Since the majority of the population is Chinese, Chinese food and Dim Sum lunch is also recommended. The most common Chinese dishes include: shark's fin soup, sweet and sour pork, fried chicken, vegetable with beef, steamed fish, bean curd prepared in countless ways, Peking duck, and beggar's chicken.

         The Chinese regard eating as an art, which is a comprehensive combination of sight, smell, touch, taste and even sound. Chinese cuisine is a dominant branch from the Chinese culture - the core is taste while the purpose is to preserve health. It is a perfect fusion of color, shape, appearance and flavor. Delicious and nutritious food has been regarded the basics of ordinary life. In a nutshell, there are eight schools of cuisine, which are popularly known as the 'ninth art'. These include food from Beijing, Guangdong, Szechuan, Jiangxu, Zhejiang, Hunan, Anhui and Fujian. Chinese cuisine has a long history and is famous worldwide for its rich flavor and delightful colors. The difference in local climate, history and eating customs in each region has produced local dishes and snacks with their own characteristics and specialty.

Variety

         In China, eating is the psychological motor for everything. The Chinese possess enormous powers of concentration as long as the stomach is full, for when the digestive process has done its work, all ability to concentrate disappears. The variety of styles and ingredients involved in Chinese cooking is a marvel. There are three principal regional cuisine familiar to experienced visitors. Firstly, there are the hot and spicy chili dishes from Szechuan. Then comes the northern style cuisine, which uses steamed bread and pancakes in lieu of rice, and preserved vegetables such as salted, pickled cabbage for freezing winters. And finally, there is the southern style cooking, which involves light stir-fry dishes made from a vast array of ingredients that include pork, seafood and chicken.

Freshness

         It is essential to use food as fresh as possible for Chinese cuisine and they have developed a style of cooking that obviates refrigeration despite the rigors of the climate. Blessed with an abundance of good ingredients in the most fertile areas of the country, the Chinese have become expert at extracting the essence of flavor.

History

         A gourmet appreciation can be traced back to several centuries BC, as poetry of the period listed dishes to tempt the departing soul back to the body. During the Han dynasty, a scientific approach had been formulated for cooking and the basic rule was that the five flavors (sweetness, saltiness, sourness, bitterness and hotness) must be combined in a meal to achieve balance and harmony. Minced and thinly sliced meat and fish are also highly regarded to release the full flavor. True Chinese cooking developed only after the expansion of its frontiers southwards and westwards. New ingredients were discovered although the basic tenets were still held. The five-flavor cooking vocabulary is presently used but is actually inadequate to describe the full kaleidoscope of the Chinese cuisine.

Methods

         Cooking methods are vital to the craft of the Chinese chefs. The skill of being able to control the precise heat is considered crucial to yield the best results. Although all methods of cooking are used, from braising and baking to boiling, steaming and roasting over a spit, there is one that is native to China - stir-frying. This method involves cutting the ingredients finely and rapidly cooking them in a small amount of oil in a preheated wok so that they are quickly and evenly cooked. It is advised that stir-fried dishes be eaten immediately to benefit from their huoqi or vital essence.

How to Order

         When ordering a Chinese meal, start with a cold dish appetizer to whet your taste buds. A bowl of clear, light-broth soup may be served before the main entrees are served. This hot soup helps to keep you warm, especially in winter. The types of main dishes you order are to your discretion and taste. However, a proper Chinese meal should include sufficient spicy and savory dishes to make the neutral and relative blandness of steamed rice an essential balancing agent. Finally, a happy ending to the meal is with dessert, which is usually in the form of sweet soup. There are many kinds of Chinese desserts available, from puddings to pancakes and soups to ice cream, all of which are equally luscious to the mouth.

         Dining the Chinese style differs from Western cultures. When going to Chinese restaurants, it is more enjoyable to invite a large group of people so as to sample more dishes. Most Chinese restaurants cater to groups of at least four or more, although tables for two can be found. Typically, Chinese restaurants are noisy and not the least bit romantic. If dining in twos, avoid these restaurants altogether.

         To get into the spirit of Chinese dining, let loose and just enjoy the food. Chinese people are inclined to eat with extreme zest, plenty of soup slurping, and talking. Eating is, to them, a form of celebration even though there may be nothing special to revel on.

         However, there are a few rules in Chinese dining that need attention. The Asian style of eating is to order several dishes of food, which are served in the middle of the table and shared by all. It is unlike the Western style of an ala-carte menu with individual servings. Each diner will be served a bowl of rice to complement the dishes on the table. The rice may be topped up when finished. Taking food from the center of the table and putting it directly into your mouth is regarded as impolite. Normally, the Chinese would pick the food and put it into their bowls first. It is also customary for a guest of a formal or traditional dinner to not finish all the food in the center. This is to avoid embarrassing your host who may feel that he or she has not offered enough food.

         Drinks always accompany food. Chinese tea is the main drink served in restaurants. Other types of drinks are available, but tea is considered to be the most refreshing, especially after the consumption of oily food. Each table would have a teapot or two, which is constantly refilled. To ask for a refill, simply turn over the pot cover and place it at the top of the pot's opening. As a matter of courtesy, refill the cups of your fellow diners first before turning to yours, even when theirs is not empty. There are many different kinds of tea supplied in restaurants and it is often up to you to pick the tea of your choice. If unsure about the taste of tea, do not hesitate to ask the waiters or waitresses for recommendations.

         It is a firm belief that mooncakes are a must during the Mid Autumn or Mooncake festival. The mooncakes are made of six delicious fillings - red bean paste, red bean paste with single egg yolk, lotus seed paste, lotus seed paste with single egg yolk, lotus seed paste with double egg yolks and white lotus with single egg yolk. Some mooncakes are also HALAL or for the Malays who are not allowed to take pork.

         Freshly cooked mushroom dishes include the mouthwatering grilled shitake mushrooms with chrysterium and special sauce, teapot soup with pine mushrooms, and the succulent grilled shimeji mushrooms.

         Select from a range of all time favorite Chinese culinary like soups, seafood, poultry, and vegetable dishes. This set of dish promises to trill connoisseurs of Chinese cuisine.