HISTORICALLY the three great cuisines of the world are Chinese, French and Turkish.

Despite what les Français might think, many gastronomes say that of these, Chinese is the oldest and grandest.

It incorporates more ingredients than any other cuisine, complemented by an equally long list of sauces and spices.

The reason for this diversity is that it is born out of the Eight Great Traditions, or regional cuisines, of which Cantonese and Sichuan are the best known in Britain.

As the ethnic Chinese, many from Hong Kong, migrated to Britain – often without language skills – they did what they knew best and often that was cooking.

Thousands of Chinese restaurants and take-aways sprang up. Unfortunately, in many the old ways and traditional recipes had been lost and today you have to sort the wheat from the chaff in order to eat good Chinese food.

In our quest to do just that, two of us visited the Canton Chef in Honley one recent Friday evening.

We stepped through the door and adjusted our eyes to the bright white, stylish interior. It gleamed and was spotless with pristine white linen tablecloths, cream high-backed chairs and high-tech lighting. No flock wallpaper here.

The minimalist effect – not a flowing framed waterfall nor gaudy dragon in sight – was very pleasing. We even enjoyed the novelty of the giant opal rings serving as napkin holders.

Over a couple of pints of Becks (£3.40 each ) we had great difficulty choosing from the long list of appetisers and dim sum.

Dim sum literally means ‘to touch the heart’ and is a series of bite-sized portions which includes steamed or fried dumplings. It’s a firm lunch favourite among the Chinese.

The crispy aromatic duck on the next table looked and smelled delicious and we were sorely tempted, but I finally plumped for the pork and meat steamed dumplings, which turned out to be an excellent choice.

The small freshly-prepared delicacies had a lightness of touch, and although the portion was ample, I craved more.

The salt and pepper squid was an absolute treat. A large, tender white piece of calamari in a well seasoned batter. To say it was fresh does not do justice to this cephalopod; I closed my eyes and was transported not to China, but to a waterside Mediterranean restaurant which is where I’ve probably eaten more calamari than anywhere else.

When I opened my eyes again, the restaurant had filled up and our attentive waitress was at our table smiling pleasantly.

We found all the staff charming. Owner Roy Lau has created an ambience which brings diners back time and time again. He visits the tables for a brief chat if you’re a newcomer and stays longer with regulars. It’s a nice touch, personal and unobtrusive.

Roy came over from Hong Kong 30 years ago and regards Huddersfield as his first home, having lived here longer than anywhere else, then married and raised a family here.

Many of his customers are regulars or arrive by word of mouth. Roy’s motto is: “We take every customer seriously” and that was evident on the night we were there – he runs an efficient and happy ship.

Seafood featured strongly in some of the more unusual starters, including fried crab claws, baked mussels and queen scallops.

For mains we had the Shanghai special (£10.50) and chicken and char sui chow mein, along with a side portion of Chinese vegetables in oyster sauce. This last dish was not on the menu but happily supplied at our request.

We did feel that the sauces on the main dishes were not quite individual enough, and would have enjoyed more distinguishable flavours. But the strong points of the dishes were the high quality of the vegetables and meat, which had been lightly cooked, not overcooked.

VERDICT: Probably the best Chinese in Huddersfield, recommended for the appetisers.

Canton Chef Restaurant

17 Westgate, Honley, HD9 6AA

Tel: 01484 666966

Website: www.thecantonchef.co.uk

Opening hours: 5pm to 11pm seven days a week

Children: Welcome

Disabled: Sorry, no

The bill: £24 a head including beers

Would you go back? Certainly