Savoring South China yum cha in five-star style

The pan-fried goose and radish puff is an artistic triumph. Photo provided to China Daily

For those of us who grew up with Sunday family dim sum gatherings, the recollections are often bittersweet. While the food itself is often fondly recalled, the rude service, close quarters and incessant chatter from nearby tables usually mar the pleasant trip down memory lane.

Today, with so many choices for yum cha in five-star designer digs, it is now no longer such a tortuous endurance test every weekend. Yet the notion persists that truly delicious dim sum can only be found in old fashioned－read loud and shabby－dim sum parlors. No matter how nice the hotel may be, the food is often left wanting.

When Mandarin Oriental opened its first property in China, it naturally wanted a Chinese restaurant to set a standard for its other properties to follow. But that wasn't all.

Guangzhou has a reputation of being a place to conduct business: After all, many of the products produced in Guangdong province probably could trace their origins to a deal made over dim sum in a Guangzhou restaurant.

For Mandarin Oriental's Jiang by Chef Fei, New York-based Tony Chi worked his magic. One of the most respected international names in hotel and restaurant design, his signature look of East meets West is evident throughout. To facilitate business or family gatherings, more than half of the space is devoted to private dining rooms, each with ensuite powder room.

The broadloom carpet is a large print with stylized peonies in shades of sage, cream and slate blue, while furnishings are upholstered in leather trimmed with decorative gold nails upon dark wooden frames.