Mystique: New Changning Restaurant & Wine Bar

New on Yuyuan Lu is Mystique, a sultry, dim-lit restaurant and wine bar serving continental cuisine and curated wines at competitive prices.

It’s a new entry that fills a gap in this part of the neighborhood, and serves as a warm and welcoming destination for escapism.

Read more to book and get 10% off your bill.

About

Mystique

To get to Mystique, patrons must walk through the casual ground floor café-lounge and up the stairway. Upon arrival, you’re greeted by the towering wine display, an impressive centerpiece that also has an open invitation for wine connoisseurs to enter to select bottles.

Head up the stairway

Early evening, it’s bright and awash with light, but it soon changes to a warm, incandescent dining room after sunset.

It’s a cozy, casual space with a clean design and furnishing to match, highlighted by natural concrete pillars and tropical plants. There is a large private room that seats up to 14 people and a more intimate room for six.

Mystique is the first foray into wine and dining for its founders, all of whom are young Chinese entrepreneurs that come from creative industries of architecture, design, jewelry, and art. Speaking of art, there is plenty interwoven into the space, some even original pieces.

On The Menu

Food & Wine

The food is continental cuisine accented with Chinese spices. There is a selection of small bites like the mini burgers and mustard shrimp, full dinner plates like the mushroom risotto and the roasted chicken. It is all very competitively priced, which gives you more leeway to splurge on wine.

Fried Honey Mustard Shrimp (¥68) – Lightly battered prawns, fried to a tempura-like crispiness, served with jalapeños, also fried, and a spicy aioli.

Mini Burgers (¥68) – Slow-roasted and shredded pulled pork seasoned with five spice and a touch of Sichuan peppercorn. Topped with pickles on house buns. Juicy, tasty, and very enjoyable.

Hokkaido Scallops Sashimi (¥88) – A crudo of fresh scallops with a passion fruit, soy sauce, and kalamansi dressing. A refreshing and delicious appetizer. 

Beef Tartare (¥88) – Fine-mince Australian Angus grain-fed beef with traditional (non-spicy) seasoning.

Burrata (¥88) – What self-serving restaurant doesn’t have one? A straightforward dish with tomatoes, fresh basil, and balsamic.

Scallop Cauliflower (¥68) – Seared scallops with smooth cauliflower purée and foam with flakes of crispy jamon, and roasted cauliflower. It’s a good combination dish with a main course.

Seafood Mediterranean (¥88) – It’s not so much a salad as it is a satisfying plate of seafood with cayenne-spiced potatoes. Seared tuna tataki, mussels, and prawns. Good to share.

Roasted Chicken (¥118) – A star dish followed closely by the mushroom risotto. Half a chicken wet-brined and seasoned with Sichuan peppercorns, roasted to a crispy finish. Served with roasted skin-on pumpkin and smashed potatoes.  

Mushroom Risotto (¥98) – A creamy (almost) al dente risotto with charred maitake and butter-sautéed clamshell mushrooms, perfumed with truffle oil and topped with parmesan.

Australian Angus Rib-Eye (¥268) – 250g of grain-fed beef served with chimichurri and black pepper sauce.

Chocolate Lava Cake (¥48) – Molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. 

As for the wines, the wine list caters to mostly classicists with a few natural wines snuck in. Currently, it’s a modest selection with more labels on the way.

It is a quality-first curation. To iterate that, the house pour Riesling is ¥78 a glass, ¥388 a bottle. It’s a proper trocken from Villa Wolf, Germany that’s dry, crisp, and fruity.

Other wines start from ¥58 a glass, bottles from ¥258, more than reasonable.

In Summary: There is not much else happening in this corner of Changning, apart from stalwarts further down the street like The Cannery and Commune Reserve. Mystique is a worthwhile option for those seeking a more intimate destination and experience, one that’s easy on the eyes and on your wallet.

Deals

Nomfluence Readers Deals

The deal below is valid from now until August 31, 2022 for Nomfluence readers when you book via the QR Code below!

• Get 10% off your bill.
  

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Sponsored by Mystique

Mystique 觅醍

Address: 2/F, 1429 Yuyuan Lu, near Dingxi Lu 愚园路1429号2楼, 近定西路

Tel: [phone]
Hours: Daily, 4:30pm-11pm

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