Cotton's New Project, Lychee is Open & it's Hot!

It has been a while since any new nightlife spot has created much excitement from our editors. That is, until Lychee opened. This three-story gastrolounge is the brain child of Cotton Ding, who is also proprieter of Cotton's. The inspiration of Lychee is not just from the fruit, which is native to Guangdong and Fujian provinces, instead it is from Yang Guifei, known as one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China.

Young Yang enchanted Emperor Xuanzong with her beauty, so much so that he began to neglect his affairs of state, preferring instead to romance his young beauty and thus leading to the decline of the Tang Dynasty. She also really loved lychees so Emperor Xuanzong had the delicacy brought to her daily from the south. 

Lychee is spread over three floors of a lane house just off Fuxing xi lu. It’s a beautiful building and the job they’ve done on each floor is just deserving of its historical context. The centerpiece is the amazing spiral staircase from the first to the third floor, which has a huge mural on the wall behind it of beauty Yang Guifei.

The first floor is the cocktail bar, which has romantic little cubbyholes in the corners, so you can kick back with your own beauty. There’s a little outside seating adding to the romance.

The second floor is the restaurant and it looks beautiful, a wonderful color palette of royal blue, sea green and deep purple velvet stools and sofas to enjoy dinner in a little luxury. There is a little private dining area called the Forest Room, which is wonderful with bright green, blue and purples. It’s vibrant with a great modern sculpture of two birds hanging from the roof.

The third floor is the nightclub, comprising a great bar and another private lounge area. After the soft opening they’ll offer bottle deals for the ballers out there. There’s enough room for the DJ to get people dancing and will certainly be busy on the regular Fabulous Thursday ladies night. The vibe was certainly jiving on the opening night and we are sure it will continue to be bustling.

The signature drink and the Fabulous Thursday ladies night special is the Lychee Kiss, so obviously we had to try it out. We tried three cocktails in total:

Lychee Kiss (RMB68)

Made with Botanist gin, St Germaine elderflower liqueur, Aperol, lychee shrub, chocho, and sparkling wine.

This is served in a Chinese cup and you can order one kiss or a dozen kisses, it comes served in a little jug.

The drink has a wonderful tang and fruity bitterness to it, with the bubbles coming through. Cotton tells us the drink has a magic spell. If you kiss a guy and he turns into a frog it’s the barman’s fault. If he turns into a prince then it’s down to you! Order a dozen and get kissing we say!

Birds of Hermes (RMB78)

Made with Grey Goose vodka, dry vermouth, black pepper, red chili, thyme, cherry tomato, lemon, garnished with celery and served in a bird glass.

It’s like a type of Bloody Mary, but lighter and smoother, with a really nice peppery feel. Unlike a Bloody Mary it’s small, we could drink this all day!

Zero Point (RMB98)

Chivas regal 18yr scotch whisky, Tia Maria coffee liqueur, La Quintinye Rosso Vermouth, and plum bitters, with preserved plum powder around the rim.

This is a powerful full-bodied cocktail, but the preserved plum powder adds a wonderful tangy sweetness to the drink. The alcohol hits first, then the sweet/sour flavor comes through, and you can’t stop licking your lips.

The restaurant is a major part of the bar. There’s space for couples and groups. Chef Ebony has created a varied menu of cold dishes, tilts to Chinese farm cooking and skewers, with a large part of the menu vegetarian and vegan friendly. There are 20 items on the menu during soft opening, but expect around 40 in total once Lychee is fully up and running.

We tried nine dishes in total:

Smoked Salmon Rillettes Rice Paper Rolls (RMB68)

With pomelo, mint, chilli & ginger dipping sauce.

This is packed with salmon flavor, it’s filling with delicate mint and ginger hints.

Vietnamese beef tartare (RMB88)

With herbs, candied chilli, fried shallots, wonton chips.

A good sized portion with a wonderful beefy flavor, but not overpowering. Mix in the egg and squeeze in the fresh lime juice to lift the flavor.

Tuna tartare (RMB98)

On avocado puree, teriyaki eggplant & pickled apples.

Wonderful! The apple and eggplant is encased in a pile of tuna cubes with a bed of avocado. The pickled apple is the secret flavor here, it’s very moreish.

Peanut and gochuijiang crusted tofu skewers with peanut chili sauce (RMB28)

This is a vegan friendly dish. It looks amazing with the grilled blocks along the skewer. It’s soft and meaty, almost like the texture of a salmon steak.

Slow braised & grilled teriyaki beef tongue (RMB78)

Slow cooked in Chinese master stock, it has a homely quality, like your Chinese grannies farm food. It has candied chilis, pickled snow pears, Sichuan peanuts, and shallots. The tongue is delicate and soft with a slight chew to it, but a lovely grilled taste.

Fragrant spiced lamb skewer, mint yoghurt with Asian slaw (RMB48)

This has a wonderful deep cumin seasoning and a beautiful tender lamb flavor.

Chicken teriyaki skewer with Asian slaw (RMB32)

Beautifully glazed teriyaki chicken with a hint of sesame.

Large octopus skewer with dragon fruit salsa & aioli (RMB58)

This is a taste of the sea with a generous helping of octopus

Black sesame pannacotta (RMB38)

This dessert has a strong flavor. The aftertaste is mild and lingers in a delicious way.

Yang Guifei’s story has a sad ending, the army blaming her for the decline of the Tang Dynasty and demanded her execution, but rather than turn herself over to the soldiers, she hanged herself in the courtyard of a small Buddhist temple in Mawei village. We don’t see such demise for Lychee, in fact we think this place will flourish like an evergreen lychee tree standing tall at 100 feet.

Lychee

Lane 49, West Fuxing Rad, near Wulumuqi Road

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