Chef Alvin Leung is opening a pan-Asian steakhouse in Markham
The Leo is bringing more surf and turf to the city
Alvin Leung, the self-proclaimed “Demon Chef” behind Hong Kong’s two-Michelin-starred Bo Innovation and a familiar face from judging MasterChef Canada, is back with a new GTA project. Leung grew up in Scarborough before opening restaurants across Hong Kong and Dubai. This September, he’s bringing the Leo, his first-ever pan-Asian steakhouse, to Markham.
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“Canada is where I still feel at home,” says Leung. “So opening the Leo gives me a chance to come here more. With two other relatively successful restaurants in Toronto—R&D and aKin—I feel there’s room for another one.”
The 68-seat restaurant, located at 162 Enterprise Boulevard, will feature an eight-seat bar and patios on both the ground and second levels.
“I think Markham is an up-and-coming place,” says Leung. “It’s an area where I have a good fan base—not only Chinese but Southeast Asians as well—so I feel it’s where I have people who like my food.”
The Leo won’t be your average steakhouse. Besides premium cuts, including Canadian Prime and Australian Wagyu beef, and the usual chophouse classics (crab cakes, steak tartare), the menu will lean heavily into Leung’s signature East and Southeast Asian flavours through a boatload of seafood dishes. Diners can order à la carte or opt for a tasting menu, which will start at $120. The latter, Leung says, will be a three-course set with a choice of appetizer, steak or seafood and a dessert—a move inspired by the per-person option found at his Michelin-recommended space Café Bau in Hong Kong. “There will be a set for one, two, four or six people,” he says.
“It’s really a steakhouse with seafood, so surf and turf,” Leung says, referencing the whole fish and premium seafood that will be prepared in Singaporean chili, white pepper, laksa and Vietnamese beer batter styles. Those dishes will come with fried buns or roti to sop up the sauces.
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The beef will get its own unique treatment. Leung says the restaurant is water‑aging its steaks. The technique, seen mostly in Korea, gently massages the meat as it ages and is supposed to enhance umami without the strong or funky notes associated with traditional dry‑aging.
“This is my first chophouse, and I’m excited because it’s about meat and seafood,” says Leung. “It’s something that’s very popular everywhere in the world, so hopefully it will satisfy the audience in Markham and Toronto.”
