I was looking for a chance to relax after a hard day teaching at Dawson when I walked into Le Caveau de Szechuan with Irwin and my daughter Molly.

It was about 6:30 on a quiet Wednesday evening and the scene at Le Caveau de Szechuan on Monkland at Hampton was perfect. I usually don’t like music playing in restaurants because it can be too aggressive and jarring. The classical music that greeted us was lovely and soothing. So was the décor, done in mauve with flowers, Buddhas and a mural along one wall. We sat by the windows overlooking the street and immediately decided we liked the feeling of the place.

Since Molly and I are vegetarians, we decided to try the General Tao tofu and broccoli ($9.50). Irwin chose the Singapore noodles ($10.95) with giant shrimp, pork and chicken. We all had a bowl of delicious hot and sour soup ($3 each) and shared a starter of steamed dumplings with peanut sauce ($6.95). These were some of the best dumplings I’ve ever had—and I’ve had dumplings. I love the idea of the rich sauce loaded with sesame seeds served in a separate bowl.

The soup was perfectly seasoned; it had a kick but it wasn’t overpowering. The General Tao was delectable, with thin triangles of tofu, a just-right sauce and al-dente broccoli not smothered in sauce. We ordered a dish of Caveau mixed vegetables that we didn’t really need ($8.50)—good but with no particular strong flavours. Irwin found his Singapore noodles tasty, plentiful and not over-spiced.

Service was attentive and friendly and we enjoyed our jasmine tea served in a teapot.

My fortune (cookie): Good things are being said about you. Well, Le Caveau de Szechuan: We have only good things to say about you.

Le Caveau de Szechuan is open in the evenings and is closed on Monday. Early bird specials are served from 5 to 6:30 pm. 514-488-2818, caveauszechwan.com