Beijing Beijing is a Chinese seafood restaurant first and foremost – though, like most Chinese spots, it has an extensive menu with hundreds of items. But, there are some truly inventive items on the menu, like the fried rice laced with miniature shrimp and orange fish eggs. Deep-fried shrimp-and-crab-claw balls are great with the red vinegar, and even vegetable dishes are given more exotic treatment than your usual Chinese family restaurant fare. My favourite dish is the spicy beans, served with deep-fried crunchy smelts. It’s hot and salty and you could actually fill up on them. You order all of the dishes for the table to share; and once the lazy Susan stops spinning, there will be plenty to take home. Trust me, those spicy beans and fried smelts make for one heck of a midnight snack. As well, you can call ahead and order an even more exotic Chinese seafood dinner if you’re willing to pay the market price. –Steven Sandor
3803 Calgary Tr., 780-430-7720, beijingbeijing.ca
Arrive on a weekend and the Golden Rice Bowl’s dim sum service is filled to the brim with hungry patrons. It’s quite the accomplishment given the daunting 300-seat room, but carts move through quickly and efficiently in an endless barrage of delicious dishes from the oddly appetizing (curried squid, tripe, chicken feet) to the delectable range of dumplings and steamed barbecue pork buns.
Dim sum isn’t the only thing the Golden Rice Bowl does right. It is one of the rare establishments in Edmonton to serve Peking duck. The crisp-skinned, slow-roasted duck is served three ways: The skin is served first; followed by the traditional pancake and vegetable accompaniments for the succulent duck meat; and, finally, a duck broth soup. –Cory Haller
5365 Gateway Blvd., 780-435-3388, goldenricebowl.ca
There is something wonderfully nostalgic about a trip to Edmonton’s iconic Chinese restaurant, The Lingnan. My in-laws owned a Chinese restaurant in Grande Prairie and, in 2013 and 2014, the Royal Alberta Museum dedicated an exhibit to the Chinese immigrants who made their living building restaurants across the prairies. The Lingnan is an important connection to that history, with a variety of Canadian-Chinese dishes that have evolved over the decades. The decor is over-the-top, with dragons, tasseled lanterns and green lights that give the effect of jade. And, darn, the lemon chicken is so darn good – that’s one dish that won’t have any leftovers to fill up the takeout boxes. –S.S.
10582 104 St., 780-426-3975, thelingnan.com
