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New Opening: Fascinating Fusion at Together

Sophie Steiner ShanghaiWOWeng 2018-11-29

Together has caused more waves throughout the foodie community in Shanghai than most restaurants have in a long time. I’ve been excited to try out this contemporary French-Asian fusion restaurant led by chef Bina Yu for a while, but wanted to wait for some new dishes to come out first, as the menu rotates seasonally. 

 


Together offers a full dinner menu broken down into four categories: snacks, hot and cold starters, sides, and mains categorized between seafood and meat. For each main dish ordered, diners can choose between one or two portions, and each portion comes with a complimentary side dish of the diner’s choice. The lunch menu offers a selection of two dishes (out of eight choices) for RMB 158, and you can add a soft drink, lemonade, tea, or coffee for an additional RMB 18. Overall, I really enjoyed the tight and straightforward menu that guarantees fresh high-quality ingredients. 



The décor is minimalist and modern yet inviting with a great outdoor patio overlooking Yuyuan Lu. I was not surprised to later found out that the interior design is so similar to one of my favorite restaurants in Shanghai, Commune Social, because the design firm Neri&Hu was behind both restaurants. Too much of a good thing is never a bad thing.


 

Start off your dinner with a selection from the cocktail menu. Choose between six creative options, all boasting inventive flavor combinations. Our favorite is The Elixer (RMB 88) with a blend of Peddler’s Gin, spicy ginger, fresh carrot juice, lemon, and agave nectar. I feel like I’m drinking a refreshing, healthy Lizzy’s All Natural pressed juice, but the resulting tipsy buzz is an added bonus. 


 

The Gin and Matcha (RMB 88) includes matcha-infused Tanqueray, sweet orange liqueur, lemon juice, and egg white. For a matcha lover like myself, I don’t think the matcha really comes through in much more than the color, but the presentation is beautiful nonetheless. 


 Rosemary, Maybe? (RMB 78)




The meal starts out light and fresh with the Spring Peas (RMB 68). Served on a bed of grilled asparagus, the mix of crunchy spring peas, pea sprouts, and mint marry perfectly with a beautifully-poached egg. Slice into the yolk and let it ooze all over everything to envelop the veggies in a wave of gooey deliciousness. 



The Mochi Tofu (RMB 68) is unlike any other dish we’ve tried before. The soft tofu is covered in a chewy, glutinous mochi coating and topped with a nutty sesame sauce and lemon soy. Parmesan and black sesame seed tuilles provide a bit of crunch to the dish. I was a little unsure how I felt about it after the first bite, but I was intrigued by how different and creamy and chewy textures of the tofu and mochi actually compliment each other quite well and I kept coming back to it. Plus, who doesn’t love almost anything smothered in sesame paste at this point? 


 

The Australian Wagyu Beef Tartar (RMB 138) is a standout dish in terms of flavor, presentation and size. The high-quality beef is mixed with pickled gherkins, kimchi and crunchy onions. 



Pour creamy raw egg yolk across the top, watch the beads dribble down the side of the bone, and use the garlic bread crisps as a vessel for shoveling as much in your mouth as possible. Since it’s served inside a Fred Flinstone-sized bone, the portion is big enough to share; if you’re only two people, this dish could really be ordered as a main.


We doubled down on our tartar game and opted for the Tuna Tartar (RMB 108) as well. Topped with a seaweed puree, the tuna is best eaten with the spicy, crispy togarashi rice crackers. Inspired by Japanese flavors, this dish is light and makes me want to become a pescatarian. (Don’t worry, the thought only crossed my mind for a millisecond.)



The Octopus (RMB 118) is worth changing your dinner plans for. Make a reservation immediately and pop over for an unforgettable meal. Covered in crumbs and charred to a crisp, I was worried it would taste acrid but yet the first bite was actually sweet and opened up to layers of heat from the Korean gochujang sauce. Next, cool it down with a dip in the homemade garlic aioli. The octopus is cooked to perfection with a tender and springy bounce without being chewy.


 

The Snapper (RMB 148) is pan-seared for a resulting flaky and tender meat nestled just below the crispiest golden brown skin. Accompanied by a tangy schmear of citrusy yuzu marmalade as well as a drizzle of refreshing basil oil, the yin and yang of Japanese and French flavors and techniques really play together harmoniously. 



The Cauliflower (RMB 48) that came as our side dish was presented beautifully with an array of spring colors. From pesto green to pickled cauliflower pink to golden charred cauliflower steak and tender beat root leaves that bring all the colors together, if I could eat a dish with my eyes rather than my mouth, this would be the one. However, the lack of seasoning (salt in particular) was the cardinal sin committed this time, but hopefully it was just an anomaly, and Together still has our vote to return and try it again.


 

Unfortunately, the New Zealand Lamb Chop (RMB 148) was a bit of a miss for us. Since this item was just put on the menu three days before we arrived, we think there are still a few kinks to work out. The cut of the meat was very tender, but quite fatty, so each lamb chop only had a few bites of actual meat. The shredded purple potatoes on top were fried to a crisp, so they mainly tasted of just burnt oil. The chimichurri lacked that signature citrus brightness to help cut through the fat, which this dish really needed. Overall, we’ve heard good things about the chicken and the pork mains so we think those may be better options for the time being. 



The Pumpkin (RMB 48) is roasted flawlessly, with a crispy charred exterior and a creamy, pumpkin pie-like center. I am a huge fan of Chinese roasted pumpkin, so much so that I even have my own nangua lady at my neighborhood wet market, and the version at Together really lives up to the best. Garnished with fried, salty pumpkin seeds, that natural sweetness of the pumpkin brings all the flavors and textures, well, together. 



The Apple Sorbet (RMB 38) comes with sprinkled goat cheese and honeycomb crumbles. The dessert is a blend of sour, sweet and salty in the best way possible, and we would even go as far as saying that we want more cheese! We’ve seen cheese in cocktails lately and now cheese on ice cream; we’re loving it! Keep up the cheese in desserts trend, Shanghai, and we will stay happy.  Make sure to also sample the numerous Kim Melvin dessert creations available daily on the dessert table in the center of the restaurant. 


Together

Address: 546 Yuyuan Lu, near Zhenning Lu

Tel: 5299 8928

Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 6pm-10pm




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