Shanghai melt bar offers slice of cheese heaven
Print Edition
IF there’s one thing my foreign friends and I all agree on, it’s the disappointing lack of affordable, quality cheese in China. Many go satisfy their cravings by either buying overpriced imported cheeses or bringing a wedge of their favorite variety from home.
Fortunately Shanghai now has Co. Cheese, its very own melt bar specializing in gourmet grilled cheeses that will sate your cheesy appetite.
Co. Cheese Melt Bar is a tiny hole in the wall on East Yuyuan Road near the Crystal Galleria mall. The genius behind this operation is Greg Jurksztowicz, who can be found behind the bar most evenings. That’s right — aside from slinging sandwiches, Co. Cheese also has a bar serving beer, house wines and cocktails like their gorgeous Bloody Mary. What better to accompany one’s grilled cheese than alcohol? The bar is open to the outdoors, where its heavy, high wooden tables and colorful metal stools occupy a covered walkway, making this little watering hole a perfect location for drinks on a sunny afternoon or warm evening.
Of course, the main attraction is the extensive menu of grilled cheese sandwich options. “Sandwich building, and grilled cheese sandwiches specifically, has been a passion of mine ever since I was a kid,” explains Jurksztowicz. “I came to realize that everybody loves a good grilled cheese, and that you can put almost anything inside a grilled cheese sandwich.”
At the top of the menu are options for making one’s own grilled cheese creation. There are a number of different cheese choices — including standards like cheddar and mozzarella — as well as meat and veggie toppings.
Much of the menu is, however, populated by more refined grilled cheese options, many of which are Jurksztowicz’s own creations. These include classics like the tuna melt, as well as more interesting combinations like green curry chicken and mozzarella.
The process of creating such a menu wasn’t easy; “… for years I would play with leftovers and odd ingredients to build up many of the creations that are on the menu now,” Jurksztowicz told Shanghai Daily.
We tried quite a few of Jurksztowicz’s recipes; and all were absolutely delicious and, most importantly, oozing with melty goodness. Co. Cheese’s tuna melt is a bit spicy, offering a new twist on an old favorite. The confited mushroom melt is a delicate combination of woody porcini mushrooms and subtle Swiss.
And, special for all you Americans out there, the menu features two quintessentially American offerings. The first is the Number Nine, a grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with Kraft macaroni and cheese, just like you used to eat as a kid. The other is, conveniently, the Number Ten, which is essentially Thanskgiving Day dinner in a sandwich — it’s got stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey, and cranberry sauce, plus processed cheddar cheese to glue it all together.
At Co. Cheese, the appeal is in the food’s simplicity: It’s just grilled cheese, and yet, so much more.
If you’re missing home or just have a hankering for some lactose-heavy comfort food, make a beeline for Co. Cheese and get your grub on.
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