Hengshan hideaway

A tiny bowl of braised beef and radishes came with a delicate lotus-leaf shaped steamed bun.                                                   Photos by Pauline D. Loh / China Daily

We had a tasting menu, and the chef, delighted that I was a countryman, went all out to accommodate my quirks.

I wanted the sweet braised wheat gluten, and so it came in the starter tasting platter, together with richly caramelized Wuxi-style pork ribs, a piece of the Jiangsu sweet smoked fish, and a beautiful mouthful of salad leaves bound by a cucumber ring and drizzled with a smoky sesame dressing.

A tiny bowl of braised beef and radishes came with a delicate lotus-leaf shaped steamed bun, and I really enjoyed that. The beef is the best Wagyu, and fell apart in the mouth while still retaining all its flavor in spite of the long cooking. The bun helped soak up all the juices, an inspired if unusual pairing that got my attention and appreciation.

The staple was fried rice served in a bamboo container. It did not look like anything special until you actually ate a spoonful. Then the savory smoked meats made their presence felt.

I will not say desserts are a particular weakness, but this one seduced me. It was a platter of almond tea, an almond tart, almond jelly and finally, just candied almonds.

Almond tea is a Cantonese classic sweet soup that clears the lung during the muggy seasons like spring and autumn. The chef's version was rich without overpowering and was elegantly aromatic. The almond tart is very like the Macanese egg tarts, but the filling is a light egg white custard flavored with almonds.

The almond jelly, served with a few seeded longans, brought me right back to childhood to my first wedding dinner. It is an extremely popular meal-ender in Cantonese banquets for all occasions.

And finally, as we ended the meal with freshly brewed Chinese oolong tea, the candied almonds were the final jewel to the crown.

Contact the writer at paulined@chinadaily.com.cn.