Jinling Star Hotel - Nanjing

The owner couple opened this shop in 2012 to serve rice paddy eel noodles, a speciality from their home county of Baoying, Yangzhou. The fried version is the most popular choice: boasting velvety eel, bouncy noodles and smoky wok hei. It is served with a bowl of eel bone soup. For the soup varieties, choose between milky eel soup and clear broth topped with sautéed eel in a thick glaze. Add pork balls, pork aspic or cracklings for something extra.

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.

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.

Its Chinese name means "late and slow", referring to the process of growing produce on its organic farm for the good of the ecosystem. Other ingredients are sourced from sustainable farms nearby, offsetting its carbon footprint. The main menu features mostly Jiangzhe dishes, and seasonal specials written on the blackboard. The home-style braised yellow croaker is prized for its fine meat and delicious sauce, which is soaked up by rice added at the end.

In the 1950s, the owner's grandparents co-founded the legendary Jiming Restaurant. He inherited the heritage soup dumpling recipe and opened his own shop in 2017. The space feels upbeat and targets a younger clientele. Soup dumplings, filled with pork or crabmeat and roe, are made to order and steamed in the typical Nanjing way – with the pleats facing down so as to retain the juices. Also try the Nanjing braised noodles, and duck blood curd glass noodle soup.

Initially a cold appetiser shop in Hongmiao District, this place moved several times before settling in the bustling city centre. The signature duck blood curd glass noodle soup comes with a choice of different duck cuts and offal. If in doubt, go for the version with a bit of everything. The duck broth is deeply flavoured, the meat moist and silky. Classic palates will also relish the roast duck with crispy skin and juicy, marinated flesh.

Trained in Huaiyang cuisine, the owner applies the same level of care to preparing his noodles. Suzhou-style noodles work magic with Nanjing-style marinated meats in his signature beef brisket and tendon noodle soup – incredibly tender meat in an umami-laden broth made fresh daily from beef bone. Alternatively, you can ask for the "dry" version tossed in sauces. The sweet and sour pork ribs are another must-try, delivering depth and sweetness.