Not long ago, I found myself at dinner with a food blogger.

For those not in the know (I'm looking at you Mom and Dad), a blogger is a person who writes a weblog or a blog -- an online diary of sorts.

During the course of our dinner, the conversation took an interesting turn. In short, the blogger believes that authenticity is paramount; she was adamant that if food is not true to its origin, it's not worth eating.

We're fortunate. We live in a region so rich with diversity that you can find an authentic version of almost any dish you crave somewhere within the boundaries of Metro Vancouver. There will always be a place for food that is faithful to its source, made with the same ingredients used through the centuries, and I applaud those who work to preserve this kind of edible heritage.

That doesn't mean there isn't room for other kinds of food, restaurants that offer alternate interpretations, or dishes using unfamiliar combinations of ingredients; provided they are done well. While changing a recipe may not create lasting innovation -- after all, we are talking about food here -- it can bring different styles of food to a new audience.

Still, I was skeptical about Wok Box. The Pan-Asian franchise was founded in Edmonton, Alta., in 2004, and has since spread east, through Saskatchewan, Manitoba and to Nova Scotia, and has now arrived in the West. The concept is healthy, fast Asian food with a "Canadian twist," including dishes inspired by food from Thailand, Singapore, India, Japan, China, Korea and others.

But while the eatery is a hit in other parts of the country, out West we can find good Asian eateries jammed cheek by jowl into every city block. It's a snap to find cheap, authentic versions of everything on the Wok Box menu.

Our own North Shore outpost opened recently in the new Capilano Square on Marine Drive, next to Price Smart Foods. The location is easy enough to find, but getting into it is not (it seems construction is not quite finished). But once you're in there's plenty of blacktop upon which to park your wheels.

A friendly greeting, the heady aromas sizzling from woks in the open kitchen, and a glance at the colourful menu board hanging above the kitchen and I was soon in a better mood.

I ordered my food to take with me, and with a little help, found the menu reasonably easy to navigate. According to the cashier the list is about to change, so a few of my first picks, including Ginger Chicken Sesame Salad, Coconut Shrimp and the Vietnamese Salad Roll, are no longer available. There are still plenty of appetizer options though, including several soups, crispy wontons, egg rolls, green onion cakes and chicken wings.

The heart of the menu is the stir-fry section: choose your size and style (Pad Thai, Teriyaki, Szechwan Pepper, Mongolian or others), decide on a protein (chicken, pork, beef, shrimp or tofu), then pick noodles or rice.

There are also Regional Rice Bowls, which don't play quite so fast and loose with the rules: Indian Butter Chicken, Thai Red Curry, Korean Beef Bulgogi. And the "Shareables" section offers a more traditional style of Asian take-out: family-size entrées that can be dished out with rice.

Soon I was on my way, toting a bag full of retro red take-out boxes that filled my car with mouth-watering scents.

We dished them out at home.

Spring rolls, four to an order, are traditional: rice paper swaddled tightly around a vegetable filling and then deep-fried until the wrapper is crisp and dark gold.

Samosas are new on the menu -- actually, so new they weren't even on the menu -- and they're small but full of flavour; dense triangles of pastry stuffed with a fiery blend of potatoes, onions and spice.

Our third fried pick was the potstickers, chicken-stuffed dumplings with a crunchy, ruffled edge, served with a soy-sesame sauce for dunking. All three starters were best eaten hot and lost their appeal as they cooled, so were probably not the best picks for take-out, but they were decent.

Listed as one of the stir-fries, the Jungle Curry was the best of our dishes. It wasn't spicy, which I assume is what the little flame next to it on the menu is intended to denote, but it was loaded with fresh, colourful veggies: celery, carrots, onions, red pepper, plus slivers of pineapple, a generous fistful of cooked chicken and ribbons of slippery, chewy Hokkien noodles. I like the Wok Box signature topping: bean sprouts, green onions and a wedge of lime.

The Black Bean curry wasn't as good. Though the veggies were just as crunchy and also included water chestnuts and snow peas, the beef I ordered it with was over-marinated and salty, and had us reaching repeatedly for our water glasses.

It was a reasonable dinner for $38.80: filling, and if I'd stuck to the stir-fries instead of the deep-fried dishes, reasonably healthy. Plus it's convenient and made just how you want it. If there's ever an argument about Chinese or Thai, it can be easily solved with a trip to Wok Box.

Still, I can't help shake the feeling that I would have received tastier food, more of it, and all at a lower price, if I had made a trek to any number of authentic Asian restaurants nearby. Wok Box is located at 640-879 Marine Dr., North Vancouver. Call 604-990-9619 for take-out or delivery.

dlancaster@nsnews.com