By Tan Weiyun
Updated: 2007-12-18 09:39

If your knowledge of gourmet shops is restricted to bakeries, the Yu Gourmet in the Renaissance Shanghai Yuyuan Hotel should set you straight.

The shop's wide array of enticing goodies, the delicious aroma, the inviting ambience could bring out the gourmet in anyone, but the scrumptious pastries, pies, cakes, delicate creamy chocolates and oven-fresh breads are not the only items Yu Gourmet has on offer.

"Almost anything you see in our hotel rooms and in our restaurant outlets, you can buy it if you like the design," said Kristian Petersen, the hotel's director of food and beverage. "As far as I know, most of the city's gourmet shops don't have this."

The shop has a wide range of homemade chocolates, cakes, pastries, breads and it has all sorts of articles to brighten up celebrations, parties and weddings. There are also various in-house items, such as glasses, chinaware, chopsticks, tableware, table cloths and even the shop waitress's cap and aprons, if they happen to appeal to you. Amazingly, even bed sheet, pillow, linen, tea set, napkin and many more seen in the hotel room are for sale. They can discretely be showed to the guest, event though all items are not displayed in the shop.

"If you happen to like our champagne glasses, our forks, bowls, anything, you can request it and we will sell it to you. If you happen to love the tray from room service and you want to have it by your bed in the morning, we will sell it." said Petersen.

"Our gourmet shop isn't over spacious. It's exquisite and stylish, so we can't display everything in it. But if you are a person who pays attention to details and focuses on life quality, you will find things you like in our hotel," said Petersen.

"If you have a very romantic moment in our China Bistro and you want to recreate it as a surprise to a loved one, say an anniversary candle dinner at home, the whole set you had at that dinner, you can buy it and take it home," said the director.

The products are always attractively packaged and can be presented as a gift for any occasion. The items are wrapped up with a shining black Yu Gourmet ribbon in a stylish black box imprinted with the Yu Gourmet logo. No details from product to packaging is missed.

"What you see is what you get, no surprises," said Petersen.

"But a gourmet shop should be a gourmet shop first and foremost."

"Yu Gourmet also specializes in a very personalized concept named 'Take-Me-Home'," said executive chef Dusan Smetana, who has worked around the world for almost 13 years. "It is traditional Western home cooking such as Osso bucco, Lamp pot roast, classical Vienna schnitzel, Coq au vin and much more."

The Yu Gourmet offers fresh-made, home-baked breads, pastries, cakes and the signature chocolates displayed behind the counter, as well as a variety of its own in-house jams, marmalade, sauces, marinades, dressings and oils.

"The Take-Me-Home concept really features home-made traditional Western cuisine that expats or well-travelled Chinese families will appreciate," said Smetana.

"If customers have no time to make meals, they can order and we can prepare the whole dinner for them, including the salad, sauce, dressings, main course and dessert. Anytime, on a Sunday night or weekdays, for any number of people," said the chef. As the menu is updated regularly, customers will always find new exciting menu suggestions.

"We want to identity ourselves through this gourmet shop. It's not about the volume; it's about what and how we sell," said Petersen. "We are selling a life style for those who care about quality, know about quality and appreciate quality."

Yu Gourmet
Address: 159 Henan Rd S.
Tel: 021-2321-8888