Hot Spot: Guangzhou

LITTLE DELIGHTS Dim sum is an institution more than a cuisine. Literally "touch the heart," the delicate dump-lings and scrumptious small dishes are a hallmark of Chinese food from New Jersey to New Delhi to their origins in Guangzhou. Specialized chefs train for decades in their preparation, and Cantonese gobble them up with almost ritualistic reverence from morning to midnight.

Succulent combinations of shrimp, crabmeat and pork in paper-thin pastry-like wrappings are steamed and served in the trademark bamboo baskets, which are loaded onto carts and wheeled through the restaurant—mobile menu and tableside delivery in one. Beyond the signature dumplings, other offerings include garlic pork ribs, turnip cake and the ubiquitous chicken feet. Dim sum is usually taken with tea—jasmine, chrysanthemum and oolong are favorites—but rice wine and beer are acceptable alternatives.

Guangzhou is home to some of the oldest and best dim sum eateries in the world. The four most famous restaurants are sprawling multistory affairs that include arcades, ponds, lakes and full-grown trees, even parks. Before ka-raoke halls took over, they were the epicenter of local nightlife, and live Cantonese opera was performed regularly. These days, the music is piped in, but the food's as good as ever.

For the full dim sum experience, try the Guangzhou Restaurant at the corner of Shangjiu Lu and Wenchang Lu, tel: (86-20) 8138-0388. Look for the gold-emblazoned slogan EATING IN GUANGZHOU on its façade, or just follow the parade of wedding banqueters. Inside Liwan Lake Park, you'll find the Banxi Restaurant, tel: (86-20) 8181-5955. Another foliage-rich venue is the Bei Yuan at 202 Xiaobei Lu, tel: (86-20) 8356-3365. But the granddaddy of them all is the recently refurbished Taotaoju at 20 Shipu Lu, tel: (86-20) 8139-6111, which, dating back to the Qing dynasty, has some 120 years under its belt. If dim sum is your thing, you may be adding a few notches to yours.