Innovative new dishes are on the menu at Shanghai's time-honored Xing Hua Lou restaurant in Huangpu District, the oldest Cantonese-style eatery in the city, following a half-year hiatus for a face-lift to inject vitality into the old brand.

The restaurant has experienced a renovation and its old menu has been overturned after nearly six months' development by Shanghai and Hong Kong chefs. The new dishes represent the essence of Cantonese flavors but embody an innovative approach.

A stewed chicken is stuffed with seafood such as abalone, fish maw and sea cucumber, and the chicken bone is removed in advance and stewed in abalone sauce for more than an hour, said chef Liang Guoquan.

It preserves both sea and forest flavors, offering a delight to diners' taste buds, said Liang.

The ingredients and recipes of some of the venue's signature foods also have been adjusted and innovated.

Changfen (rice rolls), a Cantonese-style classic snack, is mixed with beetroot, spinach and pumpkin juices while barbecued pork is sprinkled with rose wine.

The new menu will be served from Sunday.

Inheritance and innovation are both the soul of time-honored brands and are key to their existence, said Zhi Jing, deputy general manager of Xing Hua Lou.

The restaurant is also tempting diners with a morning tea range offering more than 40 handmade dim sum.

Tables for nianyefan (Chinese New Year's Eve dinner), the most important family banquet of the year, have been almost fully booked at the restaurant, and the new menu will be used.

Chinese New Year's Eve of 2022 will fall on January 31.