The Place
Envisaged as a sort of ‘international house of skewers,’ STYX is a charismatic little restaurant inside Yong Ping Li, a redeveloped complex on Hengshan Lu that’s also home to such luminaries as Colca, Crafted and La Bodeguita del Medio. The concept aims to unite various global traditions of skewers, as seen through the lens of owner Pascal Ballot’s travels and international upbringing.
The Food
To channel this inspiration, the menu is presented as a list of ‘stories’ – sets that comprise two skewers, a side dish and accompanying sauce, and can be enjoyed solo or shared family style among larger parties.
Of the five we tried, the clear winner was a riff on the Balinese specialty babi guling: roasted piglet served with spicy sambal and garlic-flecked green beans (RMB68). Cubes of pork belly are skewered one on top of the other, their outsides are crunchy and charred, while the inside remains meltingly tender. The green sambal is also commendable, and while not as spicy as the ones in Bali, the flavor and aroma will instantly evoke memories of the real thing.
Surprisingly for a meat-centric menu, the vegetarian’s choice at STYX is some of its strongest cooking. This sees Portobello mushrooms glazed with balsamic vinegar, ‘pasta’ made from spiralized zucchini (ask Pinterest), a naturally sweet and robust cherry tomato sauce ties it all together (RMB52). Vegetarian or not, you’d be remiss not to try.
Giving it fairly stiff competition is the salmon teriyaki with sesame sauce, crisp vegetables and soba noodles. Open flames can be a recipe for dry salmon, but STYX’s stayed buttery and flakey.
Reaching from another island on the Indonesian archipelago is the classic chicken satay (RMB58), inspired by Ballot’s night’s spent on Jakarta’s Menteng ‘satay street.’ An earthy, curry-tinged peanut dip and fried rice complete the impression, though the flavor of both could have been punchier to match up to the skewers themselves.
Another lesser dish for us was the duck tenders with mustard cream sauce and duck fat potatoes (RMB58). The latter had good flavor, but the duck tenders were too dry.
Food verdict: 2/3
The Vibe
Cozy and casual, STYX has its proprietor’s childhood spent in Singapore to thank for colonial-inspired interiors. Tasteful whitewashed wooden panels intermix with rattan furniture and leafy tropical prints, toeing a line that’s comfortably north of being too themed. Owing to its affordability, we’d certainly visit again for casual weeknight dinners, particularly on Wednesdays when selected skewers are offered free-flow for RMB150 per person.
Vibe vedict: 1.5/2
TOTAL VERDICT: 3.5/5
Price: 88-100 per person
Who’s going: mainly expats
Good for: casual dinners
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