Ayesha de Kretser/Shanghai Daily news

Fresh seafood bar.— Ayesha de Kretser

The crispy salad leaves are sure to impress. — Ayesha de Kretser

A word of advice to any potential visitor to the Pudong Shangri-La’s new Yi Cafe restaurant — if you’re going to attempt the buffet it’s worth fasting for a few days beforehand.
The buffet is divided into 10 sections, each offering the cuisine of a different country ranging as far afield as Morocco and Malaysia.
The Yi Cafe was designed by New York-based Bilkey Llinas Design and is one of the few hotel restaurant spaces to really get it right. At first glance the buffet looks deceptively small but once you start walking around, the breadth and depth of what is on offer becomes almost overwhelming.
Finding a good salad can be hard work in Shanghai but the Yi Cafe has tackled the task and has come through with shining colors. At the Thaiinspired salad bar you can select whichever crisp, fresh leaves you desire and have a chef mix them with a choice of Caesar or vinaigrette dressing.
Confused as to where the Thai influence came from, I worked my way to the other side and found a spicy prawn noodle salad and a bowl of som tam (spicy green papaya salad) hiding in the corner. The prawns were fresh and perfectly cooked and the lemongrass and chili flavors were strong without overpowering the prawns.
Next up was the Japanese sushi and sashimi bar where chefs prepare everything in front of you. Melt-in-the-mouth fresh tuna, salmon, clams and squid sashimi will be cut on request. The sushi is likewise freshly prepared.
Near the sushi and sashimi is the seafood bar with a selection of mussels, scallops, crab and prawns. Everything is fresh and tasty although there is a lack of sauces to complement the seafood.
Towards the back of the space is a Moroccan/Middle Eastern selection which features hommus, tabbouleh, olives, warm pita bread and some of the best cheese pastry puffs I have ever tasted with perfectly cooked pastry encasing warm, creamy fetta cheese.
Indian favorites such as butter chicken were less impressive with no real “bite” to the curry.
Dim sum treats like shiu mai (prawn and pork dumplings) made up for any disappointment, as did the extensive range of sweets and desserts.
A lemon and passionfruit tart with white chocolate shavings combined sweet and sour with perfect precision, and the refreshing raspberry sorbet provided a perfect end to the meal.
The only real problem with this buffet is that sampling every corner is impossible (we missed the Chinese BBQ meats, the hand-pulled noodles and the Western favorites sections). Service is good without being exceptional but the interior design is extremely smart. The concept of “chefs on display” is taken to a new level by providing each chef with an individually themed space in which to perform. This is sure to impress any diner.
The breakfast and lunch buffet price excludes drinks and at 198 yuan plus a 15 percent service charge, having a big appetite is mandatory. Dinner is more expensive at 268 yuan plus 15 percent but a bigger selection of food is available.

Opening hours for buffet: 6am-10:30 am (breakfast), 11:30am-2:30 pm (lunch), 6pm-10:30pm (dinner)
Opening hours for a la carte: 6am-10:30am (breakfast), 10:30am-1am (all day)
Address: Level 2, Podium, 33 Fucheng Rd, Pudong
Tel: 6882-8888 ext 210