Yu Cun opens at Haitang Bay
Yu Cun, a new restaurant designed by André Fu and situated In the Grand Hyatt Sanya Haitang Bay, has opened its doors.
Set by the resort’s extensive lagoon, the two-storey restaurant will be an informal yet refined dining environment, and will feature three intimate rooms alongside eight stand-alone pavilions. Inspired by the traditions of local fishing villages, Fu has aimed to create a restaurant that is ethnic in spirit, yet contemporary in experience.
Afso, the Hong Kong based design team established by Fu in 2000, has designed Yu Cun to take guests on a journey through the floating homes of the local Dan minority. The theatrical styling will draw diners across a sequence of slate paved wooden bridges and winding paths, to encounter the main dining pavilion where Fu has designed an interlocking timber scaffold installation, spiritually akin to the bamboo structures of traditional fishing huts.
Distinct textures will be incorporated within the restaurant, with a palette of earthy oranges, plum aubergine and sand being prominent throughout the various spaces. An array of bespoke pendants woven entirely of authentic straw threads, as well as feature backdrops composed from a collage of Chinese cabinets, will also be layered into the visual experience. In terms of materials, Fu will deploy a rustic palette of natural cleft beige marble blocks and smoked oak.
The journey will continue through the pavilions, which will feature bronzed bamboo, bespoke rock glass lighting pendants and woven-rattan panels. Fu will here aim to achieve the impression of visiting a Dan family for dinner, and enjoying the fresh catch of the day with views of the resort as a backdrop.
The restaurant’s menu will reflect this desire for authenticity, and will offer local cuisine that includes seafood, classic Shanghai appetisers and Cantonese, Dongbei and Sichuan main dishes.
Fu comments: “I wanted to re-invent the spirit of an authentic Water Village at Yu Cun, and it has been an exciting challenge to create an authentically intimate Chinese dining experience within the landscape of an incredible, plush lagoon. We have designed a destination where diners will be able to enjoy authentic Chinese cuisine whilst being emotionally transported to a bountiful fishing village set on the edge of a tropical rainforest.”
