Safe and sound in the dog days, beyond the temple halls, food recommendations!

After Minor Heat comes Major Heat, and the Jiangnan region is as sultry as a steamer. The ancients had their own clever ways to beat the heat—Bai Juyi enjoyed iced lotus roots at a summer banquet, while Li Yu sought coolness among floating melons and sinking plums. Suspended stones amidst floating clouds, Jiangnan gardens enter the feast Passing through a corridor adorned with hanging abstract Taihu stones, the gilded light scatters like fragments of gold over silk and hemp vines. The porcelain wall ripples with dark waves, as if condensing the misty rain of West Lake into a screen. This restaurant, awarded a Michelin star for nine consecutive years, has long surpassed the realm of an ordinary dining place—it is clearly a miniature Jiangnan garden in the heart of Lujiazui, encompassing the charm of Qiantang’s scenery within 812 square meters. From Minor Heat to Major Heat, Jiangnan’s seasonal cuisine is the most poetic time celebrated by literati and artists. Just like the slowly waving folding fan emblem of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, this summer feast is like a gentle breeze: expressing the deepest perfection with the most restrained manner. When the last dessert’s delicate flavor fades on the tongue, what remains is not the weariness of fullness but a tender anticipation for the next season—perhaps this is the most touching embodiment of Chinese culinary philosophy. The entrance design of "Yong Yi Ting" creatively combines suspended Taihu stones and porcelain walls, reinterpreting the contemporary essence of Jiangnan gardens. The abstract Taihu stone installation hanging from the ceiling breaks the traditional static presentation of gardens, using lightweight metal materials and exquisite suspension techniques to create a visual marvel of "stones floating in the air." The porcelain wall below echoes this, cleverly incorporating Jiangnan elements, with ceramic panels crafted through modern techniques to depict flowing ripple effects. This "solid above, void below" spatial composition continues the refined taste of traditional landscape paintings while achieving a contemporary deconstruction of classical aesthetics through innovative design language, ultimately creating an immersive poetic scene of "stones floating above clouds, shadows falling between porcelain." Private rooms are encircled by warm, circular wooden railings, with silk and hemp vines isolating noise, allowing diners to savor delicacies in a tranquil space. The gentle sway of the folding fan reflects the cyclical flow of Eastern seasonal philosophy. The renewed Yong Yi Ting draws inspiration from Lujiazui’s sunken urban garden, showcasing Jiangnan’s cultural charm with an elegant modern touch. Natural stones, ink-wash walls, soft lighting caressing carved window frames, and gilded highlights create a sense of changing scenery with every step. Take the signature golden braised pork as an example, only using Jinhua black-head soil pigs. This pork is renowned for its unique balance of fat and lean meat and its rich, mellow aroma, far superior to ordinary pork. West Lake Longjing shrimp perfectly combines the fresh fragrance of Longjing tea with the tenderness of shrimp, while West Lake vinegar fish is seasoned with a unique vinegar sauce, balanced in sweet and sour flavors, leaving a lingering aftertaste. Through these unique designs and innovations, Yong Yi Ting stands out among the brand’s many restaurants, offering diners a distinctive dining experience that showcases the unique charm of Jiangnan cuisine. As Major Heat arrives, amid the humid and hot air, the palate longs to be awakened by bold yet fresh flavors. Chef Wu Rongbai’s summer private menu fits this season perfectly—a dish of "Fisherman’s Mixed Small Seafood" opens the meal without complicated embellishments. In a rustic clay pot piled with shrimp and crabs, the clear sauce hides a sharp edge; the sourness of aged vinegar mingles with the pungency of garlic, instantly cutting through the sultry heat like a lively scene at a fishing port just after unloading. Sea snails and yellow clams play among the reefs, their sour and spicy sauce infused with garlic rushing to the palate. It’s as if hearing fishermen singing at dusk, waves splashing on clothes with wild charm. Wu Rongbai deeply understands the ancient teaching "spicy food nourishes the lungs in summer," using spicy aromas to invigorate languid taste buds. Minty cool summer fruit lotus root: carefully selected seasonal fruit lotus roots known for their crisp sweetness, dressed with passion fruit juice and mint oil, bringing a refreshing taste that dissipates summer heat. The sour sauce stimulates appetite and leaves a lasting impression. Double fresh deer mushroom medley: a clever pairing of deer mushrooms and stir-fried water bamboo shoots with pickled chili. The stir-fried bamboo shoots emit a sour and spicy aroma, while the deer mushrooms bring a naturally salty and fresh flavor. Their fusion layers the freshness, creating a rich and memorable taste. Chilled drunken crayfish: savor the classic flavor of chilled drunken crayfish! Selected seasonal crayfish are carefully marinated in traditional Shaoxing yellow wine, with a rich aroma and lingering aftertaste. The creative touch of this dish lies in making jelly from crayfish roe and scallions and ginger, enhancing the dish’s fresh layers and providing a special texture experience. Night-blooming jasmine and stone ear fresh abalone soup: carefully selected wild stone ear mushrooms from Qiandao Lake. These fungi grow on stones, carrying a unique natural fragrance. Summer is the golden season for mushrooms and flowers to flourish; the encounter of stone ear and night-blooming jasmine creates a clever flavor collision. The fresh abalone in the soup is the finishing touch, adding richness and umami. On the main stage, when the "Fresh Pepper Chicken Juice Steamed Qiaoyu Fish" arrives like a cloud, one understands the profound meaning of "timing is the lifeline." The Qiantang River treasure undergoes explosive marination and drying, its texture transforming into countless fine strands, reborn in rich chicken broth. Crushed green and red peppers scatter like stars on the jade plate, the spiciness just enough, echoing the saying in "Mountain Home Delicacies" that "if the flavor is too strong, the true taste is lost"—the fresh spiciness is merely an introduction to highlight the fish’s natural sweetness. The rich chicken juice soaks into every fiber of the fish, amplifying the Qiaoyu’s delicate sweetness infinitely. The fresh pepper garnish is not to steal the show but to provide a lively hint of spiciness, like the glimmer of river breeze on the water’s surface, a subtle spice that enhances the pure flavor of the fish. Qiaoyu fish, a freshwater treasure nurtured by the Qiantang River, undergoes a unique pressing and drying process that transforms its flesh into tight, delicious strands. The colorful fresh peppers in red, orange, green, and yellow spread like ribbons on the fish, adding visual brilliance and a layered spicy flavor. The rich chicken broth seeps into every strand during steaming, making the freshness even more intense. Dongkui Yangmei Pastry: When creativity meets seasonal delicacy, the "Dongkui Yangmei Pastry" is served to gentle gasps. The crimson-purple crust wraps sweet and sour pork ribs, the tartness of yangmei fruit colliding with the rich meat fat—this is Wu Rongbai’s masterful "deconstruction of Jiangnan." After eating, looking up, the suspended stones in the ceiling float and sink in the light, suddenly understanding the true meaning of the hall’s name "Yong Yi"—to nurture temperament with grace, just like the Mandarin Oriental’s folding fan gently swaying: expressing the deepest perfection with the most restrained manner. The realistic yangmei shape looks like freshly picked tender yangmei berries. A gentle bite bursts with surprise, cleverly blending the fresh seasonal yangmei fruit with the rich sweet and sour pork ribs, intertwining sour and sweet flavors, with a refined and simple presentation. The highlight is the "Coconut Taro Puree with Water Eight Immortals." Lotus hearts and water chestnuts hide within a cloud of taro puree, with water shield floating like jade within. A spoonful melts in the mouth, the glutinous Job’s tears and lotus seeds blooming in sequence, the coconut aroma like a breeze passing through lotus leaves. This subtly contains the Jiangnan people’s wisdom for beating summer heat: using aquatic ingredients to counteract fire energy, perfectly aligning with the health philosophy in "Yinshan Zhengyao" that "bitter foods are suitable for summer." Snow swallow fungus like clouds, coconut juice like dew, lotus hearts, water chestnuts, Job’s tears, and other "Water Eight Immortals" ingredients appear faintly in the taro puree, each spoonful offering different texture layers, like boating through Jiangnan’s waterways, with new scenery around every corner. The coconut and taro aromas intertwine, emitting an enchanting fragrance. The so-called "Water Eight Immortals" are precious aquatic ingredients such as water chestnuts, water shield, lotus seeds, lotus roots, and Job’s tears, gathered together and blended into this coconut taro soup. Every bite reveals the fresh sweetness of water ingredients, as if capturing the gentleness and charm of Jiangnan’s water towns in the mouth. Looking back through the glazed window, the master and apprentice are still quietly chatting by the stove. Under twelve years of Michelin star brilliance, Yong Yi Ting has long transcended mere appetite. It transforms Hangzhou cuisine into flowing seasonal poetry, preserving time through explosive marination and drying, and understanding balance through sour, spicy, salty, and fresh flavors. Perhaps this is the most moving philosophy of Chinese cuisine: cultivating life wisdom through seasonal changes, using taste as a vessel to sail toward the eternal poetry of the four seasons. The river breeze is brushing through the jungle of buildings in Lujiazui. Suddenly, Wu Rongbai’s motto comes to mind: "Cook with heart, serve with love." This craftsman, drawing inspiration from street life and ancient recipes, has long distilled the soul of Hangzhou cuisine into the clearest cup of summer intoxication. Yong Yi Ting Address: LG Floor, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 111 Pudong South Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai Tip: Chef’s custom menu requires a three-day advance reservation; window seats offer a wonderful view of the suspended stone lamp shadows Average cost per person: 700 RMB