Executive chef Tang Chi Keung presides over Yi Long Court, serving up high-end, elegant Cantonese cuisine in a luxe atmosphere.
Set on the second floor of Five-Star The Peninsula Shanghai along the Bund, Yi Long Court was designed after the home of a rich Shanghainese businessman from the 1930s. The result: stylish dark-wood tables, plush rugs and a mixture of Art Deco and modern Chinese art.
Competent and thoughtful waiters buzz around the room, serving dishes heavy on seafood and dim sum.
Set on the second floor of Five-Star The Peninsula Shanghai along the Bund, Yi Long Court was designed after the home of a rich Shanghainese businessman from the 1930s. The result: stylish dark-wood tables, plush rugs and a mixture of Art Deco and modern Chinese art.
Competent and thoughtful waiters buzz around the room, serving dishes heavy on seafood and dim sum.
Our Inspector's Highlights
- The service at Yi Long Court is fitting of the Five-Star hotel in which it’s located (that’s The Peninsula Shanghai). Its troupe of neat and well-coiffed waiters and waitresses take orders and serve Cantonese dishes in a tight, efficient ballet.
- The best way to experience Yi Long Court is in one of its private rooms. Most encompass all the comforts of a home dining room, but the attention and service are worthy of a Five-Star hotel.
- Yi Long Court’s executive chef Tang Chi Keung cooks up elegant Cantonese dishes with a special emphasis on fresh seafood flown in from around the world.
- This Shanghai restaurant does not have a bar in the traditional sense, but it does boast a striking tea bar with a range of exotic tea leaves on display. A tea expert is on hand to explain the differences between each of the flavors, aromas and health benefits.
Things to Know
- Don’t worry about a language barrier; head waiters and managers at the Shanghai restaurant boast excellent bilingual capabilities. However, you may have to repeat yourself several times if you don’t speak Mandarin.
- Enjoy a dim sum lunch each day from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., while dinner is served from 6 to 10:30 p.m. nightly.
- Yi Long Court suggests you adhere to a smart casual dress code, meaning no shorts or open-toed shoes. Ladies will feel most comfortable in a dress or skirt, while gents will want to don khakis or slacks and a button down shirt.
The Food
- When hairy crab season arrives in the fall, the restaurant offers a great prix fixe menu dedicated to the local specialty. Whether you choose the six-course lunch menu or the eight-course dinner option, taste the mildly sweet crustacean in everything from soup to dumplings.
- In addition to the array of luxurious and high-end starters, like bird’s nest stewed with papaya or sea cucumber, you’ll also find more creative dishes like a bowl of noodles in a lobster broth and topped with fantastic Dalian, the most famous beef in China.
- There’s also an array of dim sum options, such as barbecue pork puffs and steamed shrimp dumplings.
- Seafood preparations are simple, yet exquisite in flavor. The pan-fried scallops are a signature, though other must-tries include the shrimp-stuffed squid and the steamed red snapper cooked with ginger and onions.
The Design
- Yi Long Court boasts a stunning Art Deco interior, which was designed after the home of a rich Shanghainese merchant in the 1930s.
- The restaurant is both gorgeous and homey, with details like elaborate glass-bead chandeliers; wood floors inlaid with strips of opaque brown, maroon and white mosaic tiles; dark wooden curio cabinets holding dark blue wine goblets; and vertical sconces with scale-like shells.
- It also has some traditional Chinese elements, such as chunky and elaborately carved dark-wood chairs, curio cabinets and tables; a tea bar; and plush Oriental rugs.
- Just like at home, chairs vary from table-to-table — sometimes they feature intricately carved wood and somewhat stiff red padding of old China and other times the tables are paired with rich, velvet-upholstered seating of a more Western persuasion.
Amenities
Business casual
Dinner
Lunch
Private dining
Getting There
Yi Long Court
More At This Location
