Ling Long Legend

This place was great! Only tried once and now its forever closed. Anyone know where the chefs went???

Fantastic. Will definitely come back here.
My theory is this: If an awkwardly-​located and even more awkwardly-​named restaurant can survive in the crazily competitive culinary landscape of First Markham Place, then there’s definitely something good going down here. And since it’s been over 2 years now that I’ve always passed by this place without eating in it, today I thought #YOLO and #firsttimeforeverything so #whynot (I promise I’ll stop, sorry).
First impressions? Very modest, run-​of-​the-​mill Chinese restaurant with a severely small menu. However, I soon learned that this is a GOOD thing, as each item we ordered were extremely delicious.
First, the small snacks. The cong you bing and the pork floss sesame bun (yes I realize I’m mixing and matching languages here) were absolutely superb. Each one was extremely tasty in its own right and really doesn’t need any kind of dipping sauce. Being someone who’s borderline addicted to the hot chili oil found in Chinese restaurants, I was able to resist putting in my usual copious amounts when eating these. And that, believe me, is high praise. Also I love how fragrant the sesame pastry on the pork floss bun was. Delicious.
Then, the xiaolongbao. Definitely on par with Ding Tai Fung (which we ironically almost went to, but sheepishly backed out from after seeing a lineup longer than that at King subway station during weekday rush hours), and somehow I think it’s slightly bigger. The broth inside the bao was perfect. Not too salty, and a little hint of richness that wasn’t overpowering. Too bad you only get four with each order. Granted, they’re rather big, but still.
The thick (make sure you specify!) noodles with beef was also excellent. It is without a doubt the chewiest, most satisfying hand-​made noodles I have ever had in my life. I don’t even need seasoning or sauce, I could’ve savoured the lovely texture of those noodles forever. The beef inside the soup was also fall-​apart tender.
Finally, we also ordered some beef with green onion. If you’re one of those «real manly men» who love their beef tough and thick, then don’t even bother reading the rest of this paragraph. For the rest of you who can keep your testosterone in check, you will love this dish. The beef is ridiculously tender and delicately sliced, so that the savoury flavours penetrate deep into each piece.
This is a SEVERELY underrated place. It’s not a date place, and it’s kind of cramped. Also since I went with the fiancée, I didn’t have to do my own ordering, so I’m not sure how good the wait staff’s English skills were. However this place is a must try. $ 40 for all the above, AFTER taxes and tips. Beat THAT, Ding Tai Fung. You ain’t even the REAL Din Tai Fung anyway. Impostor (I dunno why but that’s always bothered me).

Good food, better than DTF.

Food was delicious! Must eat their rou jia mo (In mandarin)

I haven’t handed out five stars in awhile, and I am very excited to do so for this hidden gem in First Markham Place. First there are the handmade noodles, that have the perfect bite and texture to them. The broth is kept simple on purpose to let the quality of the noodle shine. My family and I were also lucky enough to get this dim sum dish that looks like yellow yuen bos (chinese gold pieces) that are actually only available upon reservation due to the labor it takes to mass produce the dish. The chef was nice enough to let us sample it when we asked what it was, and he had some extras from the reservation for tonight. They are filled with a condensed milk like filling and is petite and unique. Neat dessert piece. We also got the Xiao Long Bao, which in my personal (and my family’s) opinion is waaayyy better than Ding Tai Fong. When I bit into it, the soup was flavourful, but not overly salty like many other restaurants. The chef then told us that it’s because they don’t add msg to the Xiao Long Baos, but instead rely on the natural flavours of the ingredients. Then we had this wrap thing with a dough stick inside (also has hoisin sauce and chinese onion in it) which was delightful. The wrap was made from scratch (as is everything else thus far), and both textures and flavours was excellent. Finally there was a dish with marinated chinese pulled pork I guess you could say, b/​w two white pan toasted homemade breads. Again flavourful and awesome texture. The price for this place is also quite low, most dishes are well under $ 10, and average about 6 – 7 bucks a dish I would say.
Sure this restaurant isn’t anything fancy, but I believe that the cultural aspect of the dishes (which you can surely taste), as well as the determination of the chef to make most things from scratch is highly commendable and is quite rare these days in the Chinese food industry. As a result I believe that this place is well deserving of the 5 stars I’ve given them, and I hope more people can discover this place and share their thoughts on it as well! If you’re curious about the dishes I’ve talked about, I’ve uploaded the pictures so take a gander =)

3.5 star
Ling Long Legend is a Northern Chinese Restaurant opened up in First Markham Place, replacing V2 Noodle.
This new restaurant also specialized in noodles, but fresh hand pulled ones. You have a choice of narrow, regular and wide, depends on your preferences. You can see the lady actually making the noodle in the front counter.
Aside from noodles, there are also Shanghai dim sum and other Northern style dishes.
The reason I like Ling Long Legend because they are really single friendly in a way there are quite a few of smaller tables. Even the Steamed bun has a smaller portion, 4 in each order.
The Beef Noodle Soup ($ 7.99) with a really light broth and the beef was tender. The regular noodle was cooked al dente, a little on the chewy side.
Small Steamed Bun ($ 3.99) was also really good, as good as DTF next door. The skin though a tad thicker, but it is semi transparent and I can see the soup inside the bun inside. Best to eat is to wait for them to cool down a little and just eat the whole bun as a whole and let the soup and flavour expose in your mouth…
Waitresses are in training so a lot of hesitation but both really nice and friendly.
I definitely suggest to give Ling Long Legend a try if you are into noodles and Shanghai dim sum!