Yak & Yeti is a Himalayan restaurant and bar in Shanghai that serves a menu of predominantly Nepalese dishes in addition to cuisines from countries surrounding the mountain range.
The Space
It’s a tiny space with bar seating for 16, total 24 seats, located in the former Camel/Smokehouse, which by the way, has been sliced in half. The other half is a Chaoshan hotpot restaurant.
It’s a project led by Nepal-native Anup Rajbhandari, a long-serving member of the Shanghai F&B industry, formerly of Bar Rouge, T8, and Capo, etc. He’s brought over a chef from Nepal to ensure the flavors are on point, which they are. It’s spice-heavy food, as in, there’s an amalgam of spices in every dish, so much so that you won’t be able to decipher what’s what. Yet it doesn’t overwhelm the palate, at least for me.
Anup
The Food
The food is delicious and definitely worth trying. It’s eyebrow-raising stuff, especially the pork skewer, a dish that will compel me to return.
Grilled Pork Sekuwa (¥68) – Pork marinated for 8 hours with Himalayan spices then grilled over charcoal. Juicy, charred, smoky, and a flavor bomb. This. Get this.
Grilled Chicken Sekuwa (¥68) – There’s also a chicken version of the skewer, which is delicious, but not as kick-ass as the pork.
Here are more highlights:
Momos (¥48) – Momos steamed or with sweet and sour sauce, of which I recommend the latter.These fat pork (or chicken) stuffed dumplings are steamed, fried, and coated with a thick sweet-sour-spicy sauce, served with peppers. The saucy version is much more enjoyable than the plain steamed ones.Chicken Chili (¥78) – Doused in a similar sauce as the momos. Can’t get enough of the sauce! Best enjoyed with rice.Tibetan Shabaley (¥58) – A deep-fried pork meat pie with house sauce. Crispy on the outside and gummy on the inside. It’s a hearty dish, one that’s also a great drinking snack.Served with coriander sauce and house chili sauce.Grilled Cauliflower (¥38) – Simple and satisfying.Himalayan Nachos (¥38) – Papadum with diced seasoned carrots, cucumbers, and raw white onions topped with peanuts. Nice kick of spice.Chicken Biryani (¥138) – Biryani baked over with roti. It’s a cardamom-forward rice topped with cashews and curried chicken at the center. Served with raita. Excellent.Curry Chicken (¥88) – Comes with mini roti to dip. Deep flavors and mildly spicy.Yak Sukuti (¥148) – A cold dish of sautéed dried yak meat, herbs, and spices. It has a slight acidic profile with a peppery kick, and is very appetizing. Best enjoyed as a drinking snack.Grilled Fish (¥128) – Topped with herbs and aromatics of chopped parsley, basil, garlic, chili, lemongrass, and fresh citrus. Similar to flavors you’d get from Yunnan dishes.
The drinks have a Himalayan twist, too. Light, sometimes fruity, made with bases of rice wine or baijiu. Cocktails range from ¥68-78, and wines by the glass start at ¥58.
Annapurna (¥78) – Corn wine, guava purée, peach tree liquor, osmanthus syrup, lemon juice. I could easily crush a couple of these.
Very tasty food. Lunch started this week. Now available for delivery on Eleme.
Yak & Yeti Address: 97 Xiangyang Bei Lu, near Xinle Lu 襄阳北路97号, 近新乐路 Tel: 15921230265 Hours: Daily, 11:30am-2:30pm, 5pm-1am; closed Monday
Rachel Gouk has been writing about food and drink in Shanghai since 2011. She is a food critic, writer, photographer, and F&B consultant based in Shanghai. Nomfluence was founded in May 2018 as a means to express her love for the Shanghai F&B scene. Follow her blog www.nomfluence.com or on Instagram @nomfluence.
