Partnering with Signify, 'iDEAL Dining' launches vegan menu

Shanghai Daily’s 2020 “iDEAL Dining” project was officially launched in June, dedicated to supporting Chinese farmers and backing the government’s drive of eliminating poverty and building a moderately prosperous society in all aspects in China by the end of 2020. Guided by Shanghai Municipal People’s Government Information Office, the nation’s top chefs were invited to create special menus for public welfare using food and ingredients sourced from poverty-stricken areas assisted by Shanghai’s 16 districts.

From October through December 31, more than 80 hotels and restaurants in the Yangtze River Delta region served and will serve “iDEAL Dining” special menus to the general public. Guests can scan the QR code to enter the “iDEAL Dining” website to watch videos of the ingredients’ places of origin and how delicious dishes are prepared by chefs, enjoying a culinary journey of Chinese flavors right at home.

Customers can also find the “iDEAL Dining” symbol in more than 600 restaurants, cafes, hotels, shops and lifestyle landmarks across Shanghai to take part in the project and lend a helping hand to the remote areas by learning about the stories behind the mouth-watering dishes.

Most of the poverty-relief partner regions are located on plateaus, in the mountains or Gobi Desert, where it is difficult to plant fruits and vegetables because of the limitations of temperature, light and soil. To further expand the market, “iDEAL Dining” is partnering with Signify to apply LED lighting technologies in farming, and incorporating the produces in menus to draw attention to the development of agricultural technology. Signify is committed to utilizing high technology to iron out the constraints of the natural environment in assisted areas in the near future, so that geographical environment restraints can be lifted without worrying about the impact of natural disasters. This would help deal with resource and environmental problems as well as protecting the food supply.

From November 30 to December 22, guests can enjoy a vegan meal menu, cooked with “produces of the future” that grow in plant factories using artificial light, at 100 Century Avenue Restaurant of Park Hyatt Shanghai. The special menu is available as a business lunch set on weekdays, priced at 188 yuan per set.

Zhou Shengjie / SHINE

Signify’s Philips Horticultural LED lighting for agriculture has been introduced into the laboratories of universities, including Shanghai Jiaotong University and scientific research institutes of all levels, including the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. This innovative solution is not only used for indoor cultivation of different crops and optimization of the full-cycle growth process, but also the advantages of disease resistance, yield increase, improved quality and seed setting rate.

The judge panel of six top chefs and food critics have started the tasting and evaluation of the menus created by participating hotels and restaurants. The judges include Zhou Xiaoyan, an award-winning master of Chinese cooking and a national-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor of Huaiyang Cuisine, Wen Jia, food critic and founder of “chibaole” (“to eat and be satisfied,” a social media platform for food reviews and e-commerce business) and Dizhulu, a seasoned food and travel writer with years of experience in publishing and broadcasting. The results of “iDEAL Dining” will be announced at the award ceremony on December 18.

“iDEAL Dining” X Signify Vegan Menu

100 Century Avenue Restaurant of Park Hyatt Shanghai

Time: November 30 to December 22, Monday – Friday

Price: 188 yuan net per set

Starter:

Kale salad, mixed berry, apple, citrus dressing

White tomato soup, extra virgin olive oil

Main entree:

Vegan Omni burger

Avocado, Sichuan pepper, coconut yogurt, nori bun, sweet potato fries

Dessert:

Coconut ice cream bowl