The Place
Boxing Cat, Liquid Laundry, Tepito and Sproutworks, Kelley Lee and co. have been on a mission to thoroughly conquer every corner of Shanghai F&B. Cobra Lily, the newest to the brood, sees them take on modern Asian cuisine.
More glamorous than her siblings, Cobra Lily greets guests with an impressive two-story atrium bar streaked with brushed gold accents. Retaining architectural details from the building’s erstwhile existence as a shikumen lane house alongside sleekly modern décor, it’s clear the place is intended as a destination rather than just another tourist trap, and almost feels a bit too cool for Xintiandi.
The Food
The food takes a casual stroll across the pantheon of Asian cuisine, dipping a spoon into Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese culture in a menu that rivals sister restaurant Liquid Laundry in length. Some dishes blew our socks off, but others it’s clear others need a little more attention before they rival the originals from which they are derived.
Equal parts bar and restaurant, we reckon Cobra Lily's food is best when paired with the excellent cocktails (more on those later). Highlights include fun-sized lemongrass carnitas bánh mì sandwiches (RMB78), a Mexican-Viet mashup that skips the requisite pâte in favor of crunchy chicharrones and tamarind aioli . Is it still bánh mì without pâte? That's for you to decide.
We also loved the heat and spirit of the 'Big Ben is the Boss' salad (RMB78), spicy in the most addictive way. Strips of napa cabbage, cucumber, peanuts and freeze-dried chillies hang out in fiery, cheerful union. You might recall those chillies from the free cups of peanuts you get in bars – we loved that they had the balls to put them to good use.
Other dishes don't have the same bold personality. Chilled Sichuan noodles with shredded chicken and pickles (RMB68) lack depth and complexity.
Bánh cuốn (Vietnamese rice ravioli, second picture, RMB98), foie gras sticky rice (RMB68) and garlic butter noodles (RB58, which also feature in the giant crab RMB268) all feel one-dimensional, though it has to be said that the crab is great value given its size.
Crispy-skinned 'Bad Boy Babi' (RMB105), a nod to Balinese roasted suckling pig, reminds us that this kitchen is very capable of well-executed plates, but the all-fat-no-skin slices and green mango salad instead of traditional accompaniments like blood sausage and spicy pickled greens steer this dish into convoluted fusion territory.
What the food lacks in focus, Cobra Lily makes up for with her cocktails, designed by Ruslan Kapstan. Over three visits, we managed to drink our way through the majority and enjoyed them all, even (especially) the more avant garde 'signature' numbers. That’s a real rarity given how crap most modern craft cocktails are sometimes.
From the matcha-filled Tokyo Lights, the fragrant and fruity Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Lily’s Caipiroska, Mint-tea Julep and Sichuan peppery Bloody Ma-ry, they're all good ideas. Then there's the gin and tonics.
These arrive with much ceremony. You must assemble them yourself at the table, normally an odious gimmick, but in this case it allows you to give the beautifully fresh house-infused spirits a sniff before mixing the whole lot together.
Food verdict: 1.5/3
The Vibe
As with their other concepts, this group doesn't have any problem getting bums on seats. At present, Cobra Lily is pleasantly busy. You won't struggle to hear your date, but a DJ booth perched imperiously at the apex of the double ceiling may change that during busier service.
Vibe Verdict: 1/1
Value for Money
Anticipate spending a similar sum to what you'd usually part with at Liquid Laundry, and perhaps a little more if, like us, you fall prey to the cocktail menu. We would visit Cobra Lily again, particularly if out with larger groups, but we're still waiting for her to make good on the promise of food that takes us down the proverbial "gritty back alley."
Value for Money: 1/1
Total Verdict: 3.5/5
Price: RMB250/400 per person
Who's going: expats and locals
Good for: non-rip off Xintiandi dining, craft cocktails, groups, dates
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