The story
Crafted with passion, served with love
A Room Below the City, Above the Ordinary
Twenty-one feet underground, along the Huangpu River Promenade in Lujiazui, Yong Yi Ting occupies a world entirely its own. The dining room sits at basement level beneath the luxury hotel, yet it feels anything but subterranean — floor-to-ceiling glass walls open onto a specially created sunken patio that draws natural light deep into the 10,000-square-foot space throughout the day.
Design as a Statement
The interiors were conceived by New York-based Dash Design in collaboration with global brand consultancy Brandimage, a pairing that unveiled the restaurant in spring 2013. The brief was Chinese imperial, and the result is quietly theatrical: ceramic lanterns shaped like traditional wine jugs float along eight-foot ceilings, top-to-toe glass doors mark the entrance, and an elegant bar anchors one wall, its back framed by an extensive wine cellar. Opulence is present, but it is measured.
The Flavors of Jiangnan
The kitchen draws from the Jiangnan culinary tradition — the fertile region of rivers, lakes and fields that stretches south of the Yangtze Delta. Delicate flavors, fragrant aromatics and a commitment to seasonal, locally harvested ingredients define the cooking here. Jiangnan cuisine at this level is precise and restrained, relying on the quality of what the surrounding landscape produces rather than on elaborate technique for its own sake.
Forbes Travel Guide has recognized Yong Yi Ting for bringing that regional sensibility to one of Shanghai's most architecturally striking dining rooms — a space that earns its place among the city's serious fine-dining addresses.
Recognition