The arrival of Penicillin in Shanghai has brought delectable ferments and creative concoctions—beverages to satisfy our strangest curiosities and yet still soothe the palate.
READ MORE: Inside the Pre-Opening of Penicillin Shanghai
Inside the sustainability-based dream bar there are four chambers: the main seating room, the fermentation room, the lab, and… the kitchen.
We know what they’ve been doing in a glass, but one must wonder: what are they putting on the plate?
The new menu features 10 dishes, and a select few truly stand out. They are delicious, hangover-friendly, or at least totally unique.
Yellow-Fin Tuna (RMB90): Deep-Fried Sustainable Sashimi Tuna, Active Bamboo Charcoal, Chili Passion Fruit Sauce. Photo courtesy of Penicillin
Let's start with delicious. An easy bite on the new menu is the charcoal dusted Yellow-Fin Tuna (RMB90), presented as a treasure hunt among black rocks.
It’s recommended to search with your fork for the delectable little morsels—rather than testing directly with your teeth—and though the chili passion fruit sauce is tasty, the tuna is fantastic on its own.
Seafood Mousse (RMB55): Spiced Warm Seafood Mousse Candies. Photo courtesy of Penicillin
The bar bites menu is split into three sections: Zero-Waste, Low-Carbon, and Sustainable.
Under the Zero-Waste heading is Seafood Mousse Candies (RMB55), which are in fact teeny sausages comprised of the remaining trimmings of fish and meats in the kitchen, leading to natural variations in flavor and color.
Most notably, they come nestled in reused White Rabbit milk candy wrappers, which are an ingredient from one of the bar's most popular Shanghai cocktails, the How Bad Are Bananas (RMB90).
Umami Bomb (RMB55): Fishbone Shaped Umami Tuile Chips, Lime Yogurt Dip. Photo courtesy of Penicillin
For something truly unique, there are shocking little Umami Bomb (RMB55) tuile biscuits, shaped of all things like fish skeletons.
Sticking out of a pebble-bed, the crunchy nibbles are made from several types of seafood powder, including scallop and crab roe, and served with a lime yogurt.
In themselves, the cookie-ish chips taste like dry treats, but with the sauce they take on a perplexing— though not unpleasant—gingersnap quality.
As advised by the always-laughing Bar Manager, Chris Wu, the bar bites menu is best enjoyed paired with a few of their fermented beverages.
It’s possible to say that the staple in-house ferment of Apple Pulp Cider (RMB90) is an ideal accompaniment to chase this experimental item.
Smoked Salmon Cannoli (RMB75): Sustainable Salmon Mousse, Fish Roe, Charcoal Seaweed Dust. Photo by Heather Millet / That’s
Smoked Salmon Cannoli (RMB75) are a major victory, shaped like cigars and crunchy outside via the coffee spring roll wrappers.
The portion is actually massive, and inarguably yummy with bursting little roe throughout.
King Crab Donuts (RMB120): Sweet King Crab Meat, Sriracha Aioli, Popping Candy, Donut + How Bad Are Bananas Cocktail (RMB90): Roto-vap White Rabbit Candy, White Celery Juice, Banana Protein Whey, Fresh Lemon Juice. Photo by Heather Millet / That’s
An uproarious win on the menu is without a doubt the King Crab Donuts (RMB120). Served in a trio with plentiful crab stuffing and roe, the revelation is in the addition of popping candy.
There is no conceivable reason that popping candy should work with crab, never mind all stuffed into a donut, but it’s a childishly joyful experience to eat.
This dish could be ordered more than once in a single evening.
Beef French Toast (RMB120): Shandong Black Beef Fillet, Beurre-Noisette Shallots, Fermented Black Garlic & Truffle. Photo by Heather Millet / That’s
The ultimate hangover cure and most filling dish is a Beef French Toast (RMB120), more accurately described as a beef sandwich.
The beef is local Shandong, perfectly cooked to medium rare and really tender to bite through.
Though we could hope for pickles or in-house kraut on this hefty sando, it comes with lightly spicy grilled pepper. The bun-toast uses oats on the exterior for added crunch.
Because the bread is fried this dish is a hangover breakthrough, though admittedly a bit heavy, so could pair nicely with the Chicken Coffee Wine (RMB90) ferment, which is like a sexy-strange beer made from discarded coffee grounds, vanilla, chicken stock and banana.
While the new food options have a nice run along their fermented beverage sidekicks, in the end it’s impossible not to return to the cocktails...
Working to Restore (RMB90): Coconut-Oil Jim Beam, Yuzu-Skin Vermouth, Smoked Raspberry Shrub, Cacao Husk Whey. Photo courtesy of Penicillin
The Shanghai specials (not available at Penicillin's Asia’s 50 Best Hong Kong location) are stunning.
As well as the aforementioned How Bad Are Bananas, which lends its White Rabbit wrapper to the fish-meat sausages, the Working to Restore (RMB90) is a Jim Beam halo of light.
We might anticipate a heavy rocks glass of strong liquid from the description, but the bourbon is muted, and marries the melting white chocolate garnish in every sip-and-bite.
Small Is Beautiful (RMB90): Kumquat-Skin Yogurt Gin, Salted Lemon Thyme, Green Plankton, Clarified Lemon Sherbert. Photo Courtesy of Penicillin
The best-selling Small Is Beautiful (RMB90) smells like a vanilla-unicorn, but has a salty bitterness to cut the divinity of clarified lemon sherbert.
The Great Paper Caper (RMB90): Burnt Butter Gin, Nori Sous-Vide Dongqu Shaoxing, Salted Fennel Bulb Tincture, White Moss Pickled. Photo courtesy of Penicillin
We can only say take care if ordering The Great Paper Caper (RMB90). Even the staff will signal that it’s quite special—being nori-forward and potent.
The launch of the new bar bites menu has seen Penicillin pursue its usual no-holds-barred approach, their signature full funk and flare.
We have just one question for the team, famous for their fermentations: where are the pickles and krauts in their bar bites menu?
We shall return, in the hopes of finding them—crunchy, crazy and plentiful.
Or at least (as always) liquified.
Open Daily, 5pm-2am
Penicillin, 62 Nanchang Lu, by Yandang Lu, Huangpu District 南昌路62号, 近雁荡路
[Cover image courtesy of Penicillin Shanghai]
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