A new chain called Wok Box, which one could (and in fact will) call Canada's version of Pei Wei, is coming to Dallas. The first location will open this fall in Las Colinas, at 7600 MacArthur Blvd. Wok Box is a pan-Asian concept with Asian dishes from more than 10 countries.

"We have plans to open five locations around Dallas-Fort Worth in the next 12 months," said CEO Lawrence Eade.

Wok Box was founded in Edmonton, Alberta, in 2005, and has 70 restaurants worldwide. The first outlet in the U.S. was in Oregon, which opened in September 2012; a second opened in Scottsdale, Arizona, in February 2013.

Wok Box serves cooked-to-order noodle, rice and curry dishes. The kitchen "feature" is sizzling woks, where the food is prepared in front of the customer. At Pei Wei, the woks are behind the counter, not in front. So you can see the difference there.

The pan-Asian spread includes Chinese dumplings; Indian samosas; Korean kim chee; Vietnamese pho; Mongolian beef; and noodles à la teriyaki, spicy Thai and Hong Kong spice. Have we reached 10 countries yet?

The menu feels like an updated version of Pei Wei; by "updated" we mean it has a banh mi sandwich. Pei Wei needs to get on the stick with the banh mi. Wok Box also accommodates the special-diner brigade: those who avoid consuming MSG, those who are gluten-free, low-carb and vegan.