Tom Sep 19,2008

I visited the local Asian Legend in Richmond Hill for lunch during work. I ordered the lunch special "I" and the special consisted of the soup of the day and the actual meal.

All I've got to say is, if you only have thirty minutes to spare for lunch avoid Asian Legend!
It took them one hour to prepare my food.

My overall experience on this visit was sub-par because when fifteen minutes had passed I asked my waiter and he responded that the food was coming in a "minute".

The actual food I didn't enjoy. The dish had too much sauce and fat. The pork was cut from the gristle so there was barely any meat. The sauce's taste was like drinking straight from a soy sauce bottle.

As for the atmosphere I found the restaurant to be very loud and cramped.

Chris Mar 14,2008

I went to Asian Legend in Richmond Hill for lunch. I ordered my food and one hour later after the other guest in my party had already eaten I still had not received my meal. When I asked the manager to pack it up and remove it from the bill she refused. Needless to say I walked away hungry and angry.

alex Jan 26,2008

Fod is good, but I have never felt more ripped off for a delivery charge of 90.00. The portions were small and the food was warm.

Jeff Aug 20,2007

I've been to each of the Asian Legend Restaurants, starting with
the one on Dundas, long ago. While I wasn't enamored with the
food preparation at the time, I assumed that it was because I
was unfamiliar with the food. Never mind the fact that I've eaten
at virtually every decent Chinese restaurant in Toronto, North
York, Scarborough, and Markham.
Another reviewer wrote something that rings true - what they do
well, they do spectacularly well, what they do poorly, they do
spectacularly poorly. Unfortunately, they fail more often than
not.
Unless you know how to pick dishes (for the first time, I suggest
looking closely at many other tables), or feel lucky, avoid Asian
Legend.
Certainly, my last meal there (the one on Yonge, in NY), the fish
was excellent, the traditional greens were tough (inexcusable),
and the Cantonesese chow mein was minimal and overcooked
(the pic on the menu looked amazing - better than Congee
Wong's). Seeing as Asian Legend is more expensive than similar
and tastier fare at other restaurants, I won't be going back again.

tinybites Nov 28,2006

I agree, this is one of my favourite "standby" restaurants! When I was living in Richmond Hill I used to go to the Hwy 7 location a lot, and now that I'm downtown, I visit the Dundas location at least once a month. My usual dishes include the green onion w/ beef pancakes, and the soup noodles with braised beef. I also like their soup noodles with pickled greens -- I believe they use fresh mustard green vs. preserved. Recently I branched out and also had their crispy chicken -- a dish I don't normally like because it tends to be dry, but it was delicious! The wuxi spare ribs and the moo shu pork are also yummy.

pinstripeprincess Oct 03,2006

i've been to the dundas location for a snack and have been to the one uptown for a weekend lunch and was not impressed.

at best they do some things competently but what they get wrong they get dead wrong. we ordered the handmade noodles in soup and the noodles refused to release themselves from the tangled knot they arrived in even after sitting in soup for a while. on top of that they tasted distinctly of flour and were thick and very uneven in size.

their cold foods were fine, but nothing to rave about. stomach, jellyfish, etc.

the egg, onion and shrimp pancake probably had half a shrimp to the whole thing. otherwise it was good, good crisp outer shell with substantial filling... cheap filling though.

additionally, we ordered the hot soy in a bowl and the server pretty much spilled half of it all over the table and on us by slamming it down on the table and didn't even react to clean up. we had to call the manager over to get any extra paper napkins.

their xiao long bao that has been so raved about was ok. not incredibly flavourful but admittedly seemingly good ingredients inside.

if i ever want handmade noodles again, mother's dumplings is my place to go.

Food Tourist Sep 27,2006

I had a lacklustre experience at Asian Legend on Dundas last week. Ho-hum fried rice, average smoked duck, and really disappointing snow pea shoots. Overpriced and underwhelming. I must have ordered the wrong dishes!

sway Aug 14,2006

one of my faves, when I lived at Yonge and Shepp, I was there almost every weekend. Other favorites besides the dishes above: vegetarian dumplings, stir fried rice cakes, cold jelly fish salad, cold chicken plate, stir fried pea shoots, ma po tofu, rice rolls with shredded meat, shredded meat and egg sandwich and red bean pancakes.
The only things I didn't like on the menu (and I've worked my way through a good 2/3 of it) were: Chiuchow congee, wontons in chili peanut sauce (fiery!!!), salty soy milk (an acquired taste) and seafood noodles (mediocre seafood, great noodles).
Yum... I'm getting hungry...

berbere Aug 01,2006

Don't let the menu on their website put you off, the menusite is incomplete and really they have an extensive menu with everything but dimsum. The food is authentic, consistent, prices are far more modest than Dragon Dynasty or Lai Wah Heen, and ambience is clean, comfortable. I usually go to the Sheppard/Yonge location and have taken several family groups there, who have always been very satisfied.

sammiemiche Jul 24,2006

Stumbled upon this restaurant while driving through Richmond Hill. Loved the food at first bite. Been back to Asian Legends few times more with different group of friends,they all liked the food. There's another location in Markham. Among the favorite are the onion pancakes, the beef rolls that comes wrapped in foil, and the dark soya sauce beef noodles.