Michelin-star Shanghainese fusion at Okada Manila’s Yu Lei
Imagine transporting a Michelin-star restaurant in its entirety from Hong Kong to the Philippines.
That’s exactly what Okada Manila did with Yu Lei, a Shanghainese fusion restaurant in Hong Kong that earned a Michelin star for four years straight, for the years 2013 to 2016.
Okada brought in not only its award-winning chef, Mikiya Imagawa, but also the restaurant’s flower-themed interiors and furnishings. After all, Yu Lei literally translates to “jade flower.”
Yu Lei’s highly Instagrammable hallway boasts 10,000 crystal leaves, while the main dining room features almost 2,000 crystal flowers and 16,000 crystal beads imported from the Czech Republic.
But it’s chef Imagawa’s creations — especially with dried sea- food such as abalone, sea cucumber and fish maw — that earned the 150-seat restaurant its Michelin star.
He’s the only chef who makes his shrimp-pork dumplings with tender Kurobuta pork.
For his Grilled Chicken and Black Truffle with Youlin Sauce in Casserole, he uses double the black truffle, flavoring the chicken with truffle oil before adding rare black truffles as he finishes the dish in the oven.
He uses A4-grade wagyu from Japan for his Wok-fried Sirloin Wagyu with XO Sauce in Potato Basket, and even makes his own XO sauce with premium dried ham, shrimp and scallops for the ultimate umami flavor.
Originally from Kobe, Japan, chef Imig aw a first learned from his father, who specialized in Shanghai ne se cuisine. He then apprenticed at various Chinese restaurants and international hotels across Japan before joining the Kazuo Okada (KO) Dining Group in Hong Kong in 2011 as the executive chef of Yu Lei restaurant, where he led his team to obtain the much-coveted Michelin star.
Yu Lei is also home to the biggest wine cellar on the property, with 1,122 labels and over 2,500 bottles available in-store, including a Grand Vin Premier Grand Cru Classé of Chateau Margaux 2005.
Yu Lei is located in the Restaurant Promenade, Upper Ground Floor, Pearl Wing of Okada Manila. Closed on Tuesdays, the rest of the week it’s open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch and 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. for dinner.