3 New Openings: Borsh & Kompot, Cages One East, O'Mills Light
Three new openings. Slavic restaurant and bar Borsh & Kompot, Cages opens a second location at One East mall near West Bund, and O'Mills has another outpost in Xingfu Lu.
Slavic Food
Borsh & Kompot
Address: 1411 Yuyuan Lu, near Dingxi Lu 愚园路1411号, 近定西路
Tel: 18930659944
Hours: 11am-midnight
Borsh & Kompot is a casual Slavic restaurant and bar on Yuyuan Lu. It’s a cozy space that does home-style Russian and Slavic food, kompot drinks, and house-infused vodkas.
House-infused vodkas
The name represents an important food and drink in Slavic cuisine. Borsh or borscht is the famed beetroot vegetable soup served with sour cream, and kompot is a fruity, non-alcoholic beverage. Founders and close friends Jenya Boyar and Xenia Sidorenko started their Slavic food affair as most people do, through the joys of feeding others. They’ve partnered up with Priscilla Young, co-founder of Brut.
Mixed Berries Mint Kompot Tea (¥48) – Dried berries and fruit, mildly sweet.
It’s a small restaurant and bar with a café-like vibe. During peak hours, it’s a bustling little space that’s intimate and friendly, like a mom-and-pop neighborhood diner.
Siberian Cranberry Pine Tea (¥58/pot) - Every pot comes with a ring of traditional biscuits and housemade jam for dipping.
The food is Slavic, mostly Russian and Ukrainian after the founders’ heritage and expertise. It’s homey, comforting, and easily enjoyable, and more than just borscht.
Cured Pork Belly “Salo” (¥52) - Salty cured pork with pickles on house-made dark bread.
Shuba Salad (¥68) aka “Herring Under A Fur Coat” – Another traditional Russian salad with brined herring, potatoes, beets, and carrots. I quite liked this. Would order again.
Borsh (¥52) – The iconic Slavic beetroot soup, served with a large dollop of sur cream, served with two pieces of bread with Salo. There are many kinds of borscht; this is on the lighter side. I prefer mine thicker.
Mushroom Blini (¥58) – Sautéed mushrooms and onion wrapped in a Russian crepe, served with sour cream.
Golubtsi (¥78) – Cabbage rolls stuffed with meat, cooked in a light tomato-based sauce and served with sour cream. Very comforting and tasty.
Beef Stroganoff (¥98) with buckwheat – It’s a full meal plate. This is the strongest dish out of the ones above. It’s saucy, hearty, and moreish. I could do without the tomato and cucumber, but according to the founders, that’s how it comes served in Russia.
Napoleon Cake (¥62) – A laborious “thousand layer” cake. Excellent. You can also pre-order a whole cake for ¥448.
In addition to the teas and kompots, there’s Georgian wines and enough vodka to make any Slavic uncle proud. In addition to entry level and premium vodkas, there are half-a-dozen house-infused vodkas with more on the way. The infused vodkas are a specialty, created by Jun Wu, Brut’s other co-founder.
Most interesting was the horseradish vodka (¥35/shot, ¥175/carafe).
Borsh & Kompot is a homey café bar for those who want to entertain a bit of nostalgia. Either way, it’s worth exploring. The food is tasty, the vodkas are (dangerously) enjoyable, and service is very accommodating. It's also dog-friendly.
Entertainment & Food
Cages One East
Address: B1, One East Mall, 788 Zhongshan Nan Yi Lu, near Mengzi Lu中山南一路788号博荟广场B1楼, 近蒙自路
Tel: 63152316
Hours: 10am-10pm
Cages One East is an all-in-one sports bar and entertainment destination near West Bund. This is the second location of the Cages brand; it’s a lot smaller and compact, but still oodles of fun.
Located in newly opened One East mall, this location of Cages is a lot smaller than the Jing’an one. It has 384 seats spread across multiple dining areas and two VIP rooms. There’s only one batting cage, but there’s also ping pong, hoops, punching bags, Frisbee, and more, all gamified, of course.
To play, you have to download the Cages App and buy coins. The more coins you buy, the bigger the discount. It ranges from ¥5-20 per game, the batting cage is ¥20 per game. If you’re constantly playing, expect to spend upwards of ¥100 per hour. The games are super fun. I’d probably spend all my time playing ping pong.
There is also a dedicated kid's play area, toddler-sized tables, and kid-friendly/kid-sized games.
On the menu are sports bar requisites (elevated, obviously) and American fare. It’s similar to what Cages Jing’an has, but features more new dishes, ones that’ll be implemented at the flagship location shortly. Photos for reference below from the buffet.
Chicken Wings (¥48/four, ¥78/eight pieces) – Six flavors available; Texas Barbecue, Original Buffalo, Carolina Reaper, Chipotle Habanero, Gangnam Style, and Teriyaki.
Taquitos (¥68) – Crispy corn tortillas filled with BBQ pulled pork shoulder and Alabama white sauce. These are freaking tasty and addictive.
Half-a-dozen burgers and sandwiches on the menu, including Foie Burger (¥168), beef patty, caramelized onions, and truffle mayo, comes in three slider-sized burgers to share, and Cheeseburger BLT (¥88), made with bacon, lettuce, tomato, American cheese, and dijonnaise.
Chicken Caesar Salad (¥78) – Romaine lettuce, shredded chicken, Caesar dressing, and poached quail eggs.
Supreme Pizza (¥128) – Homemade sausage, meatballs, pepperoni, bacon, onions, peppers, olives, and three kinds of cheese.
Dark Chocolate Caramel (¥68/slice) – Chocolate coffee cake with caramel mascarpone cream, chocolate shavings, and milk chocolate frosting.
As for drinks, there's a full bar for cocktails (from ¥70), beer (from ¥40), bubbles, wine (from ¥50), and spirits. There's also fresh smoothies (¥58) and fresh juices (¥45).
It’s a fun destination for those who live in the area, even more so for companies that want to host team buildings and events. However, if you live closer to the Jing’an location like me, you’ll end up going to the flagship rather than to West Bund.
Healthy Brunch
O'Mills Light Brunch & Bistro
Address: Xingfu Li, 381 Panyu Lu, near Xingfu Lu 番禺路381号幸福里, 近幸福路
Tel: 62379299
Hours: 8:30am-10pm
Bakery and restaurant O’Mills expands to Xingfu Li, making it the brand’s third location in Shanghai.
It’s a small space. There are two booth seats in the back, a brighter main dining area, and outdoor seating. It’s dog-friendly outside.
O’Mills Light Brunch and Bistro, as the name suggests, is a lite version of O’Mills. No fresh baked breads and loaves here, but there are cakes by the slice. Food wise, it’s a selection of healthy bowls, salads, and sandwiches. There’s also a dedicated plant-based section on the menu with tempeh burgers and tempeh salads.
Keto Torched Thick-Cut Salmon Bowl (¥108) – Light teriyaki glazed salmon over mixed grains with avocado, poached egg, vegetables, and pickles. It’s delicious, clean tasting, and very filling. Will order again.
Truffle French Fries (¥58) – Fries with truffle oil, parmesan, and arugula.
Slow-Cooked Beef with Avocado Toast (¥88) – Pulled beef in a thick, rich sauce over avocado spread topped with poached egg and pickles on a thick sourdough toast. Very tasty.
Green Energy Juice (¥39) – Great value for fresh juice. Other drinks include coffee (an Americano is ¥25), beer, and wine.
O’Mills has always been consistent with their fresh, healthy options, and it’s no different at this new location. The Xingfu Li area is looking up! There have been quite a few new additions to the neighborhood, and O’Mills, in addition to new-ish neighbors Papito Pancakes and Alimentari Piccolo, are certainly important tenants that will liven up the area.
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