Yu Garden restaurant gets modern makeover

"We are a traditional restaurant, but we also want to try new things. The majority of our customers used to be elderly people, but I see more and more young people coming after we reopened in October."

Shen Min, a fashion designer and the founder of indie brand Yd Girl Clothes, had dinner at the restaurant in mid-January.

"I am traveling in Shanghai and chose this restaurant because it received a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide," says Shen, a Hangzhou native from the neighboring Zhejiang province. "I really like the environment and its beautiful delicacies－they are pleasing both to the eyes and the stomach."

Shen says the highlight of her meal was the signature dim sum platter, which includes two salty cakes, one filled with crab meat and the other with scallop, and two sweet cakes, mocha mung bean and egg yolk. Besides the flavors, the design of the cakes comes with a modern twist－they are shaped like shells, pears, leaves and handbags.

"We treat the cakes like artworks. It took months of practice before we could perfect it," says Wang, who started her career at the restaurant as pastry cook."We first created the 'handbag cake' to serve the chairman of Lafayette."

Despite wanting to draw young customers, the restaurant has not forgotten about its elderly patrons. An elevator was installed in the building during the renovations to cater to such customers, and many of the signature dishes have been kept, such as the stuffed duck wrapped in lotus leaf, braised eel in black vinegar and steamed dumplings with crab meat.

"There are also many young people bringing their parents and grandparents to experience the taste of their childhood," says Wang.