It is currently an expanding restaurant that has multiple franchises across the Greater Toronto Area, Niagara tour area in SST Catherine, and Don Mills (Asian Legend). The external appearance contains a minimal sleek design consisting of metal and glass, making it stands out as a high-end restaurant in this area. The signage is three-dimensional in traditional mandarin to represent the brand. The store front not only displays a menu case, but also the event posters of Asian/Chinese cooperated commercial institutions. The internal design is a combination of high-end Asian decor and western minimalism design.
It is also decorated with ornaments such as lanterns, blown up artistic Chinese photos, big clean woods and stone surfaces, which reveal a very cozy and calm atmosphere for customers. Asian Legend offers a wide varieties of northern cuisines. The restaurant has Dim SUM, Chinese Cold Platters, Noodles, Fried rises, Seafood and other varieties of meats. It also provides party trays and traditional Chinese desserts and beverages. According to the menu, the average price for starters are approximately 9 dollars, and 17 dollars for the entrees.
Asian Legend also has combo meals, the Rice Combos, which are only available from Monday to Friday, hey comes with appetizer, soup, steam Rice and iced Tea for only 10. 99 dollars. Asian Legend provides very excellent meal and personal service compare to other restaurants in Chinatown. There were approximately 30 customers in the restaurant, however, only 4 waiters were in charge during the time we visited. The service we received was marvelous. The servers first started up by introducing the types of tea that will be served, including Jasmine, Long and Pu Err and the tea will be served based on customer’s preference.
Most importantly, the servers was very patient and clear on explaining the menu to customers that re not familiar with Chinese cuisine. The dish were served very quickly after the orders were completed. With four dishes we ordered, they only took fifteen minutes to serve all of them to the table. As a person who has a deep Chinese background, I had many opportunities to try food from northern China. Asian Legend does offer a very authentic northern China cuisine compares to other restaurants in China Town. However, the price of the meal is considered to be quite expensive for most of the students.
For two people, we ordered one starter and three entrees and the bill was fifty six dollar. This amount has already exceeded my regular budget for a meal, which is fifteen dollar per meal. This explained why there were lesser students dining in at Asian Legend. Aside of its high priced menu, the services we received was absolutely outstanding. Based on the investigation, Asian Legend has a very cultural diverse customer base since there were at least three different languages being spoken during the visit. I also noticed that people who dine in at Asian legend are mostly for the purpose of family reunion or celebration.
Asian legend is obviously a high end assistant based on the personal service and quality of the meal they provided. People who dine at Asian legend are mostly white collar workers who has a stable income as the price of the dishes is very expensive. We recognized this based on the way they dress and also by talking some customers beside my table. In conclusion, I believe that Asian Legend is still a good fit in China Town Improvement Area based on three theories that were taught in class. According to the six properties theories. The theory of “place” (Capture,2014) has played an important role in the success of Asian Legend.
As a person who visit Chinatown recently, I have plenty of opportunities to eat at various type of restaurants in the area. The primary reason that I prefer to eat at China town is due to my positive attachment toward China Town. Since I am a Taiwanese who moved here 5 years ago, I can easily obtain food that are the most familiar to my cultural background. Since Asian Legend offers an authentic Northern Chinese cuisine, people who share the same background will dine-in for that nostalgic attachment from the food. The “proximity” theory (Capture, 2014) states that everything becomes closer to you when you live in a city.
China town offers an opportunity for people who wanted to experience Chinese cultural without actually traveling to China. In other word, people who live in downtown can easily travel to Chinatown for a different cultural experience. Since the location of Asian Legend is on the edge of China Town Improvement Area, It will be the first restaurant people see when they first step into Chinatown. With its excellent service and the decent meal they offer, it also established a positive image of Chinatown to the first time visitors, which make them want to explore Chinatown more frequently.
