CANTONESE people are well known for their high expectations when it comes to food. The area's rich food culture means Cantonese people often have sensitive taste buds.

Among all the meals a person in south China's Guangdong Province eats each day, zao cha (morning tea) is one of the most important both nutrition wise and as a lifestyle.

Morning tea is a misnomer as it's actually a big breakfast that nobody wants to miss. It is a good occasion for family and friends to gather, chat and gossip.

It is said the history of Cantonese morning tea dates back to Emperor Xianfeng's reign (1831-1861) during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The menu is extensive with diners usually drinking pu'er or Tieguanyin tea.

Popular snack dishes include shrimp dumplings, steamed dumplings with rice and minced pork, steamed chicken feet and porridge. There are also some unwritten rules and customs such as rinsing the bowls, plates and chopsticks with hot tea before beginning. When a Cantonese diner needs a waiter to serve tea, he or she usually knocks on the table.

Having morning tea is known as a part of Cantonese lifestyle, but few know it is also a Shanghai tradition. With two or three dishes of dim sum and a cup of green tea, a typical day in Shanghai is started.

"I've been having morning tea for more than 20 years at Sunya Cantonese restaurant," says 55-year-old Liao Zengdao. "It is a daily routine for my old buddies and me to have some small talk, exchange news and probably make a weekend appointment, while enjoying nice tea and dim sum."

There is the Cantonese style, such as steamed barbecue pork buns, custard baked with creamy durian puffs, braised rice noodles with seafood sauce and pan-fried shrimp rolls.

But old Shanghai natives seem to love the local Shanghai-style morning tea more, including sponge cake with sweet-scented osmanthus petals, xiaolong bao (steamed buns) stuffed with crab roe, salted beans with pickles and pork ribs in black bean sauce.

"You can see the morning tea tradition wherever there are Chinese," says chef Foo Ching Horng, Chef de Cuisine of Canton restaurant at the Grand Hyatt Shanghai. "In Hong Kong, family members are busy and have little time to get together. But on weekends and after work, they finally can sit together and have some small chat over various dim sum and drinks. It is now a lifestyle."

Shanghai's morning tea has been heavily influenced by Cantonese morning tea. It features dim sum, served with green or red tea. In the old days of Shanghai, waitresses would stamp on the menu, which became a fond memory of old Shanghai-natives. "Today, however, the concept of morning tea has changed. I've found more young Shanghai people are having morning tea. They go to Cantonese restaurants or Western bistros. They are actually open to any new cuisine," the chef says. "We mainly cook Cantonese dim sum, but in order to be more local, we added some Shanghai snacks to our menu such as steamed pork buns and pan-fried pork buns."

Shunxuan Restaurant 顺煊

Cuisine: Cantonese morning tea and seafood

Ambience: The restaurant has a modern Chinese style and is famous for its seafood. It opens daily at 9:30am. It's rather a big place and quite nice for a drink with many tables in a spacious environment.

Who to invite: Family and friends

Pros: The restaurant serves a rich menu of morning tea dishes. Most pastry and snack dishes offered are not expensive.

Cons: With no subway stations nearby, it's not a convenient place to get to. There are few wait staff during the morning tea time and service is not very efficient. An English menu is not available.

Recommended: Served in a sweet chili sauce, the taste of steamed chicken feet is unique and tender. Steamed dumplings with rice and minced pork is cooked with crab roe. The dumpling skin is smooth, delicate and tender. The steamed creamy custard bun has a pleasing appearance and a sweet filling. It is crispy and tasty.

Don't order: Steamed pork ribs with black bean sauce as it's tasteless, rough and not tender enough.

Drinks: Green tea, black tea, pu'er tea, flower teas and soft drinks

Cost: 100 yuan (US$15.87) for four. Each morning tea dish costs about 5 yuan.

Address: 508 Chaozhou Rd

Tel: 5107-2777

Jin Gui Huang Chao (Royal China) 金桂皇朝

Cuisine: Hong Kong-style morning tea

Ambience: Royal China is among the most stylish and best decorated Cantonese restaurants featuring morning tea and Hong Kong dim sum in Shanghai. Unlike its counterparts, which often seem cramped - making diners feel hurried - Royal China is quite spacious. Golden pillars, curtains and wooden carvings feature prominently in the dining area and the private rooms, which gives the restaurant a touch of luxury.

Who to invite: Business partners, family members and friends

Pros: Authentic dim sum at reasonable prices. Waiters and waitresses are well trained. Many dishes are served with four pieces, not three, which often makes it easier to share among friends. Food is served quickly.

Cons: Like most Cantonese restaurants, Royal China is noisy.

You have to book a table in advance; otherwise you will likely have to wait at least one hour during rush hours.

Recommended: Chicken's feet in black bean sauce is among the top sellers. The chicken's feet are not soaked in water for a long time, a small trick often used by many Cantonese eateries to make the feet look bigger. Prawn dumplings have three big prawns (it is usually two) in one dumpling. Shun De fish congee tastes just right. Served with Shanghai you tiao (deep-fried twisted dough sticks), the smooth and hot congee is excellent with the crunchy dough sticks.

Don't order: Chinese bread salad. It's just a bowl of vegetables, topped with normal dressing and some dried meat floss. It's not worth the price.

Drinks: Whether you have tea or not, each guest will be charged 5 yuan for tea, thus it's best to drink the tea the restaurant offers instead of ordering a separate one.

Cost: 100 yuan for each person

Address: 8/F, Jiuguang Department Store, 1618 Nanjing Rd W.

Tel: 6288-3063

Sunya Cantonese Restaurant and Food 新雅粤菜馆

Cuisine: Cantonese morning tea, afternoon tea and banquet dishes

Ambience: Opened in 1926, the restaurant on Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall has a good reputation among the city's food lovers. The venue is unique with a heartwarming atmosphere and relaxing decor. It provides full service dining in a comfortable setting.

Who to invite: Family and close friends

Pros: The food has exquisite presentation and authentic Cantonese taste. Most dishes boast a light, smooth, fresh and tender flavor. Service is efficient. An English menu is available for foreigners.

Cons: There are not many tables and only a few have a bright window view. Diners need to get up early on weekends to avoid waiting in line.

Recommended: Congee with scallops, fresh lily bulbs and ginkgo has a very subtle and refreshing taste. Diners can also add some other ingredients into the nutritious congee to enhance its flavor. With an overflowing fragrance, the honey barbecue pork puff has a crispy exterior and juicy interior. The dish is not greasy or oily. The mango pudding is a popular dessert. The pudding enhances the mango's natural sweetness and is smooth and delightful.

Don't order: Baked rolls with mango and green tea is a little bit too sweet and the natural fragrance of green tea is not obvious.

Drinks: Green tea, black tea, pu'er tea and various flower teas.

Cost: 130 yuan for three. Diners can get a 15 percent discount for morning tea before 11am from Monday to Friday.

Address: 2/F, 719 Nanjing Rd E.

Tel: 6351-7788