By Aubrey Buckingham (Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2007-03-26 09:49

Diners who cannot get enough of the international fare on offer at Yi Cafe now have another reason to head to the Pudong Shangri-La as the hotel is highlighting its Indian offerings during "The Indian Kitchen."

Attending the launch of the promotion on Wednesday evening was India's Consul General to Shanghai, Vishnu Prakesh. The consul general joined the hotel's general manager John Rice in a lamp-lighting ceremony to mark the start of the special event. This practice, from the subcontinent, replaces the Western tradition of ribbon-cutting.

During this week, the 350-seater Yi Cafe should go some ways towards providing fans of tasty tandoori and spicy curry with their fix.

As it is, the Indian show kitchen in the buffet restaurant produces about 4,200 naan breads, 84 kilograms of chicken tandoori, 84 kg of lamb tandoori and 56 kg of chicken tikka each month.

The promotion is geared at promoting one of the most popular stations in the all-day diner, and to highlight the award-winning talents of Chef Sunil Dutt.

The New Dehli-native has been wowing guests at the hotel for two months now and his fare demonstrates the fantastic voyage the restaurant takes its guests on.

Besides the solid Indian offerings, the Bilkey Llinas-designed restaurant has nine other show kitchens complete with "happy chefs interacting with delighted guests."

The interactive design is aimed at breaking down barriers between diners and chefs, and succeeds in doing so. Unlike typical buffets, Yi Cafe eschews the typical surgical do-it-yourself approach favored by other establishments where you take your food wondering just how long it had sat there.

Instead, the final preparation of each dish is applied on the spot by one of the many chefs on duty (with a smile, I must add).

Roast suckling pig is sliced when asked for at the Cantonese corner, while the Japanese selection offers fresh sushi and sashimi. Kebabs are on offer from the Middle Eastern bit, and the all-encompassing Western segment features favorites that the kids are bound to love.

For an alternative to the Indian style of spice, the Malaysian cuisine is also worth tucking into. The satay and murtabak (savory meat and beaten egg) are highly recommended.

The "Indian Kitchen" runs through to Friday (March 30). Lunch is 208 yuan (US$26.10) and dinner is 288 yuan, subject to a 15 percent surcharge.

At the end of the promotion, two winners will walk away with a return ticket to New Dehli, sponsored by Air India, and a two nights weekend stay in a Premier Room in the Shangri-La Hotel New Dehli.

Pudong Shangri-La
Address: 2/F, 33 Fucheng Road
Tel: 021-58775372