The Chinese restaurant of the Mandarin Oriental in Pudong, Shanghai, got one star in the 2019 Michelin Guide. So it was part of my scramble.
The restaurant enjoys the direction of celebrity chef Tony Lu (see Fu He Hui) that collaborates as a consultant. Yong Yi Ting showcases Jiang Nan (south of the Yangtze River) cuisine, reflecting the diverse gastronomy of Shanghai and its neighbouring Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.
The visit
The restaurant is located in the lower ground floor of the posh Mandarin Oriental in Pudong. Unfortunately, it is not nearby any metro station, so you will need a taxi ride (or Didi) to get there. I had a reservation made emailing the hotel that was answered almost instantaneously. A previous attempt using their online form did not work.
Escalator will get you to the lower ground floor.
There was a complimentary amuse bouche: watermelon with cream cheese and walnut. Let’s be honest, they could have put more effort in it. But it was free, so I won’t complain.
I was provided with the house sauces (yellow chili, XO, soy with chili) and some rice crackers. The sauces were excellent from what I could tell.
I ordered a la carte (they did not have any tasting menu). The menu is very rich, including quality live seafood. My first dish was a soup with braised mashed taro, quinoa, and soy. Taro soups are common in Zhejiang. It was quite good.
My main was a dish with crispy noodles with crab meat topped by half steamed lobster in scallion sauce. It was not indicated in the menu, but it turned out that this dish could only be ordered for two. So I ordered it double and in the end I got two identical dishes (see picture on top of the page). The crispy noodles were too crispy, almost uncooked and there the crab meat was hardly detectable. At least the lobster (a spiny lobster to be precise) was quite good.
I picked a very original and clever dessert. Ice cream made with white rabbit candies (a very famous white hard candy made in Shanghai). The scoop was molded as a rabbit.
The check
The check was 778.60 RMB (109 USD). The prices are what you can expect from a restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental.
There are a lot of interesting dishes on the menu that seemed interesting. I was not entirely satisfied by what I had but it is a restaurant where I will hardly coma back anyway given the secluded location.
Where in Shanghai:
111 Pudong S Rd, Pudong Xinqu
The menu, not fully updated, was available on their website.