Eastern Entrancement

As Zuan Yuan at One World Hotel reopens, Kathlyn D’Souza gets a taste of what’s new with not only its space and decor, but also its captivating Chinese menu

The last I heard of Zuan Yuan was when the restaurant was still located at a little nook inside One World Hotel itself. Since December 2017 though, the restaurant has successfully moved to a vast plot (three times bigger than the original), right next to the lobby’s main entrance. Plus, what used to be your classic and customary Chinese decor has now been transformed into a current and contemporaneous eatery with Oriental nuances spotted here and there—you can see it in the artsy tea drawers designed in a way that it resembles the Chinese classical paintings of a mountain; the plush, velvety cushions; or the hints of red. I was told that this is Zuan Yuan’s eleventh year of existence, so a change was due; and what a wonderful one too.