Category: Cuisine: British

Brunch at Shanghai Tavern

This brunch was really random. I literally ran away from another venue where the level of noise of the crowd was just unbearable (I am talking about the Westin). The contrast with my previous destination could not have been starker: the Tavern is an elegant and quiet place, especially for an early Sunday brunch.

The visit

Shanghai Tavern is located on the lobby level of the luxurious Shanghai Edition and has its own entrance at one side of the hotel on Nanjing East Road.

On a typical weekend Nanjing road is very crowded so it is really refreshing to step inside the Tavern to find a little urban oasis with many types of seating arrangements from sofas to booths and normal tables.

The Tavern serves British and European food in an elegant yet laid down environment. I think the name is misleading: I kind of assumed that it was a Chinese restaurant (maybe because of the Chinese Tavern in Rockbund).

I was welcomed by the professional staff, got a table, and served the bread basket with butter. The restaurant offers all-day dining starting from breakfast at 6am. For weekend brunch they have a fixed price for either two or three courses. For additional coins, you can also get a glass of quality champagne.

I had their “royal eggs”, just salmon poached eggs. A very well executed and fitting brunch dish.

The pan-seared snapper with kale mash was just a perfect dish.

Finally, I had their cheeseburger. A big boy, with smoked bacon and caramelized onion. It was what a cheeseburger is supposed to be and alone could satisfy one’s appetite.

I did not have the champagne, but I enjoyed a Japanese soda, because Japanese sodas are fun.

The check

The brunch deal was 348 RMB (50 USD) per three courses and 298 RMB (43 USD) for two. Prices were listed net. After adding the soda, I spent 403 RMB (58.5 USD). It is an average price for a Bund-worthy high-end location.

The food was good, solid Western food, not without some special touches (the kale puree was something). I did not regret changing my brunch plans and I would not mind visiting again.

Where in Shanghai:
199 Nanjing Road East.
Check their website for reservation info.

Little: An all day brunch restaurant in Ningbo

All day brunch is a thing in China, or at least in Ningbo thanks to an eatery called Little. At time of posting there are two locations in Ningbo and a third one is planned. I spoke to the owner, a young local woman, who studied in the UK and brought home the passion for brunch food. She is part of this wave of young Chinese bringing Western food in Ningbo (see La Pizzeria Echo and the Meating Room for similar stories).

The visit(s)

The shop that I visited is located in Yinzhou, in the Southern part of Ningbo, near Wanda Plaza.

The venue is intimate and has a tasty decor. There are two levels in a peculiar zig-zag white building.

In one visit I had their breakfast platter that was quite nice with bread, scrambled eggs, two sausages, mushrooms, and cheery tomatoes. Some butter for the bread would have been nice.

I had also their fried chicken with waffles that was particularly good. The fried chicken retained a juicy texture inside. A very good execution of this hipster dish.

They also have an extensive drink menu. Pictured above a non-alcoholic sangria that I enjoyed.

On another occasion I had their salmon Benedict eggs that were not only nicely presented, but also delicious with some extra melted cheese on top.

Their seafood risotto is not too big and a good complement. The risotto is infused with squid ink and comes with some cubes of salmon, a meaty prawn, and a mussel.

I also tried their tiramisu French toast that was a bit below my expectations, maybe because of the choice of bread.

The check(s)

The first visit (two courses and the sangria) cost me 132 RMB (around 20 USD). The second visit (two courses and a dessert) cost me 175 RMB (26 USD). The dessert could have been shared between two people.

The dishes are reasonably priced (considering the premium at which Western food is sold in China) and the quality was excellent. It is a place where I am always eager to go back and try more dishes.

Where in Ningbo:
39 Linyu Road, Yinzhou (a few blocks north of Wanda Plaza) – This is the shop I visited.
52 Leigongxiang Road, Yinzhou (near the Sheraton hotel). For Chinese information see Dianping.

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Another casual restaurant with fine dining prices: the Pawn in Hong Kong

I was triggered to visit the Pawn because of its historic location: it is located in an old curved building with balconies facing Johnston road in Wan Chai (I supposed once home to a pawn shop). You can see the trams pass by from the balcony. The restaurant I visited was located on the second floor, while they operate a bar on the first floor (and the ground floor was occupied by what I think it was an unconnected Italian restaurant).

The visit

I made a flawless reservation through their website and the day before someone called me on my Hong Kong mobile to confirm.

Initially staff wanted to seat me outside on the balcony, but I convinced them to let me seat inside (a tad too hot on that day).

I ordered three dishes. The first was one of the pies. Enjoyed it, perfectly cooked (hot, but still edible). But it was just a chicken pie…

While the pie worked as an appetizer, the main was a massive meat dish:

The dish consisted in a big chunk of pork belly, plus pork cheek on a base of colcannon mash and pease pudding. The meat was very good, but this was not a dish for the faint of heart. I could not eat anything for the following 24 hours!

My choice for dessert was probably banal, a chocolate mousse with a scoop of ice cream.

I guess also the still water deserves a picture as it cost me 80 HKD (more than 10 USD) alone.

The check

The check came in a pot and totaled 656 HKD, or around 84 USD.

Ok, it is a premium location in Hong Kong and the food was reasonably good. But I need to note that where I sat I did not even get a table cloth… a very casual environment for fine dining prices.

Overall I do not think it was very good value for money. I must note that they change the menu frequently. My visit dates back to June 2018, now it is August and they have a completely different menu on the website.

Where in Hong Kong:
62 Johnston Road Wan Chai
Check the restaurants’ website for menus, reservations, and events.
The entrance is actually on a side street.