartender/server Aaron was top notch.

Friendly, accommodating and full
of personality and even recommended some cool drink spots to visit after our dinner. He made the experience.

Thanks R&D! We’ll be back

I wanted to like this place more than I did. Usually not huge on fusion places (I find some value the novelty rather than good tasting food).

CSB: Tasted fine, I feel like having a fluffier exterior (HK pineapple bun / bolo bao maybe?) would have been more satisfying.

Beef Tartare: I feel like something was needed to cut through the richness of the coconut sauce at the base of the tartare. The flavor worked well with the chips however.

Fried chicken: Chicken was juicy which was nice (nothing would be more sad than paying $25 to get dry chicken, which thankfully didn't happen). The coating was good, although maybe a bit too much on the umami. I feel like adding more heat would help the flavors. Also wasn't very crispy (seems crazy not to double fry it korean style).

Kalbi beef bao: Flavor was fine, but the beef was chewy. I feel like short rib would be better in this context if it was tender. When I bit into the bao the beef just came out at once and not in a nice way lol.

Lo Bak Go (Turnip Cake) : Was slightly burnt, which wasn't the end of the world but noticeable. Was oily (which I didn't mind personally). Flavor was not bad, but nothing that stood out to me. Presentation was cute, but that doesn't get over the other issues, wouldn't order this again.

The meal felt a bit disappointing at this point. Sure, it was fine and prepared nicely, but for the price of the food, it didn't feel worth it.

The sticky toffee pudding though? Insanely good, single handedly saved the mood. I'm not sure I would come back to buy the items I ordered today, but I would 100% come back just to eat the sticky toffee pudding and nothing else. If there's an item to leave on the menu, it's this one (although the gold flakes felt unnecessary lol).

No drinks, after tip the whole meal came to $132 for 2 people. Not bad for a finer dine-in experience, but disappointing given the food received. I'm not even against the fusion aspects (it's fun! Interesting!) but the flavor felt like it was close but not there. 3/5, maybe 3.5/5 after you consider the pudding.

If only the rest of the food was as good as that sticky toffee pudding

We were a party of three and made reservations for the duck in advance. The duck with the bao was absolutely delicious. It was cooked and flavored perfectly!

Although it was quite filling, we wanted to try some other things on the menu so we got the Hokkaido scallop sui Mai and the Lo bak go (turnip cake). I wasn’t a huge fan of the sui Mai but I did like the crispness of the little bak go. I think I ate most of the Lo bak go actually…

Good food. Great ambience. Must try the fried rice and fried chicken.
Drinks are a tad bit overpriced. But overall a good place for food. Not super crowded and reserving a table is very easy and recommended on weekends.

This was the BEST dinner I have had in my long life, anywhere in the world!

Each dish was perfection. Chef Eric Chong planned our dinner for us around our choice of Peking Duck. From Dim Sum steamed dumpling filled with truffle, chicken, bamboo & carrot to the fried rice and spicy cucumber salad, every dish was prepared and served with expertise and care.

Our server was attentive and knowledgeable, explaining each dish as it arrived with explicit, delectable descriptions.

The entire evening was superb!

Excellent food selection! Amazing service! As a newly converted “vegetarian- pescatarian”, I was pleased with the options! Every dish was memorable, shareable, flavourful and beautifully presented. My friends wanted to try the duck but it was sold out that night… if interested, make sure to reserve in advance. I recall them mentioning only 2 servings of duck per night…
I enjoyed the mushroom fried rice, lobster and vermicelli dish! The sticky toffee pudding is on the sweeter side but melts in your mouth! Chef and staff are courteous and engaging! A must!

The food was absolutely outstanding tantalizing and burst in your mouth with different flavors. Peking duck was the best!

Definitely a high end place. We went on Valentines day and because we went early in the evening, there was an opening in the lounge area. Otherwise, you may want to call in advance and reserve a table.

The atmosphere was nice, Comfy seats, and some good music. Staff were nice, and food came out fairly quick. Drinks were definitely on the higher priced side for the amount you get. See photos.

We would return again in the future.

Wait staff was very accommodating. Food was very good. Everything tasted fresh and came piping hot. If I could do it again, I would get two orders of the short-rib bao bun. Accessibility was fine. There is a lift to get to the dining area and the tables were tall enough for most wheelchairs to get under. The bathroom had an accessible stall. Would come again.

R&D is awesome. The term asian fusion often goes around loosely nowadays but R&D does it perfectly right. All the dishes were exquisite with the original taste and flavours you expect plus very different interpretations and twists. Staff was super nice but we felt a bit rushed towards the end. 4 stars just because cocktails were expensive and didn’t really feel that premium.

I have eaten chinese food all my life and have never experienced elavated chinese food before. It was definetely very good and a extremely memorable experience, I also met the owner and Master Chef Eric Chong!

Every plate was on point. The chicken was tender and seasoned perfectly, the bao were fresh, and the brussel sprouts were blackened to perfection. Service was also super fast. I'll look to try the duck next time.

We were extremely impressed with the overall experience at R&D. The Peking duck special was super delicious, tender, with crispy skin, and had a rich duck flavor. The baos that accompanied the duck were so soft and delicious to the point that I could have eaten the baos alone happily. It was a generous portion for two people and we definitely had a lot of leftovers! We also really enjoyed the jerk octopus on okonomiyaki and the octopus was really well cooked and tender. The beet salad was on the sweet side but overall tasty. The turnip cake was just alright. The service was excellent and we were served at various points by the head chef Eric Chong who was super friendly and personable. It was great to hear him explain the source of the ingredients and the inspiration behind the specific dishes. The service was super quick, efficient, and attentive. I would definitely recommend for any special occasions and would come back again!

Food was excellent, drink were great. We had the duck experience that we needed to reserve 24 hours in advance. Only 2 of us, and we ordered a couple other dishes and it was plenty of food and left with some to go boxes. Nice looking room and great service.

Went a while back and the food was ok. Nothing that makes you go “wow” but still pretty good. The cactus drink wasn’t sweet enough IMO. Waitstaff nice:)

Second time coming to R&D the food is just made perfect and the atmosphere is great. The chief has an unbelievable talent!

My boyfriend surprised me with a date night at R&D and it was the best meal we have had in a while. The atmosephere was very nice and intimate for couples. Service was extremely friendly and a description was provided with each dish that was served.

The menu prices are on the higher end because it is a higher end restaurant. The food was delicious and a great experience overall. I highly recommend stopping by at least once if you ever want to try some amazing Asian Fusion cuisine.

Great atmosphere. Awesome and fun staff - from the entrance to the bill, the staff was very accommodating and pleasant and fun. I came into this knowing I wasnt supposed to expect the same time of chinese food from a traditional chinese restaurant.

Our group of 9 ordered many things. We ordered CSB, siumai, turnip, squid ink pasta, fried rice, lobster noodles, Duck, fried chicken.

I think there was an excessive use of butter. Understandably, butter is one of the more prominent ingredients in this type of cuisine. The squid ink pasta, fried rice, and duck was a bit strong on the butter taste.

Salt. Perhaps it is the target customer group, but some of the dishes were a little heavy on the salt. Nothing was really super excessive with salt except the fried rice. The lobster had some piece that seemed to have absorbed more salt than the rest of the dish but thats fine since we ate it with the noodles. The FRIED RICE wasnt really edible. The whole table couldnt finish it so we took it home and mixed in more rice - although not as salty, it was mostly tasting of just butter. Need to either add more rice to the fried rice, or ease off the salt

Another missing thing i think was ACID and HEAT (SPICE). Some things like the CSB would have been even better with these. In fact most of the dishes are Very Rich so acid and heat may help balance that.

I ate some leftovers at home of the fried chicken. It has some uncooked parts unfortunately.

I dont expect anyone to even read this but wanted to leave my two cents.

The main flavor element in most of our dishes was sugar. The dishes tasted good, but almost ALL of them were sweet. Not sure why they went that route. The food is well made (crafted?) though. Worth a visit.
We had the Kalbi Beef Bao, Char Siu, Brussel Sprouts (really sweet with a glaze), curried squash (not too sweet), and the Fried Rice (not sweet, and delicious!). Not sure why we need more sugar, but we had the toffee pudding for dessert. That was amazing.
Service was great. The decor pretty interesting. The music was awful and LOUD! R&B at high volume. Nothing against R&B. Some of my best friends listen to R&B.
The three star rating is for the sugar. If you don't mind that, the food is good.

We went for a casual week night dinner. Food was very good!

One thing to be careful of, online you can reserve a table until 9, however it looks like 9 is the last call! We got there at 8: 30 and had to order everything quickly.

Visited last month and it was pretty good! A little pricey, but I love the story behind the place and am so proud of its Canadian-Cantonese roots. I wasn't crazy about the octopus dish since it was pretty tough and dry. The R&D fried rice and steak dishes were good though! As for the drinks, I really liked the Buddha's secret passion cocktail since it was more fruity and sweet. We tried the lost at sea cocktail as well which was a lot smaller but pretty strong in terms of alcohol content or maybe I'm just a lightweight lol.

I cannot say enough positive about R&D. Had a reservation for 3. The food came out quickly and absolutely everything tasted amazing. Cocktails were on point as well. This is one of my fav places in downtown and will for sure be back!

Extraordinary food.
Extraordinary decor.
Extraordinary service
Truly a place to discover

Sticky pudding OMG!

CSB was absolutely amazing, as was every cocktail on the menu basically. Only let down were the turnip cale that didn't have an obvious "twist", and the Popcorn shrimp that was saucier and spicier than expected and kind of plain. Price was par for the course.

Can't wait to go back and update my review based on more dishes I have yet to try

Everything was delicious and creative. The French onion spring roll was amazing. The pudding and the Paris Brest was also very delicious

I was expecting more from the food and its presentation. Popcorn shrimp didn’t taste like anything special. Lamb potstickers’ crust was too thick and the numbing spice overpowered other flavors. The jerk octopus was well cooked but the flavors confused me; I know this place is supposed to be fusion and inventive but the jerk seasoned octopus, japanese pancake, and simple boiled greens don’t work together at all. Had high expectations coming here given the reviews and the chef.

Greatly enjoyed the experience. Staff worked as a team (which is always a joy to watch) and were attentive and very professional. A couple of misses but the dumplings and Peking Duck (order ahead!) were clear winners. I would definitely go again!

I had the prefix, with 15 people. It was quite delicious oh, and the portions left me very stuff by the end of the meal.

Ordered steak tataki, lamb croquettes, and the R&D fried rice. Lamb croquettes were good and the steak tataki a more vinegar/sour taste than expected. Didn't enjoy the steak tataki but that's probably personal preference. Fried rice was also too salty? Too something that was very strong. Maybe the mushroom. The cocktail lost at sea was quite good though. Strong citrus taste. And desert! The matcha lava cake was delicious.

The cocktails were excellent, and the food and flavours were on point! Great to taste some unique contemporary Chinese dishes. I’ll be back to try the duck — I feel it’s a must but you must order 24 hours in advance.

Our only issue was the atmosphere — it’s an incredible space, but unfortunately it’s extremely brightly lit with a really confused lighting story. It was so bright that it felt like a cafeteria and wasn’t very relaxing (maybe intentionally referencing Chinese restaurants like House of Gourmet?). When the space is so bright, it gives you the sense that everyone in the room is at your table, making it instantly feel less intimate. Like a dance floor when the lights come on at the end of the night vibe. For that reason, maybe not a great date spot.

If the restaurant is reading this, hot tip; everyone looks and feels better and more relaxed in gently lit spaces! Turning the floodlights off and adding a candle to the tables would elevate the experience instantly and people will stay (and drink) for much longer! Also puts the focus on the food ️

You have to try their peking duck! It is so peking good. The meat is juicy and tender, deliciously fatty, with delicious crispy skin. I've had it at least four times and im still not tired of it. Just remember to call on advance to preorder the duck.

The other dishes I've tried here are also great and they make amazing cocktails as well.

Amazing restaurant created by the Rebel and the Demon (MasterChef Canada winner Eric Chong and Judge Alvin Leung).

I got their new year's set menu and it was amazing and pretty much everything was above my expectation! I especially enjoyed the chicken dumpling and the lamb skewer with dipping sauce. The skewer is like an example of fusion food done right. As a Chinese person, I actually like it better than the original version with cumin. Although the duck skewer was a little bit too fatty to my personal taste. The main course sounded like generic American style of Chinese food but it had a lot of depth of flavors and was delicious.

I like how they added cucumber in the sashimi appetizer. The dessert was not overwhelmingly sweet and we finished it all.

We ordered the dim sum takeout for 2 and were very pleased with the value.
I LOVED the french onion soup rolls and the profiteroles. I will be back.

***take out experience*** Had a set course meal from here for Chinese New Years. The fusion Asian food tastes amazing. I wish I had a chance to dine in but won't have a chance to until the pandemic is over. Please note that the photo is not a reflection of the restaurants plating, etc.

The food was interesting and definitely asian and canadian fusion. It was a great experience but it is kind of overpriced for what it was.

You'd expect that for almost 100 bucks the duck wouldn't be bland and burnt and there would be more sauce than two spoonfuls. Considering that the duck literally just tasted like fat and nothing else, I think that extra sauce should be free of charge and on the house. But nope! Extra sauce was like 4 bucks too. Really? How can you be that cheap!

Other than the burnt duck skin (it's literally black on the outside), the blandness of the duck by itself and the lack of sauce, I think the food was fantastic. I am from Beijing so it was definitely a new and interesting experience. It just think that it was not worth that price, I'd suggest 50-60.

Side note, we visited this place around September of 2020, during covid. There was basically no social distancing whatsoever. The next table was literally about half a meter away from us. Unfortunately they have very limited space and it was cramped. It is what it is.

Good food! We ordered the bok choy, beef spring rolls, lo mein laksa noodles and the bibimbap. All of it was delicious and flavourful. The portion were big but that's ok coz its a little pricey. However I thought service was really slow. I sat for 40 mins before someone came to take my order. There was only one server for the entire restaurant. They need to work on better resource management. But overall a good place.

Pretty Good Restaurant. Make western cooking culture and chinese cooking culture combine together is awesome.

The drinks were great and the service was amazing. The food however was subpar. It tired a modern take on classic Asian dishes at an inflated price. Which would be fine if it tasted good but everything was overly salty and in very small portions. Would come again for drinks tho

AMAZING! Beautiful atmosphere, clean, but most of all DELICIOUS! MasterChef judge and winner join forces at this amazing spot. Go here. You will not regret it. This is authentic Chinese food. You will not chicken balls with red sauce here - thankfully!

My experience was a bit mixed. While we loved the food and ambiance and our server was extremely sweet about getting all our request through, he was just overwhelmed with the amount of people. My friend who joined me waited for almost half hour to place a drink order. Everytime we wanted to order something it took us 15-20mins just to get his attention and that too we had to wave. It was a bit odd given it is an open concept. Food wise highly recommended!

This is a lively happening place with very tasty dishes. The BBQ Pork bun is my love at first bite. It's so different from others, light crispy but soft shell with super flavorful fillings. The Peking duck is so succulent and deliciously different from the traditional version. Then there is the leg of lamb in a flavor exploding saucy broth together with udon noodles. What a fantastic combination! There are so many more items on the menu, I wish my stomach had more room. Definitely next time! The staff is well trained for great service.

Food: R&D has a moderate selection of vegetarian food. We ordered three out of four vegetarian tapa-sytle dishes (bok choy, crispy tofu, lettuce wraps), vegetarian bao, and vegetarian fried rice. The food was flavourful and a bit spicy. I found the tofu particularly well cooked with good texture.

Service: The front of house service was poor. There was a line-up when we arrived. We waited about 10 minutes before the host came to put us on a list and we were seated shortly after. Our server was wonderful and attentive.

Ambiance: Interesting decor and good ambiance. The music wasn't too loud and the space was comfortable for our party of four. They can definitely accommodate large parties comfortably.

Why not 5 stars?
The front of house service was poor - I expect to be greeted shortly after arriving at the restaurant so I can decide whether I want wait for a table or go somewhere else. Also, although the food was good, it was a bit overpriced.

Great！Love Korean soup. Pork Bao is too sweet for me. Price is not cheap. Desserts are not well. 猪肉荷叶馍过甜. 泡菜汤还行.

Great food (I'm obsessed with Grandpa's Fun Guo), amazing music (when they're playing old school jams -especially 90s Hip-Hop), cool atmosphere, Kung Fu movies, $7 cocktails from 5-7pm.what isn't there to love?
My bf, my friends and I all love coming here.

Very tasty food. Seafood chow mein had lots of flavor and was plentiful. Service was excellent and quick

Great service, everything was delicious and will definitely be back to get the duck next time. Thanks so much!

Interesting modern twist on the traditional cuisine, pricey but worth the experience, the chow mein with laiksa sauce is crispy and flavorful, the pork bun is reinvented with a Pineapple Bun a staple of Hong Kong morning pastry, i would say its worth a shot for dates and foodies who like to see a finedining Chinese comfort food for a change.

The food wasn't as good as I was expecting for the prices, not bad though. The waiter wasn't very nice and eventually left for an extended period while we were all waiting to pay and leave.

Food 4/5, service 3/5. Overall experience 3/5.

Came here for a friend's birthday tonight and tried out their baos (aka buns) as the pictures looked delicious. I ordered the CSB (Char Siu Bao - pork) and chicken satay. My friend ordered the 3rd selection which was the beef curry (not shown in the pictures) and surprisingly, all three were done differently.

The CSB was baked with a layer of sugar on the outside which made it crispy and had a nice texture especially with the moist filling inside. The filling was supposed to be Mexican but honestly, it tasted very Asian. I wished that the description on the menu stated how the bun was made as I preferred my CSB's to be steamed. Nonetheless, it was good to try it out but for $8, it was quite pricey for what it was.

My favourite was the chicken satay. It featured a steamed bun and it was exactly how I pictured it. The taste was also what I was expecting as the combination of the meat, pickles, sauce, and peanuts really came together well with every bite. The bun itself was soft and not overly chewy. 2 buns for $7 was a good deal and is highly recommended. I wished they had a pork belly bun but I assume the restaurant switches their menu items up once in a while.

I only had a small bite of the beef curry and although I didn't feature it here in the pictures, imagine meat wrapped in a shape of a hockey puck with roti. It was packed with beef and flavour but not really what I expected a bun to be.

The overall experience at this restaurant was just ok. It wasn't full as I thought it might be for a Saturday night as there were only 2 tables (including ours). The most disappointing part of the experience was the service. I don't recall the gentleman's name who helped us but he was borderline rude and was very slow altogether. It got better towards the end but when it came to getting the bill, he was nowhere in sight and his counterpart had to get our bills for us and accept payment on his behalf - not what we were expecting. The good thing was that we weren't charge for the cake of $2 / person (I guess he forgot to add it into our bills) and the gratuity wasn't automatically included which we were expecting as we had a large group.

Overall, the food here was quite pricey too for what it was, the service was mediocre at best and I honestly wish that this experience was something I could talk with excitement but unfortunately, the previous ratings and reviews just didn't live up to the hype when we actually visited the restaurant.

Went here under the recommendation that it was family friendly. Tons of room for a stroller and comfortable seating for my wife and I alongside our toddler. Food was amazing. Recommend the CSB and the fried chicken. Both are reason enough to make a stop at R&D. Service was top notch. Looking forward to our next trip to R&D.

Amazing bar menus - but then there are the hairs in the food which are inevitable as no one even wears a baseball cap in the kitchen that is open to the public - guess they are just too cool? So if that does not weird you out -? Go chow down.

Amazing service and the tuna tartare and CSB baos were out of this world. Try the old fashioned too!

I am in Toronto visiting from BC and just had to check out R&D while here (yup I may be a fan of Master Chef Canada). I was so glad that I made my way over there, the decor and atmosphere was inviting, staff was friendly and knowledgeable and the bibimbap was amazing! I couldn't have asked for a better experience.

My experience at R&D was absolutely phenomenal. We ordered many dishes and I could not nitpick anything. The presentation, technique, and most importantly flavour was on point. It shouldn't come to a surprise as this restaurant is owned by Masterchef Eric Chong. His skills show off in the quality of the food. I recommend Grandpa's Fun Guo and the Best Duck in the City. Yes. You heard me, they have named their duck as the best in the city and it lives up to its name.

Great modern Chinese food. Have gone there on multiple occasions. The service is phenomenal and they ensure that you have a great time. Will definitely go there again!

Not your typical Asian fare. Different and so delicious. The waiter was very accommodating when I notifies I had a flight to catch immediately after the meal. Parking was atrocious but that's to be expected when you're in chinatown.