Cantonese restaurant Golden Leaf is tucked in the basement of the Conrad hotel, an intimately small and quaint space styled in a warm imperial theme with orange tones. Coupled with high ceilings and contemporary style, the dining room summons an upscale fine-dining experience.

The Cantonese food at Golden Leaf is authentic and mouth-watering, just as its Michelin star trophy suggests. Start with the traditional appetisers including jellyfish with sliced drunken chicken and the deep-fried diced bean curd with garlic salt, both fantastic starters. While many local restaurants are guilty of overloading on starch and oil, Golden Leaf makes no such offence, the kitchen capable of striking a perfect balance. These culinary capabilities are demonstrated in the signature dishes such as sautéed king prawns with hawthorn herbs and chilli sauce and the steamed fresh crab claw with minced ginger and rice wine. Both dishes project the natural flavours of high quality ingredients employed, coupled with careful yet creative preparations. Other top picks at Golden Leaf are roasted suckling pig, goose, dim sum, and other classic favourites for a proper Cantonese feast.

The wine cellars are shared with other eateries at the Conrad. The wine list is vast with attention dedicated to a variety of popular wine regions, with a focus on bottles from Italy and France.

Given the high standards of the wine and food, you’d expect the service to be equally five-star, and though efficient enough, didn't really stand out. Staff should pay more attention to detail and be more informative to help reassure customers that they are knowledgeable and dependable.

A meal for two without wine would be about HK$1,200.