PASSING the Shanghai Hotel at Shennan Thoroughfare, there's a king-size, eye-catching neon sign on the face of a building, which features a fascinating underwater world of fish, shrimp, crabs and shells. The neon sign is even more charming when night falls upon the city.

The glitzy sign points hungry diners to the Xulian Seafood Restaurant , home of some of the best seafood to be found in Shenzhen.

The secret is in the restaurant's supply chain. Most of the fish and shellfish is raised and supplied by Shenzhen Xulian Sea-life Plant Co. Ltd, the restaurant's parent company.

The pristine unpolluted open waters off Nan'ao Township on the Dapeng peninsula is where Shenzhen Xulian Sea-life Plant Co. Ltd, with an investment of 170 million yuan, harvests its sea farm. Special deepwater net cages from Norway ensure the stable quality of its products.

Sergeant fish is one of the highlights. Because it's tender and rich in fish oil and DHA, it's the top sashimi selection.

According to Mr. Fu, the restaurant's chef, sergeant fish is usually prepared in Chinese and Japanese styles. When served Japanese style in sashimi, it's dipped in soy sauce and wasabi. Once chewed for just a few seconds, sergeant fish sashimi releases a fantastic fragrance and taste, giving a kind of inexplicable pleasure. Undoubtedly, sergeant fish prepared in typical Chinese hot pot style also provides a mouthwatering experience.

The price is right, too. With its own farming base, the restaurant offers sashimi at 58 yuan per 500 grams, perhaps the most competitive price in Shenzhen.

Besides seafood, the restaurant offers some excellent traditional Cantonese dishes such as grouper stewed with laoganma sauce (a Chinese-style spicy sauce) and roasted sweet and sour goose.

On Christmas Day, the restaurant offered a pleasant surprise for meat-loving guests --- free black pepper fried steak.

According to the manager, such suprises are offered from time to time in Xulian. Maybe next time you could be the lucky one too.

Editor: Wings