Concealed in a shadowy basement on Jianshe Si Malu, Torture, with its caged beer selection and eerily vacant dining area, has all the trappings of a horror film.
The chef, Samuel Fernandez, a tattooed native of Brazil, takes his homeland’s reputation for barbecue very seriously: all cuts of beef and lamb are imported from Argentina and ooze with light, buttery juices when sliced.
At Fernandez’s recommendation, we order the biggest Brazilian platter (set A, RMB138) piled high with beef rump cap, ribs, chicken wings and pleurotus eryngii (thick-cut mushrooms that look deceptively similar to French fries). The beef, though somewhat overcooked, is well salted with a fatty, satisfying flavor. For a full-size platter, we expected more wings (it only comes with two), and a crunchy side of some sort to munch on in between mouthfuls of meat.
Still, portions are huge, so the desire to add carbs (Italian spaghetti, wudong noodles, fried rice or sandwiches, RMB38-48) dies away with our hunger.
Torture, whose name no one at the restaurant dares to explain, outdoes itself with barbecue selections: Brazilian, American and Chinese-style grilled meats and veggies come as single-serve skewers or generous platters. Given that the majority of clientele are locals, Chinese skewers are given plenty of attention. Grilled asparagus (RMB28), seared saury with lemon (RMB38) and Japanese octopus (RMB28) are among the xiaochi on offer.
The four-page menu (which is still being translated into English when we visit) also vaunts German sausages (RMB38), teppanyaki seafood (RMB158-188/platter) and a variety of tossed greens (RMB38-48).
The Italian salad (RMB38) is underwhelming but a welcome reprieve from mountains of meat. Crispy romaine, sweet tomatoes, Tuscan-style white beans, black olives and strips of bacon are dressed in light olive oil for a refreshing summer side that’s big enough for two.
Torture’s most appealing quality (#awkward, yes) is its fierce collection of imported beers. We’ll drop a few names here: BrewDog IPA, Vedett IPA, Boulevard Pale Ale, Boulevard Single-Wide IPA, Firestone Pale 31, Scrimshaw, Old No. 38 Stout, Brooklyn East IPA, BrewDog Fire AM Red Ale, BrewDog Jack Hammer Ruthless India Pale Ale and California Pale Ale (RMB40-55). You get the idea. The place is intense.
The night creeps on and surrounding flat-screen TVs begin to broadcast bare bodies in high definition. Everyone’s gnawing at bones and sipping bitters, their conversations fading into an infinite abyss. Is it a subconscious response to the restaurant’s name? Maybe. Or maybe this place always carried the name ‘torture.’
Price: RMB150
Who’s going: wicked carnivores, young Chinese posses
Good for: imported IPAs, barbecued meat, sexy pop MVs
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