Disney executives previously announced that the food served at Shanghai Disneyland will be Chinese cuisine… with “Disney characteristics”. The Shanghi Disney Resort is now ready to show off a few of the dishes that will be available on the June 16 opening day.
Chen Deli, supervisor of food and beverages, said the meals offered at the park will reflect the nationality of their guests: about 70 percent are expected to be Chinese, 20 percent are expected to be from Southeast Asian countries, and 10 percent will come from North America and Europe.
The park will offer such “Disney-fied” foods as Mickey Mouse Roast Duck Pizza, Donald Duck Waffle Cake, and the Mickey Mouse Chocolate Tower, each prominently featuring its mascot through visual design. The park will also offer more traditionally Chinese cuisine, such as Mickey Mouse Braised Pork Knuckle in Dark Soy Sauce (seen above), Mickey Mouse Meat Mooncakes, and Minnie Mouse Red Bean Buns.
The resort’s 600 restaurants, which can each sit between 600-1,000 people, will offer other classic Chinese dishes, such as stir-fried beancurd in chili sauce (mapo tofu), Sichuan noodles in spicy sauce, prawn dumplings, flat noodles, shrimp and scrambled egg stir-fried rice, and red-cooked meat (pork braised in soy sauce).
Chen, previously of Hong Kong Disneyland, was unwavering in the mission of the theme park’s restaurants. “Respecting the tradition of Chinese cuisine is the first principle we uphold here at Shanghai Disneyland,” he said.
Dong Yan, executive chef at the resort, said that the preparation of the resort’s meals are methodical. “Every food that is prepared in our 3,000 square meter central kitchen has its ingredients acquired, washed, and cooked on the same day. Every dish served on our tables can be traced back to the farm from which it originated.”
Dong added that all vegetables will be washed by machines, and that manual washing would be forbidden in its kitchens. At the same time, pans would only be used to prepare one type of dish in order to maintain the unique taste of each style of food.
