Abalone Hainanese Chicken Rice. Photo by Rebecca Lo / For China Daily

During my menu deliberation, Hong Kong native Joe Wan, Western kitchen executive chef for Langham Place Guangzhou, dropped by our table for a chat.

He is something of a celebrity chef in southern China, as he is a food stylist and photographer who hosts regular cooking classes.

As Langham Place's consultant, he is literally burning the midnight oil by shuttling back and forth between Hong Kong and Guangzhou to fulfill all his commitments.

Wan is witty and opinionated, and feels that today's chef must be able to converse about his dishes just as skillfully as execute them.

Wan made fun of my choice of a plain hamburger and suggested that I try the fancier grilled king prawns with cream of wild mushroom soup. I was also curious about the Asian dishes, and Wan recommended abalone Hainanese chicken rice.

I had to admit that Wan's advice was worth following. The soup contained porcini, morel, button mushrooms, truffle and shitake, and was rich, creamy and satisfying. I didn't even mind the mush-room foam garnish as it helped lighten a somewhat dense starter.

The generous king prawns that followed were impeccably grilled to be sweetly charred and savory with a garlicky coating of butter. Served on a stone platter scattered with pine nuts, it was complemented by mushrooms and roasted rosemary potatoes, and topped with a sprig of rosemary.

Abalone transformed the chicken rice dish into a luxurious treat. Served with four traditional sauces for additional kicks of savory or spice, it came with chicken consomme and fragrant rice infused with the chicken's essence.

IF YOU GO

The Open Kitchen

Level 4, Langham Place Guangzhou, 638 Xingang East Lu (Road), Haizhu district, Guangzhou. 20-8916-3388.

Average cost per person: 400 yuan ($64).

Recommended: Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup, Grilled King Prawns, Abalone Hainanese Chicken Rice.