Yucca

 

Area: The Sinan Mansions. Laris has an entire mansion to himself and has packed it with a Funky Chicken, a Fat Olive and, after Yucca on the third floor, there is just enough room to squeeze in 12 Chairs across the hallway.

What it is: A Mexican-themed micro lounge. It seems the last thing a Greek-Australian chef might get invovled in, but Mexican is a growth industry in Shanghai and how can Laris achieve total market domination without one in his fold?

As you’d expect, most of Yucca’s drinks are of the rum and tequila persuasion. The menu features cocktails with names like “The Conuistador” (anejo tequila, Drambuie, Cointreau, lime juice and bitters), “El Diablo” (tequila, Chambord, lime juice, simple syrup and ginger ale) and the “Nutty Colada” (a pina colada with amaretto). South America has has sent a few delegates to the bar, too, with the Brazilian Caiparinha (one traditional and one with basil) and the increasingly popular Pisco Sour from Peru. Then, scattered throughout the menu are more familiar favorites like the Raffles Gin Sling, the Mojito, the Maitai and the Julepe de Menta, which, if you haven’t already figured it out, is a Mint Julep. For those who like it straight up, there is a fair selection of premium tequilas like Herradura and Don Julio as well as some super high-end Cuervo selections. Surprisingly, though, there isn’t a Margarita on the menu.

If you start to feel a bit borracho. You can absorb the alcohol with a small selection of mordiscos, or bar bites. First there is the sine qua non of any cantina, the tortilla chips and dip. Yucca offers three different varieties of salsa and guacamole. Then there are more substantial snacks like truffle and fontina cheese with arugula pistou (basically a French pesto without the pine nuts), carne asada (twice cooked pork with pineapple salsa, or grilled marinated shrimp with a habanero-orange salsa. For dessert, there is the churro, youtiao’s cinnamon-and-sugar-dusted Mexican cousin.

Atmosphere: The word “Mexican” vis-à-vis restaurants and bars tends to conjure up a host of tired old cliches and stereotypes: cacti, sombreros, holsters, bandoliers, cracked stucco exposing faux adobe bricks or the obligatory Frida Kahlo portrait for those places attempting to “class it up”. Thankfully, you’ll find none of this at Yucca. Laris says the design draws inspiration from Mexico’s professional wrestling culture. Frankly, I don’t see it, so let’s just dub it “Mexico City chic”. It’s sleek and angular, but far from sterile. The walls are splashed in vivid hues of blue and pink with interspersed murals. Catholic crosses crop up in various corners and in the ceiling plaster. There are little rustic flourishes here and there, like wooden chairs and lightly tarnished copper ductwork. The floor is a study in op art with a mosaic of black and white tiles in geometric formations laid out at haphazard angles. A spiral staircase leads to a tiny lounge area for private parties. And, as with all of his concepts, David Laris signs his initials, so to speak, with a giant slab of white marble somwhere in the room. Here, naturally, it’s the bar.

It’s small and intimate, but I gather that this is a place intended for mixing and mingling. When I visited, for instance, the music was cranked to ten and the DJ was spinning party standards by Prince, Michael Jackson and the like. Ultimately, however, I imagine this is the kind of place that’ll tailor its music selection to the prevailing vibe in the room.

Damage: Expect standard upmarket prices. A shooter will set you back about 55rmb and cocktails range from 65 to 80, while super-premium tequilas go from 125 to 315. If you eat, the least expensive snacks are the chips and salsa plates at around 30rmb. All other eats cost about 70rmb.

Who's going: I see a lot of popped collars and pointy shoes in Yucca’s future.