The elegantly named dining room continues with the simple theme, bringing luxury dining without fuss or frills. Tables are classically set, with crystal glasses and polished silverware on crisp white table cloths Hyatt hotels here play on the "house" theme and this would be akin to having dinner at the homes of the rich and famous.

The flower crab meat salad with tomatoes and beans (140 yuan/US$20) is a play on different types of seasonal vegetables, giving varying textures and flavors on the palate. Classic and incredibly tasty.

One of the problems that remains in Shanghai is the lack of diversified supply. As a result, when a new ingredient hits the market, everyone and his brother in town incorporates it into a dish or two and there are few surprises.

Of course, having the produce to begin with is a godsend, and Passrugger has marvelously introduced local caviar into artichoke cream soup (220 yuan) - a dishes he describes as "two ingredients calling to be out together." The saltiness of the fish eggs and the silky smooth soup was an absolute delight.

The oven roasted cod (250 yuan) was also wonderfully cooked, with octopus on the side and elegantly mashed basil potatoes. This was the right portion size to keep diners wanting more.

The Tatiana oven roasted lamb rack (300 yuan) was simply beautiful. So wonderfully uncomplicated, so tenderly cooked. This was perhaps the best lamb tasted in more than a decade, and a dish that should draw food lovers to this towering beacon of class and taste.

The Park Hyatt is an ambitious project, and it might seem like timing is bad for its opening. With the overnight collapse of the investment banking industry and the world slipping into tough economic times, as much as 70 percent of the target clientele is unlikely to check-in over the coming days.

The solution is to drive local demand, which has its own challenges, but as long as it doesn't panic and try to mix things up in the kitchen, international gourmets will consider the Park Hyatt an indispensable destination.

Address: 100 Century Avenue

Tel: 6888-1234

(Shanghai Daily November 27, 2008)