Not one, but two new Russian-inspired dining concepts have opened recently in the refurbished historic Bund City Hall Plaza near Shanghai’s Bund, backed by Russian Michelin-starred chef Evgeny Vikentev. In short, get ready for a masterclass in Russian gastronomic heritage.

Kirillitsa

The first concept is Kirillitsa a new wave Russian fine dining restaurant (around RMB2,000 per person) with both a traditional Russian cuisine a la carte menu and a soon-to-launch innovative set menu (called 10,000 Kilometers of Tastes, featuring local ingredients from different regions of Russia). 

Named after the alphabet used by many Slavic nations (Cyrillic), Kirillitsa represents a bridge between past, present, and future, mirrored by the region’s evolving cuisine. It represents food as a language of expression, "where each dish becomes a statement shaped by memory, meaning, and intention." 

With seating for 45 people indoors within a traditional Russian "hut" designed space outfitted with (purchasable) Russian pop art against an ethereal trance beats backdrop, this is set to be one of the most anticipated openings of the season.

The Menu

The current menu is all about historic Russian recipes that form the backbone of the region’s culinary heritage. Think ferments, smoked seafood, savory pies & Siberian dumplings with nods to some ingredients, techniques & recipes dating as far back as the 10th century! 

The a la carte selection draws from the ceremonial depth of imperial-era cuisine, preserving its sense of occasion and generosity. The tasting menu unfolds as a coherent contemporary narrative, where modern technique reinterprets Russian culinary heritage with precision and restraint. Through a dialogue between tradition and a new culinary vision, Kirillitsa opens new gastronomic horizons for the Asian fine dining scene, presenting Russian cuisine beyond stereotypes: as a refined cultural narrative rooted in craftsmanship, storytelling, and shared culinary memory.

Each meal begins with a serving of Russian-style Breads. There's hearty borodinsky (a Russian sourdough rye black bread made with malt and laced with cumin), traditional sourdough, brioche, and sunflower and flax seed chips. But the real star is the butter, particularly the quenelle of "leftover bread" miso butter that is funky, nutty, and velvety – a true flavor bomb. 

Next, the menu leans into Fermentations, like the Fermented Cabbage (RMB48) with soaked cowberries (a traditional Russian berry with nuances of cranberry tartness and lingonberry juiciness). Using green apple juice and a 2% salt ratio, the cabbage is lacto-fermented and finished with a hit of sunflower oil. 

As caviar holds an integral position in the Russian diet (beyond just a luxury aesthetic, it provides salinity, notes of umami, and serves as a historic symbol of prosperity), it also plays an important role on Kirillitsa's menu. From 20-year aged Imperial Sturgeon Caviar to 10-year aged Pressed Black Caviar to Pink Salmon Roe and beyond, Kirillitsa offers an extensive caviar selection (available in 25, 50, 100, and 500 gram portions) ranging in price from RMB180 to upwards of RMB26,700, served with Russian blinis and oladi (fluffy fried mini pancake discs). 

Onto the appetizers, plates, like the Smoked Beluga (RMB192) reference historically-rooted recipes that grew out of necessity. During the 13th century, Russian emperors didn't have refrigerators, so they resorted to other methods, like smoking, as a means of preservation to make it through Russia's brutal winters. As a nod to that technique, Vikentev marinates the behemoth beluga sturgeon, a fish native to the Caspian and Black Sea basins, in milk then a broth for a total of 36 hours. The fish is then sous vide, sliced, imbued by applewood smoke for a firm yet supple mouthfeel, perimetered with alternating dots of earthy beetroot miso sauce and herbaceously bright wild sorrel jelly. 

Olivier Salad (RMB215) Baked vegetables, king crab, slow-cooked beef tongue

Ryazhenka – a sour, baked milk product of Russian, Ukraine, and Belarus made with lactic aid fermentation – is the star of the Salted Salmon (RMB188), a 16th century dish boasting an overtly funky, umami-forward flavor. Dill-salted salmon is cured with gin, doused in said ryazhenka and finished with fresh raspberries, horseradish gel, and salmon roe. 

An oxtail "lasagna" of sorts, the Oxtail Kholodets (RMB128) sees beef slowly simmered over wood so that the collagen releases and forms a gelatin layer. The two layers are combined as one, plated alongside a trip of green herb pesto, horseradish cream, and black garlic mustard. 

Onto the soup, the Borscht (RMB145) is not to be missed, a signature of the restaurant, and for good reason. At once rich and indulgent yet light, the borscht base is enhanced by slow-cooked duck, the poultry's fat melting into the stock alongside potato, beetroot, carrot, onion, and cabbage for the utmost concentrated flavor. The duck leg meat is cold-smoked and added back as  a luscious addition that results in pure comfort your inner babushka longs for. Homemade whipped sour cream and brown butter are served on the side, so diners can choose their preferred level of creaminess. 

Equally satisfying, the Siberian Beef Dumplings (RMB185) feature koji- and buckwheat-aged beef shortrib slow-cooked for 24 hours before being cubed and marinated in beef jus with caramelized onions. That beef and onion umami explosion is then folded into perfectly pleated dumplings swimming in a full-bodied consommé, a tart pop of fresh raspberries cutting through its richness.

Salmon Rasstegai (RMB325) – Scallop, spinach, fish stock

The posterchild for meticulous precision, the Pozharsky Cutlet (RMB305) is Vikentev's take on the famous 19th-century Russian dish consisting of breaded, pan-fried chicken patties, renowned for their extreme juiciness and tender texture. The preparation involves cutting white bread into exact squares, drying them, and then painstakingly placing them (using tweezers) in a checkerboard pattern on all surfaces of said chicken. The cutlet is then fried in clarified butter for a golden brown, crunchy exterior with succulent meat below. Flanked by whipped mashed potatoes and chicken mousse and hazelnut stuffed morels, the plate is finally dribbled in chicken jus.

Crimea (RMB118) – Gin, elderflower, peas, marinated peppers

For dessert, Honey Varieties is a sneak peek at what's to come as part of the set menu that will launch in mid-May. Showcasing honey in a myriad of manners, there's white chocolate honey candy that pops with an explosion of liquid fermented honey and Sichuan peppercorn, it's lip-tingling effect acting as a nod to a bee's sting. Then, there's rose jelly-topped honey cake made of buckwheat honey biscuits and mountain honey-laced cream stratum. Finally, a scoop of chamomile ice cream sits below a cloud of citrus espuma dusted in bee pollen and sprayed with Elderflower mist. 

Fathom 

Opposite Kirillitsa (and connected via a 40-person terrace overlooking the Bund's skyline) is Fathom, a seafood-forward concept that fuses both Russian and Asian influences. The name is a reference to the unit of length (1.8 meters) to measure depth of water. And each menu item indicates the number of fathoms down said sea creature was sourced from. Expect the highest quality seafood, like Kamchatka crab, Antarctic tooth fish, Russian pike roe, and – get this – the largest selection of caviar and champagne in the entire country.

The Menu 

The menu is structured by depth (fathoms) rather than traditional courses, whereby high-end seafood and rare caviar make a showing in every item, from bread to appetizers, from soups to vegetables and even to meat-forward mains. 

Cold plates span Mackerel, inspired by this accessible fish's availability throughout St. Petersburg, where it's a commonplace beerhall snack, when smoked and salted. Here, Vikentev shows its range, elevating it through a sous vide preparation with kombu before blowtorching the skin. Plated above a decadent pistachio sauce and studded with jalapeño gel, this oily fish is finished with micro cilantro and marinated cilantro stems. 

Pro tip: The fresh-baked daily Seaweed Brioche acts as ideal dipping fodder for every last lick of that addicting pistachio sauce, the epitome of scarpetta.

Whiskey Sour – Black garlic, maple

Another cold starter, the Dry-aged Yellowtail is torched before being stacked atop a shmear of homemade scallop and fishbone garum (a fermented fish sauce, cleverly dubbed the "ketchup of antiquity" as it was commonly used by the Romans in ancient Greece). Fresh strawberries, briny capers, and lemon balm leaves temper the garum's pungency while enhancing yellowtail's inherent sweetness. 

Grilled Broccolini – Anchovy mint sauce, pistachios, nori chips 

Uniquely silken yet simultaneously clean and fresh, the Green Cold Soup is an earthy emulsion of all that is nourishing, presented in a moat that encircles Russian Kamchatka crab meat and homemade sour cream. Fried arugula, avocado, and cucumber form the verdant base, while shellfish oil, crab garum, chervil, and oyster leaves lend layers to this rustic indulgence that keeps you lapping until the last drop. 

The most prized crustacean, Kamchatka Crab, is the backbone of the Kamchatka Crab Pasta, thick ribbons of  egg-yolk, thyme, and rosemary pasta strands encircling fresh cherry tomatoes, generous chunks of tender crab meat brightened by flying fish roe. Each individual strand is generously coated in a concentrated shrimp stock finished with a lashing of shrimp oil.

Antarctic Tooth Fish Dumplings – Foie gras, Russian pike roe, mushroom, citrus sour cream, hay stock 

The Asian Pavlova is a monochromatic sweet finish that is anything but singular in taste. Like a deconstructed tropical colada, this layered dessert begins with kaffir lime zest mousse sheathed by coconut and koji jelly cubes, a pearl of lemongrass sorbet, and shards of merengue sprinkled with sesame seeds. Light, refreshing, and tart, it's all one could want out of a paradise pudding. 

Lemon Pie – Vodka, Suze, lemon, limoncello, torched foam

*Prices are not included for Fathom as they were not available at the time of dining there during soft opening.