Shanghai Restaurant Review: Chuckville

By Cristina Ng, September 3, 2019

The Place

If you’ve been lamenting the recent closure of Bulldog Bar-B-Q on Julu Lu, we have good news for you. The team closed their cozy centrally-located space to focus efforts on their new venue, Chuckville. Just a short stroll from the Laoximen metro station, this two-story restaurant dwarfs its predecessor. The menu has been beefed up appropriately to match the new space.

The Food

Expect a list of moderately-priced American barbecue classics assembled up by a team with roots in Oregon, Texas, Hong Kong and Taiwan. While neither of the partners has professional cooking experience, they work closely with their team of chefs to scale up their favorite home-style recipes.

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To start, they do a decent version of the ‘Bloomin’ Onion (RMB38) popularized by Australian chain Outback Steakhouse. The batter is nicely spiced and well-salted. While we ordered the Chips and Guacamole (RMB45) mostly as filler for a large group, the inclusion of freshly made salsa was a nice surprise. As for the Buffalo Wings (RMB68), the tangy Frank’s Red Hot-coated chicken is cooked to perfection and served with blue cheese dip. If anything, we want more spicy sauce on these wings – they should be slathered and dripping.

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There are salads and sandwiches, but you come to Chuckville for the straight-up country barbecue. An order of Brisket (RMB65/small, RMB130/medium, RMB260/large) mixes fat and lean slices with the gloriously gelatinous tendon that comes between them. When it comes to sizzling BBQ Chicken (RMB45/small, RMB90/medium, RMB180/large) imagine your ideal version with juicy, tender meat and lightly spiced crisp skin. There may have been flights over leftovers when we got back to the office later, but we’re not calling anyone out.

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The Good Ole’ Country Ribs (RMB45/small, RMB90/medium, RMB180/large) put up a good fight, but they can’t compare to the Beef Short Rib (RMB80/100g). This Australian short rib proves that a good cut of meat only needs salt, pepper and – in this case, smoke. We rarely see Home Glazed Ham (RMB65/small, RMB130/medium, RMB260/large) like this in Shanghai, and this flavorsome portion took us back to Christmas dinner at Grandma’s.

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One quibble that could be a deal-breaker for barbecue purists, is that the sauce on the tables isn’t made in-house. The sauce used in the kitchen is made by the venue, so it might be better to have them give your ribs a double coating before serving.

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Sides are either RMB25 a la carte or RMB30 for a two-side set with any meat order. Tex-Mex Grilled Corn slathered with mayonnaise, lime, chili and cheese or Burnt End Mash are the way to go. The Cornbread begs for some butter and honey and neither creamed vegetable option is our favorite (corn or spinach).

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For an ending reminiscent of the all-American country fair, take your pick of Fried Oreo or Snickers (RMB25). The junk food staples are coated in pancake-like batter, dunked in the deep fryer and presented tableside with a heaping portion of whipped cream. It’s surely not health food, but that’s beside the point.

Food Verdict: 1.5/3

The Vibe

Real deal barbecue is hard to come by in this town, so we have to give Chuckville props for attempting to pull this off; with a smoker on hand to boot. They are working hard on consistency, and some items hit the bullseye. Does it measure up to Franklin’s or even Cages? Not quite, but you’ll have to go to Austin, Texas, for the former while the latter only serves barbecue once a week.

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Chuckville is one of the first tenants in a new development, and we see this neighborhood picking up steam soon. The entire experience, from cow motifs on the wall to college memorabilia upstairs, conveys the American vibe these folks are going for. Thoughtful touches like extra sinks all over the restaurant and a drip coffee machine (so American!) add to the charm.