Alvin Leung is a celebrity chef for a reason: the self-taught television personality and industry veteran truly knows what he’s doing in the kitchen. With his newest spot, The Leo, he is delivering a love letter to pan-Asian cuisine and Canadian wines.
“It’s a continuation of a restaurant I have in Hong Kong called Bao, which focuses on local ingredients and a streamlined menu,” Leung says. “I think it’s often better to concentrate on perfecting a smaller selection of dishes rather than spreading yourself thin over a massive menu.”
The menu follows a straightforward format: “We serve it as a set menu,” Leung explains. “You choose an appetizer from a list of nine, followed by a shared main — choosing from beef, lamb, pork, or seafood options like fish, lobster and crab. Then we finish the evening with full-sized desserts, not small tasting portions.”
The appetizers are a highlight at The Leo, featuring dishes like crab cakes, Indonesian-style ox short rib onion soup, ceviche and fresh salads. For mains, guests can customize their proteins with creative twists on classic sauces, such as Singapore chili, ginger chimichurri, or lemongrass Béarnaise. Desserts round out the meal with decadent choices like tarts, baked Alaska, and crème brûlée.
As for the bar, Leung is using The Leo’s drink program to champion Canadian wine.
“Canadian wine still offers relatively great value. But since this is a chophouse, the wine list is naturally substantial to pair with those bold, strong flavours,” he says. “I’m hand-selecting a diverse variety of Canadian wines that offer real value. I don’t drink pretentious ‘super wines,’ so I’m not selling them.”
The restaurant itself occupies a sun-drenched, modern space filled with homages to one of Leung’s favourite artists, Vincent van Gogh. The ground-floor ceiling is reminiscent of The Starry Night, while the upper floor features sunflowers — a nod to van Gogh’s iconic series that also inspired the restaurant’s name. To Leung, a sunflower resembles a lion (the center being the face and the petals the mane), which cleverly ties into the Merlion, the official mascot of Singapore.
Above all, Leung wants guests at The Leo to enjoy great food in a comfortable, welcoming environment. The family-style, shared menu is central to that mission.
“When you share food, you actually connect,” he says. “And I think we could all use a little more connection right now.”
The Leo is located at 162 Enterprise Boulevard in Markham.