A Friday feast!
It's surely Shanghai's largest, most sprawling collection of cuisines under a single roof.
Now, with the launch of their new Friday Seafood Feast, YICAFE is taking the buffet to another level.
This is a global ocean-to-table procession staged under the electric glow of Lujiazui's towers—feast and theater entirely in sync.
YICAFE serves over a dozen cuisines through more than 10 live cooking stations, each one firing with the confidence and quality of a standalone restaurant.
While YICAFE is always generous, Friday is when they unleash the Kraken—the seafood spectacular turns the buffet into a marine marketplace, a global ocean tasting mapped out in ice, steam, fire, and gleaming steel.
Each guest receives a charcoal-grilled South American lobster, and it's not some apologetic half-tail either.
The shell cracks obligingly; the meat is sweet and firm, touched by smoke. The aroma alone could pull you across the dining room.
It's rare to see a buffet offer something that feels this luxurious individually, where YICAFE reminds you that abundance doesn't have to mean compromise.
Walk toward the seafood station and the temperature seems to drop. Resting on a bed of ice is a whole tuna, enormous enough to make diners pause mid-step.
A small semicircle of guests gathers every time a chef steps forward with the sashimi knife—long, silver, and deliberate—and begins slicing ruby-red slabs gleaming like polished gemstones.
It's a performance of expert craft and ritual. Few things attract attention quite like carving a fish the size of a surfboard in front of a crowd.
There's Sturgeon caviar, tiny black beads with the taste of cold oceans and extravagance.
A Spanish seafood paella bubbling away in a pan so massive it could pass for a tractor wheel, its golden grains carrying that unmistakable hit of saffron and ocean.
A steam station releasing soft clouds of heat as chefs open bamboo baskets filled with oysters, hairy crabs, and seasonal catch.
Japanese sushi and sashimi sit lined up shimmering under the lights, each piece impossibly precise—glossy salmon, ruby tuna, and pearly slices of snapper arranged with care.
Take a moment to pause and admire the scene before reaching for the tongs.
Keep going and you'll hit the crossroads—decision time. Middle Eastern shawarma spins, perfuming the room with toasted spice as mezze platters nearby shine with tahini gloss and citrusy brightness.
Indian curries simmer in deep copper pots, fragrant with cardamom and cumin.
A Chinese hot pot station with abalone tucked against braised pork, chili oil, home-style braised pomfret, and drunken shrimp waiting in aromatic Shaoxing wine.
Southeast Asia gets its own corner—a small carnival of spice, skewers, and grilled heat that competes confidently with everything else in the room.
Malaysian satay and rendang, smoky, coconutty, and unapologetically bold.
At the meat station, tomahawk steaks are carved into thick, juicy ribbons along with tender brisket that practically collapses at the touch of the knife.
There's a difference between variety and depth— YICAFE goes for depth. Each dish feels considered, not thrown together to pad the lineup.
Flavors pop. Textures hold. Nothing sinks into the dreaded buffet mush zone.
It's overwhelming in an entirely great way. Here, strategy is key—remember your plan.
By the time you reach dessert, you've probably sworn you're stopping—but you won't. The pastry team cleverly leans into the seafood motif with ocean-inspired shapes and colors.
Think shells, waves, pearls—delicate rather than gimmicky. Fresh fruit is cut to order, crisp and cool against the heavier dishes from earlier.
It's a smart finish: light enough to revive you, indulgent enough to justify your return trip.
Speaking of smart—don't forget to hit the pick'n'mix for a bag of candy on your way out.
YICAFE's Friday Seafood Spectacular is easily one of the city's most ambitious buffet experiences—bold, confident, and determined to impress even the most experienced Shanghai diner.
At RMB598, it stands out at great value for the sheer breadth and depth of the offering.
Between the lobster, the tuna carving, the caviar, and the sheer global sweep of flavors, you're getting more than a meal.
You're getting a slick, sensory evening that feels celebratory from the moment you walk in.
YICAFE Seafood Spectacular
Every Friday Dinner
5.30–9.30pm
RMB598 per person
Reservations: 21 6882 8888
Pudong Shangri-La, Shanghai 33 Fucheng Lu, by Mingshang Lu, Pudong District 富城路33号, 近名商路
[All images by That's]
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