BACK in the 1980s, it was a matter of course for top Chinese restaurants here to hire their chefs from Hong Kong.

But in the past five years, the flavour has shifted towards Malaysian and China chefs.

After decades of Hong Kong-style cooking, the more robust cooking styles of Malaysian chefs gave diners newer taste sensations.

And now, chefs from China are introducing Singaporeans to more traditional - and in many cases, more authentic - flavours.

The latest to bring in a Chinese team is Park Palace (right), a month-old restaurant that replaced Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant in the former Grand Plaza Parkroyal hotel.

The hotel was bought over by the Park Hotel Group and renamed the Grand Plaza Park Hotel, thus the change of restaurant. And helming the kitchen now is chef Lu Zhi Ming from Guangzhou, who is a master of Shunde cuisine.

The cuisine may sound exotic, but it is actually not that foreign to most Singaporeans. Shunde is an area in Guangdong province, so some of the dishes can already be found in Cantonese restaurants here.

The characteristic of the cooking is that flavours are light and there is an emphasis on seafood as the region is situated in the Pearl River Delta.

In fact, looking through Park Palace's menu, you find familiar dishes such as braised shark's fin, steamed garoupa, BBQ platter and diced beef with black pepper sauce.

But there are some less common Shunde dishes grouped under a small section called Chef's Recommendation - although even here, there are a couple of modern creations such as pan-fried foie gras in red wine.

Apparently, the chef is still trying to source for the right ingredients for many of his Shunde dishes, and the selection is expected to grow in future.

Among those already available are interesting items like the braised shark's cheek in superior brown sauce ($16 per person, main picture), which is new to me.

I've eaten steamed shark's head, which is basically firm chunks of gelatin attached to the bone, but the cheeks are softer and almost like shark's fin combs without the strands of fins.

The sauce too is typical of what is used to braise shark's fin, though the flavour does not penetrate the cheeks as thoroughly as it does fins.

Still, the dish is not unpleasant except for a faint fishy taste which the brown sauce does not quite mask totally.

Another traditional dish, the Shunde fried egg white with prawns ($24 for small), suffers from being a bit too bland. Otherwise, it is well executed with the egg white cooked just enough to be firm and yet is still smooth.

Some of the more ordinary-sounding dishes, however, turn out to be the real winning items.

The fried pork with mushrooms served in yam basket ($18) is one of them. Both the diced pork and mushroom have crunchy textures that complement each other very well.

And the mini cabbage with crab roe in XO sauce ($16) not only tastes good but looks very pretty too, with the baby vegetables arranged like rows of blossoms topped with the colourful roe and XO sauce.

There are also some nice desserts. Both the deep-fried crispy papaya pastry and the flaky durian pastry (both $3.80 for three pieces) are excellent, with light and crumbly pastries. The durian ones are also made to look like mini versions of the fruit, complete with spikes and a stem.

The steamed egg white with fresh milk ($5 per person) is one traditional dessert that is done very well here. It is sweetened just enough, and the smooth curd slides down the throat nicely.

And the belief among the Chinese that it is good for the complexion just makes it all the more appealing

PARK PALACE
The Mezzanine, Grand Plaza Park Hotel
10 Coleman Street
Tel: 6432-5543
Open: 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6.30 to 10.30pm
Food: *** 1/2
Service: *** 1/2
Ambience: *** 1/2
Price: Budget from $50 per person