InterContinental Singapore's fine dining Chinese restaurant Man Fu Yuan recently unveiled its revamped décor luxuriously embellished with vines, birds and butterflies. To complement this beautiful setting is an innovative Cantonese menu by new Chinese Executive Chef Chan Siu Kong. Among the variety of dishes offered, the chef introduced a selection of unique items infused with exquisite teas. Diners can pair their meals with a number of exclusive teas including Man Fu Yuan's Special 5 Elements Blend with flowery notes and a hint of sweet lychee or White Dragon Pearl composed of white tea leaves rolled up into ‘pearls' and steamed seven times with Jasmine flowers.

Meanwhile, dim sum chef Simon Poon is also bringing back handcrafted traditional dim sum with a touch of finesse. Some of his specialities include the old school ‘hum sui kok' or deep-fried glutinous rice dumplings filled with meat. The chef expertly fries these parcels until a light golden brown to attain a texture that's chewy and soft on the inside and crisp on the outside. The delicious scallop rice roll is the chef's twist on the classic chee cheong fun. Instead of rolling the skin, he ‘gathers' it so that it becomes crinkly, resulting in a softer bite. He then drizzles the sauce over the ‘roll', allowing the ruffled texture to soak up the flavour nicely. His pan-fried crab claw with superior soy sauce sitting atop an onion ring is equally toothsome.

A lavish dish suitable for corporate or celebratory dining is the double boiled shark's cartilage soup containing four treasures in a bowl: a large comb of shark's fin, whole abalone, sea cucumber and delicate fish maw. If you prefer a meat dish, try the duck smoked with tea leaf and brown sugar. The chef uses a special duck that is smaller and more tender. He also combined Cantonese roasting methods with Sichuan technique of smoking the duck until the skin is crispy and infused with delicate tea.

The stewed pulled noodles with chunks of moist lobster meat, ginger and spring onion is superbly prepared too. Steeped in a flavoursome stock made from lobster, clams and mussels, the noodles are incredibly tasty.  A velvety end to the meal is the cream of Japanese pumpkin topped with ice cream and pulot hitam. Linger over a cup of fine tea and a Chinese pastry before heading out.

InterContinental Singapore, 80 Middle Road, 6825 1062.