Foo fighters

The buffet spread is a visual delight of bright colors and varied flavors. [Photo: China Daily]

Tuna tataki. [Photo: China Daily]

Shenzhen is holding its own in the culinary stakes, with bright young chefs contributing to raising this southern city's epicurean standards. Pauline D. Loh samples the buffet line.

We were there for afternoon tea, but stayed for dinner. As we were finishing off our scones and clotted cream, a figure in chef's white was bustling around carefully filling up the buffet stations.

It is an unusual buffet, we were told, that would be extended into the kitchens.

The fact that diners could wander into the kitchen at will was a tempting prospect that spurred both personal and professional curiosity. I asked if we could stay for dinner at Foo, the Shenzhen Four Seasons' excellent all-day dining Western restaurant.

We were introduced to Brian Chan, Foo's chef de cuisine, a bright, breezy young Chinese-American with a stellar culinary pedigree that includes a stint with Joel Robuchon.

Chan is a great one for attention to details and seemed delighted when I singled out a bowl of perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs at the salad station.

"I am so glad you noticed that! So many people don't know how to cook eggs, and they have this dark blue ring of sulphur around the yolks."

Chan's egg yolks are a lovely bright yellow, still soft in the middle and they are untainted by any darkness around the rim.

His buffet spread is a visual delight of bright colors and varied flavors, starting with a seafood station that is a cornucopia of yabbies, prawns, conch, whelks and abalones. There are also oysters from Coffin Bay in Australia and also from New Zealand.

But a special treat is that perfect French Belon, simply served with that classic dressing of shallots in vinegar. It slides down the throat like silk, and we are almost tempted to purr with pleasure.

Diners will also appreciate another offering at the weekend buffet, and that is Chan's delicious cured salmon. He does them two ways.

One platter of salmon is spiced with Sichuan peppercorns and guaranteed to kick the palate into action, and bring tears to the eyes.

The other, which I liked better, is a beautifully red spread that is pickled with beetroot. Besides the pretty magenta hue that colors the fish, the faintly earthy and sweet flavor of the beetroot lifts it beyond common cured salmon.

In the kitchen are the hot stations, where you can order your burger either medium-rare or well-done and choose side dishes that include freshly made onion rings. This is true-blue American and brings back memories of drive-in diners after school.

There is also an excellent prime rib waiting, with gravy and mash and all the vegetables and salad that should go along.

A special mention must be made of the cakes and desserts at Foo.

So often we get mousse-filled confections that leave the palate clotted with cream and little else. At Foo, however, young pastry chef Owen Xiao pays attention to the cakes and jellies. Real cakes, and real jellies.

Now that's what I call sweet endings.

If you go:

Four Seasons Shenzhen, 138 Fuhua Sanlu (Third Road), Futian deistrict, Shenzhen

0755-8826-8888

Average Price: 200 yuan per head

Recommended: Cured Salmon, Roast Beef, Hamburger, Oyster.