(Photo: CGTN)

Lai Heen, the signature Cantonese restaurant of The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou in south China's Guangdong Province has earned its first Michelin star in the inaugural Michelin Guide Guangzhou 2018. It is one of the eight restaurants in the provincial capital to receive this award and the ninth Ritz-Carlton hotel restaurant in the Asia- Pacific to receive a Michelin star. 

The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou's Italian restaurant Limoni was also honored with a Michelin Plate during the event.

"We are very privileged to have received this award. It demonstrates our commitment to the culinary arts in a city that is well known as a gourmand's paradise. This recognition goes to all our ladies and gentlemen from the culinary staff to the restaurant's operations teams who are dedicated to crafting a memorable and exceptional dining experience with the legendary service of The Ritz-Carlton for all our guests," said Matthias Vogt, general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou.

Lai Heen is helmed by Chef Gordon Guo, who has over two decades of culinary experience. The well-traveled chef is famed for his creative cuisine and passion for exploring nature to find fresh ingredients of the highest quality. Lai Heen's fundamental value lies in the freshness of seasonal ingredients and showcasing exquisite Cantonese delicacies through a careful balancing of the colors, aromas, textures and tastes of each dish. The menu at Lai Heen presents constantly evolving classic and contemporary favorites, such as poached sunflower chicken, braised shrimp with okra in homemade sauce, steamed crab custard, crab meat, caviar with Chinese rice wine and poached rice, lobster broth and seafood. 

At Lai Heen, guests are enveloped in a sophisticated and elegant jasmine-scented environment from the moment they step in. Burgundy and silver decorative accents evoke the ambience of luxurious Canton while silver-tipped ebony chopsticks and white bone china with hints of silver add opulent touches to the table. Its eight semi-private and six exquisite private dining rooms can seat up to 120 people, enabling guests to entertain business partners, friends or family in The Ritz-Carlton tradition of luxury. 

Limoni's inspired takes on classic Italian cuisine have earned it a Michelin Plate. Some of its signature dishes include foie gras and scampi with black truffle and pumpkin, smoked and citrus oil mi cuit trout, watercress, asparagus and potato mousseline, mushroom and black truffle pappardelle, and Florentine-style T-bone steak. Chef Andrea Zamboni's modern approach to Italian cuisine is balanced with the memories and traditions of his native homeland, and he is constantly on the lookout to recreate dishes based on his daily interactions and travels. Complementing the menu is an exceptional, award-winning wine list that is not to be missed.