A gourmet’s guide to Guangzhou

‘Yumcha’ (enjoying dim sum with tea) is a quintessential Cantonese eating experience that stretches back thousands of years. “Head to Dian Dou De, whose name translates to ‘anything is possible’ in Cantonese,” says Hui. “They serve traditional dishes like egg tarts, har gao (shrimp dumpling), cheung fun (rice rolls) and barbecue pork buns. Locals love this place because it’s steeped in culture and heritage, and decorated in traditional Xiguan style.”

There’s nothing more comforting than a big bowl of noodles, whether they’re expertly stir-fried or sitting in a bath of rich broth. “At Jian Ji, they still use traditional methods, so their e-fu noodles are flattened using a bamboo pole,” Hui explains. “It’s great that they’re preserving this dying traditional technique, and their fresh shrimp wonton noodles and pork knuckle noodles are second to none.”

Cantonese desserts are rightly renowned, from chien chang go (thousand layer cake) to gently-wobbling mango puddings, via milky sago soups and rich egg-custard tarts. “Try the tong yuan (sweet soup dumplings) from Jia Shu Tangwan Wang, and the double-layered milk pudding from Wenxin Laopu,” says Hui. “They’re both made using time-consuming traditional methods, and taste wonderful.”