Szechuan Paramount

We had been recommended this restaurant when we mentioned we felt like Chinese. It is a buffet so I really should have known from there to stay away, but we soldiered on in our desperate hope for finding good Chinese food in Edmonton.

It is cheap, so that's good. $15.50 each is very reasonable and they had a line of people collecting take away so the signs were promising. It did smell good. 

However, all the meat was fatty and most things were deep fried. The dumplings were tasty and the hubby enjoyed the spring rolls. I had the black bean sause and couldn't finish it because it was so watery. The dessert was nice, like a school camp and that was one of the only thing positive I can comment on really. The chop sui was fresh and the sauce authentic. 

The decor is dated as expected but the serves were polite and quick. Their language barrier only got in the way when we asked for soda water but that could also be our accents. 

I wouldn't go back, but if you're in the mood for food court style chinese quick and cheap, come here! 

Food quality and taste = 5 out of 10

Atmosphere and service = 5.5 out of 10

12901-97 street, Edmonton, AB T5E4C7

Red Diamond House

Fried WonTons

Pork Sweet and Sour

Duck Hot Pot

We live near here and have been tempted to try it for months. The outside is not very appealing and the advertisement that it is "Canadian Chinese" just doesn't seem right. We finally gave it a go late one night after a concert, probably because it was the only place open. 

The staff were lovely, despite a small language barrier. We told them we were hungry and they politely hurried along trying to get us fed as quickly as possible. 

The buffet only runs Friday and Saturday nights, so we ordered off the menu. The fried wontons were nice tasting, not too greasy however there was barely any meat in them. 

I had the duck hot pot only because I eat anything that includes duck. Unfortunately it was very fatty with lots of bone and cartilage making it difficult to eat. The bits of meat that I could get too were tasty and not too dry. 

Blair had the sweet and sour pork, which was tasty as you can't really go wrong with deep frying. He orders the same thing at most chinese restaurants and unfortunately he didn't enjoy the meal too much. 

The best way to think of this restaurant is like a food court chinese restaurant, if you know that my suggestion would be to order something simple that they do a lot of. 

Food Quality and Taste = 6 out of 10

Atmosphere and Service = 6 out of 10

Dumplings the Restaurant

We are big dumpling fans as they are a prevalent tasty treat in Melbourne, Australia. We have eaten a lot of very delicious and traditional pan fried and steamed dumplings and were struggling to find any in Edmonton. With a bit of searching we stumbled upon Dumplings. 

So we drove down to the south and found this little restaurant which is in a business park. I don't think they do a large dinner crowd, it seems to be more for takeaway or business lunches. However the staff were super friendly to us as we arrived quite late. They made suggestions on what we should order and explained about the different spice levels, recommending that Blair stay well away from that sauce! 

We liked the pan fried dumplings to much that we took some frozen ones home for another time. They were well cooked with lots of meat inside and not too watery, which is the greatest risk. 

We would certainly come back here and have another dozen dumplings!

Food taste and quality = 8 out of 10

Service and atmosphere = 7 out of 10