Yugo Grill
Shanghai’s answer to all things former Yugoslavia can be found at Yugo Grill, a venue that began its story as a mere takeout window and has now expanded – twice – in both venue and in menu offerings.
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Just a month ago saw the arrival of Milos Djordjevic, a distinguished Serbian chef that cut his teeth at Kovac – one of Belgrade’s most famous traditional Serbian cuisine restaurants.
He's now Yugo Grill’s full-time chef, and cooking up Serbian classics is what he has been doing for a month straight – revamping the menu and attracting the hungry hoards to prove it.
The main draw – so far – are the sharing platters. We say “so far” because we’ve gotten a sneak peek at some of the dishes in the works (they are currently being trialed as daily specials) and, let’s just say we’re planning our next few weeks around how often we can come back to sample more.
Back to the platters. They are big, like 1.5-kilos-of-high-quality-meat big. And then there’s fries, salads, pickles, toppings, pita bread, and about a gazillion dips.
Bring friends, bring family... hell, bring strangers – unless you’re prepared to dabao enough leftovers to last you a week.
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To start, there’s the Yugo Meze (RMB270), an appetizer platter with cow cheese, sheep cheese, goat cheese and Gouda, assorted cured meats, homemade pickles in all varieties, roasted chilis, toasted pita, sauerkraut and...
*deep breath*
... a mix of dips and sauces, like kajmak (unripe, sour spreadable cheese that tastes like a cross between cream cheese, feta and sour cream); tartar sauce (Yugoslavia’s version of tzatziki, with the addition of rosemary); ajvar (a relish made from Serbian-imported sweet bell peppers and eggplant); urnebes (slightly piquant cow’s milk cheese); and a fiery tomato, paprika and chili-based sauce.
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A match for any appetite, the Yugo Platter (RMB488) comes with 10 chevapchichi sausages, two angry sausages, two boneless chicken thighs, a valter kebab, a gourmet patty, chicken and beef skewers, fries, pita bread, condiments, dips, pickles and slaw.
They also have a mish-mash of other plates featuring roasted pork liver, pork neck steaks, chicken skewers rolled in smoky bacon, roasted pork with onion and paprika, and… well, you get it – it’s all about the meat, deliciously succulent, charcoal-grilled meat, in massive quantities.
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And in equally ginormous portions, the Deep-Fried Cheese (RMB40/2 pieces, RMB72/4 pieces) puts any and every mozzarella stick to shame.
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Four hundred glorious grams of breaded and fried gouda nuggets emerge, oozing gooey goodness all over everything they come into contact with.
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Other fried fare arrives in the form of Deep Fried Pepper (RMB68) two fist-size red bell peppers stuffed to the gills with a tangy Slav-style cream cheese, breaded and served with tzatziki for dipping.
Or, cut out a couple kcals (and some life bliss) by skipping the last step and enjoying them not fried as the Cold Stuffed Pepper (RMB60) – still equally cheesy, just less crispy.
It would be a crime to miss the dish that put Yugo Grill on the map: the pljeskavica – a Yugoslavian burger patty – that just so happens to be the national dish of Serbia and the signature item on Yugo Grill's menu.
Mixing together New Zealand beef chuck, which has a slightly higher fat content for more flavor, with 10% local pork, the meat is marinated for 48-72 hours in a secret blend of spices.
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The Gourmet Burger (RMB90) is a pure behemoth – a 350+ gram patty mixed with chunks of cheddar and smoked bacon, that is then grilled over charcoal.
For those without a hulk-sized appetite, there’s also the more modest Not a Burger (RMB55/small, RMB80/big), which doesn’t have the cheddar and bacon mixed into the patty.
Toppings are a 'choose your own adventure' sitch, with regulars like sliced tomato, lettuce, cabbage and raw onions, and then Yugoslavian traditional sauces, like those that come with the Meze platter mentioned above.
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The Wednesday special is worth reorganizing your week for. Picture a Yugo patty meets a Midwest American Juicy Lucy as the Punjena Pljeskavica (RMB105) – a smoked gouda and bresaola-stuffed burger topped with more kajmak spreadable cheese, fries and roasted spicy peppers.
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If you read this article in advance of your visit, paid heed to our advice, and donned stretchy pants specifically for this occasion, then guess what – you deserve dessert.
Sourced from Serbian-owned Cake Republic, Yugo Grill offers a handful of sweet treats from the old kingdom, like pistachio or chocolate Baklava (RMB15/1 piece, RMB60/6 pieces), Urrmasice (RMB35) – homemade biscuits soaked in syrup.
Or, our personal favorite, Reform Cake (RMB45) – a decadent chocolate and walnut layered tart that sees two kilos of walnuts baked into every cake.
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It would be remiss to skip the cocktails, a series of six rakia-centric drinks (rakia being fruit-based spirits popular in the Balkans), representing the six regions that make up former Yugoslavia.
We nearly downed the Cherry Blossom (RMB75), a play on a whisky sour featuring sour cherry rakia, grenadine and maraschino.
Believe it or not, this is just the beginning for Yugo Grill’s menu expansion plan. With Chef Milos on board, expect many more Yugoslavian comfort eats making their debut on the Shanghai scene.
Yugo Grill,365 Kangding Lu, by Shaanxi Bei Lu, 康定路365号，近陕西北路.
Long Bar, The PuLi Hotel and Spa
The Puli’s Long Bar recently launched a new cocktail menu by Bar Manager Vivian Liu and her team, plus a snack menu by upstairs restaurant PHENIX chef Ugo Rinaldo, along with an Aperitivo Hour daily deal.
The cocktail program focuses around highlighting the classics rather than reinventing the wheel with ever-rotating signatures.
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“There are so many incredible Prohibition-era cocktails that laid the foundation for the cocktail world today,” says Vivian, who cut her teeth at the Ritz Carleton Macau’s gin bar.
“We want to honor these beverages that are classics for a reason, perfecting each ingredient and step along the way for our customers.”
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The newly launched daily Aperitivo Hour runs from 5.30-7pm, where guests can choose two classic cocktails plus three snacks for RMB338.
Nibbles span crispy beef tendon with Cajun powder, garlic and chili to house-dried pork jerky; from homemade parmesan grossini to marinated Spanish olives, plus a crunchy side of spiced macadamia and pecan nuts, and so much more.
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The Long Bar’s top selling cocktail, the Last Word (RMB158) is a Prohibition-era libation that got its beginnings in the Detroit Athletic Club’s bar in the early 1920s; in the year’s following its creation, it became even more popularly recognized as vaudeville performer Frank Fogarty’s go-to libation.
Featuring your choice of gin, Green Chartreuse and Luxardo Maraschino, each sip is a balance of sweet and rounded tartness, finished by the gin’s herbaceous botanicals.
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The Puli is known for its Martinis (RMB158) – both dry and dirty – shaken to perfection, with only the highest quality of gins.
Choose from options like Absolute Elyx – a Swedish vodka lauded for its silky-smooth mouthfeel and clean aroma – or Shanghai’s newest member of the local gin family, Julu Gin.
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Or, opt for a play on the original, with the Tuxedo Cocktail (RMB138) – a blend of gin, dry vermouth and Luxardo Maraschino, finished with a lemon twist.
Chef Ugo also launched a few new munchies for those with an appetite but that aren’t ready to commit to a full meal.
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Any menu bold enough to sport a nearly 600 kuai sandwich as a bar bite is intriguing to say the least, and the M9 Wagyu Katsu Sando (RMB558) is worth warranting a return visit.
With a thinly-breaded, knuckle-thick slab of some of the world’s highest quality beef, and dried miso powder nestled inside a toasted homemade brioche crust, you will find us here next time, katsu sandwich in hand (and three cocktails balancing in the other).
Crispy Polenta (RMB88) hummus, cherry tomatoes on the vine, Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
The Puli Fried Chicken (RMB148) is presented steaming hot with a side of homemade bourbon BBQ sauce and a sprinkling of fried basil.
Arguably one of the best batter recipes in town coats the tenderest meat – we would happily crush an entire fried chicken breaded in that flaky, spiced batter; the Long Bar has found a way to nail a flawlessly light yet crunchy wing that’s not overly greasy but is oh-so impeccably juicy.
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A swanky take on Sichuanese Dan Dan Noodles (RMB148), Chef Ugo’s rendition sees hand-pulled fresh noodles rolled into a beehive twirl and doused in a creamy sesame paste broth of sorts, finished with a nip of chili.
A generous sprinkle of ground pork and a chopped scallions adorns the top, soaking up more of that creamy base – something we would happily drink out of a water bottle, juice box, sippy cup or any other contraption that resulted in the highest number of ml’s entering our mouths per second.
Please note: All prices are subject to a 10% service charge and applicable prevailing Value Added Tax.
Long Bar, The PuLi Hotel and Spa, F1, Puli Hotel, No.1, Changde Lu, by Yan'an Zhong Lu, 常德路1号璞丽酒店1楼, 近延安中路.
Highline
It's finally patio season, and one of the best places for taking advantage of it is on Highline's 360-degree rooftop terrace, preferably with bubbles in hand.
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And what better time than while soaking up that sunshine and savoring Highline's newly launched Afternoon Tea Set (RMB388), a month-long collaboration with Victoria's Secret, launched on none other than International Women's Day, March 8.
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Each set comes with a mix of sweet and savory nibbles, plus a coffee or tea. Throw down an extra RMB68 to add on The Bombshell Cocktail, featuring an earthy tea-infused gin, peach liqueur, fruity hibiscus and – of course – prosecco bubbles.
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Beginning with the savories, there's Crab & Sea Urchin Seaweed Crisps, an umami bomb bite featuring crab leg, luscious sea urchin and egg yolk, all atop crispy nori sheets and a fresh shiso leaf.
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There's also a free-range Roast Chicken & Avocado Sandwich on five-seed wholegrain bread; a Roast Beef & Arugula Pesto Bun with rare roast fillet shmeared with arugula pesto, Dijon mustard and sundried tomatoes; and the colorful Highline Smoked Salmon & Caviar Blini showcasing in-house smoked salmon anchored to a sourdough blini by creme fraiche, crowned with caviar.
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No afternoon tea set is complete without a little sugar, and that demand is met with Pink Rose Cupcakes – red velvet cupcakes decorated with rose petal icing and lime marshmallows – as well as Chocolate French Puffs, piped with espresso mousse and caramel-like dulce de leche.
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The Victoria's Secret Pink Mousse sits on a sable biscuit, filled with raspberry jam and infused with strawberry, while a final tart bite ends with the Passionate Macaroon – a passion fruit and white chocolate filled onyx-hued almond macaroon.
The tea set will only run through the end of March, so grab a gaggle of ladies (men are invited too... we suppose) and stop in any day of the week (including weekends) between 2.30-5pm.
Highline, 6/F, 282 Huaihai Zhong Lu, by Huangpi Nan Lu, 淮海中路282号6楼, 近黄陂南路.
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[Cover image by Sophie Steiner/That's]
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