Shanghai Restaurant Review: Yue Shi Ji

By Tongfei Zhang, December 14, 2016

The Place

Hidden on leafy Donghu Lu neighboring Jenny's Blue Bar, ElEFante and Shanghai Brewery, Yue Shi Ji is a two-story villa bar and yakiniku joint offering great value Japanese-style barbecue. Yakiniku often ends up playing second fiddle to teppanyaki in Shanghai (we suspect because of those deceptive all-you-can-eat-and-drink deals) but when the price is as good as Yue Shi Ji, more often than not you'll end up imbibing and grilling your way through more for less with yakiniku places.

The Food

A propensity for carnivorousness is all that's required of diners here. Following suit, we put the house beef platter (RMB358), mini luxury seafood platter (RMB79) and Japanese boneless beef short ribs (RMB49) to the test.

They are all quite tasty, but to our surprise, the superior beef tongue (RMB68) came out top. Unlike others we've tried elsewhere, these are a little thicker, leaving a toothsome and bright texture even after they've been thoroughly sizzled.

Equally good are the sizable, fresh Argentinian prawns (RMB12 each) and the king scallops (RMB29 each). Butter squares placed in their shells melt during the grilling process, and together with scallions and garlic, the result is finger lickin’ good.

Stone pot garlic rice (RMB25) is robustly flavored and filling (though inadvisable if you happen to be on a date).

And who doesn't like sukiyaki? The bubbling spicy beef stock (RMB48) is coupled with mushrooms, tender tofu, cabbages and most importantly, beef slices.

Food verdict: 2/3

The Vibe

Those acquainted with Japanese barbecue will be well informed that drinking is inherently tied with the tradition. Yue Shi Ji is no different, where its own cocktail bar lights up after 9pm. The drinks, which seem to follow the theme of 'Costa del Sol 2004,' are luridly fruity lot, though agreeably priced at RMB48 each.
We reckon you'll have a merrier time sipping from the whisky menu, which offers single malt gems from RMB30-50 a glass. 16-year-old Lagavulin for RMB50? Sign us up.

Vibe verdict: 1/1

Value for money

Don't get us wrong, there are tons of yakiniku places more authentic than Yue Shi Ji (many of which require a trek to the Gubei hinterlands), but when it comes to prodigious amounts of protein, value and a pre-game appropriate location, you'd be hard pressed to find better. Our meal for two ended up at RMB300 – try besting that at your local teppanyaki.