DINING OUT:Wokcano offers serene cuisine

This is not your parents’ Chinese restaurant. Forget the red vinyl booths, papier-mâché dragons and rice-paper lanterns hanging everywhere. And don’t expect the kitschy plates or pots of tea.

It is a minor detail, but it says everything.

The fortune cookies are delicious. Instead of the usual break-your-teeth perfunctory after-dinner treat, here they bring fortune cookies wrapped in brightly colored foil that are fresh and have been partially dipped in white chocolate.

I’m convinced even the fortunes are better, but that is probably just me.

Walking into Wokcano in Burbank is like entering a dark, serene oasis. Even before trying the food here, I understood immediately why my cousin Ron’s secretary, Eileen, recommended this restaurant.

The atmosphere is urban hip, without the edge. The dining room is spacious, the booths comfortable.

Clearly, you are not here simply to eat. You have arrived to partake in a meal and experience.

When I heard Wokcano has combined three cuisines, Chinese, Japanese and Thai into one menu, I admit, I suspected that one or all flavors would suffer.

Somehow, they have made all three cuisines stand out with their own distinct flavors.

The menu reflects more of a sampling of dishes than entrees gone wild.

For example, there are only a handful of beef, vegetable and noodle dishes to choose from. And the specialties are not that unique. The limited menu allows Wokcano to prepare every dish as if their only purpose is to represent the best of each cuisine for you.

We started with a sushi roll. Ordering sushi or sashimi is very easy at Wokcano.

The menu is clear and concise.

The sushi rolls have soft, sweet Japanese rice wrapped with fresh nori (seaweed) and your choice of fish or vegetables. The avocado or cucumber rolls are perfect for dinner companions skeptical of raw fish.

I finally convinced Ron to try something beyond the California Roll.

We had the Alaska Roll with salmon, avocado and cucumber. OK, maybe it was not too wild, but dipped in a little soy sauce, it melts in your mouth.

Try the Spider Roll with soft-shell crab, avocado and x cucumber or splurge on the 12-twelve-piece Sashimi Deluxe.

All of the sushi and sashimi are fresh and delicious, a real tribute to Japanese cuisine. And the pickled ginger is sweet, tart and crunchy.

The entrees definitely stand out.

The Orange Crispy Chicken and Double Kung Pao served with chicken and shrimp are near perfection and the Crabmeat Fried Rice is loaded with fresh crabmeat.

The Peking Duck has lean, flavorful meat and, with the crispy skin, makes it a showcase dish.

Even the noodle and vegetable dishes have a little something extra. The titles seem rather bland — Braised String Beans, Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas, Pad Thai.

The white wine sauce used in several dishes definitely kicks up the flavor and softens the texture of overly crunchy vegetables.

I loved the Chow Fun entree with the flat rice noodles and tender chicken.

After such a great meal and relaxing dining experience, I think even Confucius would have agreed on the message in this story: Always take the advice of your secretary. Always eat in a serene environment. And always dip your fortune cookies in white chocolate.