Lees Fortuna Court - Crows Nest

If you are looking for Chinese food on the lower North Shore of Sydney, Lees Fortuna Court is exact what you are looking for. The decor is circa 1980s (chinzy) with huge round tables and obligatory lazy susan in the centre. Feast on honey prawns, sweet and sour pork, beef and black bean and chow mein until your hearts content. It is exactly how you would imagine it from your childhood. Sup and enjoy! foodiemookie.com

Lee's Fortuna is old school suburban Chinese restaurant where lemon chicken and sweet and sour pork reign supreme! The restaurant proudly lives in the 80s with so much Chinese ornaments displayed on the mantle along with sporting memorabilia the owners are passionate about and photos of celebrities on the walls. It looks like a restaurant that has lasted the test of time and seen many of generations of poor family members work as waiters or kitchen hands on the weekend. Taking a glance at the clientelle you could see that many are regulars who have also come through the generations. There are many waiters who are in their 40s and 50s mingle and laugh with the regulars and have more history than half the restaurants in Crows Nest. I have been here before. The first time was with my colleagues years ago and it left a lasting impression. I would tend to go to the more (very politically incorrect here) of the Chinese restaurants where the Chinese go to eat. Yes, the ones with the big fish tanks at the front and **** service. Last time, I was very impressed with the cooking and excellent produce used in somewhat standard Chinese dishes. To give you an example, a special fried rice would appear simple to most people. The small shrimps come in many sizes and quality. Lee's uses a small but plump shrimp that really shines and gives you an indication of the quality on offer. Not only that, this is one of the rare restaurants that actually cook fried rice right! The grains are separated rather than appear clumped together or too dense. I can go on forever…. The service last time was impeccable too. This time we ordered the Lamb Pancakes, one of their signature dishes. Basically, they are not dissimilar to Peking Duck pancakes with the same pastry and hoisin sauce base but with strips of lamb lightly fried which come accompanied with julienne of carrot and spring onions. Excellent dish with a generous serving of succulent lamb in each pancake. The Scallops with House made chilli sauce could have been an excellent dish! They have resisted the temptation of many Chinese restaurants (even Golden Century) to halve their scallops and kept its original size. The size and quality of the scallops were very decent but it was such a shame they overcooked the scallops as they were all slighty chewy. The sauce was an imitation XO sauce and they have very cleverly renamed it "house made chilli sauce" as there were no dried scallops in the sauce but it tasted very similar to it. The Szechuan beef was also slightly overcooked which was also a shame because they used fillet beef instead of topside to cooked the dish so it had potential to be excellent too as the sauce was well balanced and complemented well with the other elements. We couldn't relive the full nostalgia of times gone by without ordering the one and only Aussie Chinese dessert classic - Banana fritters and ice cream. Again, a shame the batter was not crispy at all but rather soft and doughy. However, they noticed we didn't finish it and apologised not charging us for this dish.  The night completed with Fortune Cookies and After Dinner Mints - ahh the memories! The service was excellent with friendly and genuinely caring staff. Despite some hiccups tonight with some dishes, I have faith it was just that as I have tried them at their best before. Will come back again to try some other dishes next time!

Lee's Fortuna is old school suburban Chinese restaurant where lemon chicken and sweet and sour pork reign supreme! The restaurant proudly lives in the 80s with so much Chinese ornaments displayed on the mantle along with sporting memorabilia the owners are passionate about and photos of celebrities on the walls. It looks like a restaurant that has lasted the test of time and seen many of generations of poor family members work as waiters or kitchen hands on the weekend. Taking a glance at the clientelle you could see that many are regulars who have also come through the generations. There are many waiters who are in their 40s and 50s mingle and laugh with the regulars and have more history than half the restaurants in Crows Nest. I have been here before. The first time was with my colleagues years ago and it left a lasting impression. I would tend to go to the more (very politically incorrect here) of the Chinese restaurants where the Chinese go to eat. Yes... read more

I honestly don't see what the fuss is about.... Went here after seeing that it's reviewed so well online, was quite disappointed however. The food was expensive for the amount you get and while it's not bad, it's no Chinese I'd ever go back for. Very mediocre. I got the lamb pancakes as well as some other things, and they were pretty lacklustre. And once again, they weren't bad, but literally most Chinese food I've had in the past is quite easily better. The decor is pretty depressing and it feels like you've just walked into a dingy restaurant in the 80's - and not in a good way, either. The only thing I liked about it really was that some kid was having a birthday party and they cut his cake with some samurai sword type thing which was quite cool (but not sure how Chinese that is, more Japanese), but oh well. Seems like a place that has a good rapport with families that are loyal to the place which is why it does well. The staff were friendly. Probably will not be back personally though.

I honestly don't see what the fuss is about.... Went here after seeing that it's reviewed so well online, was quite disappointed however. The food was expensive for the amount you get and while it's not bad, it's no Chinese I'd ever go back for. Very mediocre. I got the lamb pancakes as well as some other things, and they were pretty lacklustre. And once again, they weren't bad, but literally most Chinese food I've had in the past is quite easily better. The decor is pretty depressing and it feels like you've just walked into a dingy restaurant in the 80's - and not in a good way, either. The only thing I liked about it really was that some kid was having a birthday party and they cut his cake with some samurai sword type thing which was quite cool (but not sure how Chinese that is, more Japanese), but oh well. Seems like a place that has a good rapport with families that are loyal to the place which is why it does well. The staff were friendly.... read more