Jinling Resort Tianquan Lake

Chef Liang's career spans three decades and includes stints at famous establishments in Macau. Here, he gives Cantonese classics a makeover with condiments from his birthplace of Shunde, for instance salted kohlrabi in sautéed baby lobster with radish cake, and Chinese olive kernels in sweet and sour pork. The Cantonese barbecue is a highlight; the crispy-skin chicken with silky, juicy flesh also tends to sell out. Pre-order to avoid missing out.

The views of Xuanwu Lake and Mt Zijin are beautiful to behold, but the light-filled open kitchen, where the experienced chef prepares updated Huaiyang and Nanjing classics as well as seasonal dishes, also catches the eye. The crystal pork aspic boasts meaty flavour and a bouncy texture, with vinegar pearls providing mini explosions of tartness. The thinly shredded tofu in umami-laden Wensi tofu soup with crabmeat is testament to impressive knife skills.

This spacious looker, complete with a garden, has majestic rooms that meld Baroque-style furniture and art with Chinese motifs. Classic palates will relish the traditional Anhui dishes made with ingredients from the province, such as mandarin fish fermented in Anhui and braised in either soy-based or chilli sauce. The set menu includes 10-plus iconic Anhui items. Ask the sommelier about pairing your food with local craft beer or Chinese liquors.

This hotel restaurant originally served Cantonese fare but later switched to Huaiyang cuisine. Just like its counterparts around the world, the well-appointed room is done out in modern Chinese style. The kitchen is helmed by a formally trained young chef, who expresses his creative take on Huaiyang traditions in his "new three heads": mugwort lion's head pork balls, pig's head terrine with finger lime and fermented sour soup with deboned fish head.

Giving onto a historical street adjacent to the moat, the palatial façade and entrance exude royal grandeur. In stark contrast, the cosy interior is decorated in modern Jiangnan style. The chef and owner, both from Yangzhou, champion a menu that crosses borders, showing Japanese, Cantonese, Zhejiang and even European influences. Standouts include the smoked tilefish uroko-yaki, and deep-fried pork ribs in fermented shrimp sauce with parmesan.

The owner's father was a chef at Jiming Restaurant, an iconic Nanjing establishment. Having inherited his skill for making authentic Suzhou-style soup dumplings, she opened this no-frills shop in a residential neighbourhood in 2012. On the concise menu, the handmade soup dumplings with thin skin and juicy, mildly sweet pork filling are the main event. Regulars also opt for pork wonton soup. Closes at 2pm. Arrive early to avoid disappointment.

Founded by her mother back in the 1990s, this tiny gem continues to specialise in no-frills snacks as the current owner follows in her mother’s footsteps with all-time favourites like duck meat glass noodle soup, whose broth is slow cooked for hours to build up deep umami, while duck blood curd and duck intestine add varied textures. Glutinous rice balls in red bean soup are perfumed by sweet fermented rice. Also try soupy pork dumplings.