4 Magical Dishes You Need to Try From This New Summer Menu

Looking for a dinner that captures the very essence of summer with a little sprinkle of magic thrown in? We’re talking fresh and zingy dishes with luscious aftertastes that leave you craving more even when your belts are screaming, “please, no more food!”

Well, located on the top floor of the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel, Aurora is serving up a menu that’s combining both Chinese and Western culinary skills alongside a fine selection of seafood to whet your appetites.

Stepping into the dimly lit Aurora and settling at a table close to the panoramic view overlooking the Wishing Star Lake with the Storybook Castle, we were excited to check out the new menu driven by Executive Sous Chef Elliot Zhou.

Appetizer

Blue Swimming Crab Salad

Soup

Thai-inspired broth with fresh Tiger Prawn

or

Salted Corn Chowder

Entree

New Zealand Lamb Tenderloin

or

Red Snapper Fillet

Dessert

Lemon Noir

We started our meal with a delicate-looking appetizer that reminded us more of a cake pop than something savory. Although dessert for dinner would never be rejected in our house.

It was, in fact, a ball of tuna with a surrounding outer layer made of a soy sauce jelly with spices.

For the main event, we first started with the Blue Swimming Crab Salad, a bright and vibrant plate covered with some delicate-looking bites to indulge in. 

Paired with an Alaskan king crab leg, the dish was prepared with a variety of different techniques that combined both taste and texture in an intriguing way. The crab patty taking centerstage on the plate was topped with an intricate looking cuttlefish chips. 

Lining one side of the plate, small segments of crab were also laid out, with a special little serving of a basil sorbet that felt both zesty and refreshing to the palate - pairing so well with the fish.

Coated in a crumbled shrimp, a deep-fried Tiger Prawn was placed in front of us next in a beautifully large, white dish accompanied by a coconut milk infused rice role. As the Thai-inspired broth made of Argentian red shrimp and a dash of Asian spices was poured onto the dish, it submerged the Tiger Prawn we were so eager to devour. 

Biting in the Tiger Prawn was a delightful experience; it was juicy and crispy all at the same time, covered by the Thai broth that had a wonderfully tangy aftertaste to it.

For our entree, we had the choice of either the New Zealand Grain-fed Lamb Loin or the Red Snapper Fillet. 

Incorporating Chinese food culture into Western culinary art, the waiter brought a fresh and healthy lamb dish to the table - a lamb fillet featuring low fat and high protein content that was soft to the taste and had the slightest chew to it. The meat was wrapped in a delicious white miso paste and hazelnuts, giving the overall bite a light crunch to it that contrasted well to the tender meat. 

But that’s not all the dish has to boast about, the lamb fillets were sat on a bed of handmade noodles - yup, those small, tiny nuggets were actually noodles that were delightfully light and covered in a delicate soy-like sauce that finished the dish off perfectly.

Finally, the piece de resistance - the Lemon Noir! 

As a new take on the Aurora classic, this dish is super intriguing to look at with its mysteriously dark exterior shaped exactly like a lemon. We couldn’t wait to smash through and uncover what was inside! 

Covered by thin layer of chocolate is a white chocolate mousse mixed with a zesty and lemony filling - surprisingly refreshing and with a delicious lemon aftertaste.

Using traditional culinary methods and an added touch of molecular gastronomy, the new summer menu at Aurora certainly proves an elegant and distinctive dining experience for any diner - plus the added bonus of being able to view the daily fireworks from your table is not one to be missed!

If you’re planning a romantic evening out for your Disney fan bae, this is where you want to go.

Aurora

Address: 8F, Shanghai Disneyland Hotel, No. 1009 Shendi Xi Lu, Pudong

Tel: [phone]

Hours: Daily, 5:30pm-10pm