If you want to be a chef, there is no better place to grow up than Hong Kong.
Yammy and Tom Ling, owner and chef respectively of Ling’s Cuisine, spent their early years exposed to the amazing array of restaurants in this vibrant metropolis. Their father was a private chef who absorbed and cooked up food that was an amalgamation of all the great cuisines that surrounded them, long before fusion became a buzzword. And it is this rich culinary heritage and love for excellent, fresh food that the Ling’s have brought to Barrie since opening up their first restaurant eight years ago.
Tom Ling trained as a chef in college in Hong Kong. He spent six years cooking at the exclusive six-star Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong before he came to Canada nine years ago, following his sister Yammy, who arrived in 1988.
Having both worked in restaurants in Richmond Hill, the two knew they were ready to open their own restaurant; the only question was where?
The answer came when Yammy and her husband took a Sunday drive to Barrie. They decided Barrie would be the ideal location for a restaurant that offered true Asian cuisine, with an emphasis on fresh, clean, authentic flavours.
Their original restaurant, Yummy House, was on Yonge Street in an unassuming strip mall. It was tough going at first, introducing customers who are used to deep fried chicken balls to authentic rice noodle stir-fries and ramen noodle soups (with homemade broth that takes two days to make). But they developed a loyal clientele, who appreciated the Ling’s devotion to presenting authentic Chinese, Japanese and Korean dishes.
Three years ago they opened Ling’s cuisine on Mapleview Drive (www.lingscuisine.ca). The sophisticated, modern interior, replete with dark woods and lots of natural light, has a zen-like calming effect on diners.
“When we redesigned the restaurant we said to the designer we want our customers to feel at home, to be comfortable,” says Yammy.
All the dishes at Ling’s are the result of the Ling’s continuous search for authentic flavours. “Everything my family likes is represented on the menu,” says Tom. “If we don’t like it, why would be serve it to our customers?”
The pad thai on the menu was the result of some good natured conflict between brother and sister. Yammy, who travels frequently to Hong Kong in search of new flavours and new inspiration for the restaurant, wanted Tom to create a pad thai that combines the traditional thai flavours, without the use of Western ingredients like ketchup. His first offerings were not up to her standard, but with a lot of sisterly pressure, the result is an incredible rendition of a Thai favourite.
“When I am stuck, I keep putting things together until I get it right,” says Tom. “With the pad thai, I found the sweet and the sour and then spiciness comes at the back. There are layers of flavour and one doesn’t overpower the other. They work together. If you want to be good, you have to take time. It’s like an art.”
G.L: Favourite ingredient?
TL: I really like to cook with oyster sauce. I usually use Panda brand. It comes in both regular and vegetarian for those you can’t eat shellfish. It’s important not to use too much. A little bit will mix with your ingredients and add flavour without dominating the taste.
G.L: Favourite Tool?
TL: My knives are very important. I also like to use carbon steel woks. You have to season them with oil to create a non-stick surface. A well broken-in wok gives food a depth of flavour, what Chinese people call “wok taste.” Commercial non-stick pans are not recommended because the surface breaks down at the high temperatures you need for stir-frying.
G.L: Favourite Things in Simcoe County?
TL: Tom doesn’t have much time out of the restaurant but I like to go to restaurants that have fresh flavours. I really like the food at At The Five. They use a lot of local ingredients and everything, even the dressings for the salads, has real freshness.
G.L: Advice for the home cook?
TL: Use ingredients as fresh as you can get. Then don’t overcook your food. Timing is so important to a good dish.
A Little Hong Kong Inspiration
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