Some McCauley residents may remember the old Xing Wang Bakery in Chinatown. But did you know that they have a sparkling new location on 98th Street and 108th Avenue, just west of the St. Josaphat Ukrainian Cathedral?

I’d been watching the very modern building going up for months and was excited to see it finally open. The space is bright and clean, with huge windows, and everything inside brand new. With plenty of round tables, there’s room for groups, and I saw that the take-out counter at the back was very popular. Large TV screens show a huge variety of dim sum items and bakery treats, and there are large printed six-page menus for the tables.

Since we were with another couple, we decided the simple way would be to order the “Dinner for Four,” which offered tea, spring rolls, wonton soup, and chicken fried rice, as well as our choice of four main menu items. We selected lemon chicken, stir-fried mixed vegetables, curry beef, and mixed fried noodles.

The tea arrived instantly in tall glasses, quickly followed by the wonton soup. The soup’s tasty light broth was filled with the freshest wontons ever - you can tell they make all sorts of dim sum items right on site. The golden spring rolls were evenly browned and not at all greasy, arriving alongside a heaping platter of chicken fried rice that could be a meal in itself.

The mountain of rice was an omen of good things to come. Next up was the lemon chicken, as generous as the rice and as golden as the spring rolls. Even better, the lemon sauce was not overly sweet, but beautifully balanced between sweet and tart. It was presented in a bowl on the side, so each of us could use as much or as little as we liked. And we liked!

During the feeding frenzy a chopstick went astray. Our smiling server ran over with a fresh pair of chopsticks the second she heard it hit the floor. That she did this the same moment we’d realized what happened, and before we could even think to ask for new ones, left us impressed us with the terrific, no-fuss service!

Both the fried noodles and stir-fried vegetables delighted us with the skillful balance of flavours within each dish. The cooks always let the main ingredients show up without being overpowered by one or the other. Each item was fresh and flavourful, the curry beef being a standout. A substantial thick and hot yellow Asian curry gets your taste buds’ attention, with tender cross-grain cut beef slices amid bright red and green bell peppers.

With such generous portions, our tummies said “Uncle!” with three containers of food left to take home and a total bill of $88 for the four of us. This much food would probably cost much more in other parts of town, which is one of the benefits of living in Edmonton’s best foodie neighbourhood.

Since we went at suppertime, we didn’t get a chance to try the dim sum items, so we’re looking forward to going back soon. Maybe those will be fuel for a “Part Two” in a future edition!

Xing Wang Steam Bun is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and is closed on Tuesdays . 

Alan lives in McCauley. He is the Chair of the paper’s Board of Directors.