Brunch – Check Please!

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.

The cheapest five-star buffet in Asia at the Sofitel Ningbo

Nothing glamorous about this weekend brunch buffet, but it is very cheap and some of the food is excellent. I suspect it is a loss leader for the hotel. The buffet for lunch is only available at weekends starting at 11.30am.

See the review of the Koko Japanese restaurant for another Sofitel dining venue in Ningbo.

The visit

The weekend brunch buffet is held in the second floor restaurant, calle Le Bistrot. Here’s a round up of what is available:

Random hot dishes (braised pork, vegetables, and so on).

Grill corner, they prepare skewers, beef steak, some small white fish on demand.

Some of the dishes coming from the grill.

The roast meat usually features pork (never beef!).

This is my favorite corner: fresh sushi and sashimi including tuna (the rolls have random ingredients…).

More fresh seafood, some small prawns, crabs, mussels…

The dessert buffet features classics like Opera Cake and more creative sweets. It is excellent, they must have a good pastry chef.

The check

Ok, I am cheating a little bit, I have a discount eating at this buffet and my final check is 100.8 RMB (or exactly 15 USD). It is as low as it can get for a five star buffet.

However, even the full price, 168 RMB (25 USD) is still pretty cheap.

It is not a fancy buffet, but the selection is extensive and there are actually some excellent choices. The sashimi is fresh and the dessert corner sports many great cakes.

Where in Ningbo:
Sofitel Wanda Hotel Ningbo, 2F
899 Si Ming Zhong Road Yinzhou District
In Chinese: 四明中路899号
Tip: online booking is possible, but not necessary.

The Sunday Brunch at the Cathay Room between history and seafood

The Cathay Room is one of the restaurants of the Fairmont Peace Hotel, a Shanghai’s landmark. Built from 1926 to 1929, it was originally called Cathay Hotel and also hosted the private apartment of the owner, Victor Sassoon (technically, also the building across the street was part of the complex, it is now a separate property). Victor Sassoon was behind the development of a lot of art deco buildings in Shanghai and my understanding is that the Cathay Room was below (or part of) his quarters. The hotel even has a small museum where you can learn about his remarkable past. I spent time reading a letter of a British woman telling her story of her time at the hotel as a hostage of the Japanese. Some fascinating stuff if you are a history buff.

To get to the restaurant, take the third entrance to the right (the first one is closed and the central entrance leads to the main hotel reception), turn right and look for the elevators: the Cathay Room is at the 9th floor. They also have a terrace with fabulous views of Pudong and the river.

The visit

On Sundays, and only on Sundays, The Cathay Room offers a brunch semi-buffet. The seafood spread is formidable and it is what lures me back. In this review, I will account for my visit on Sunday 21 April 2019, that happened to be Easter. The restaurant was busier than usual.

The dining room has a classic charm and is quite intimate.

The table was impeccable and had some Easter goodies.

One station is dedicated to oysters. On this visit they were Moana oysters from Australia. They were shucked by the staff on demand. It is usually my first stop.

They have a decent selection of sushi and sashimi (including all the right pickled vegetables). Sashimi slices are thick.

Another station is dedicated to fresh crustaceans including giant clams, abalone, shrimps, king crab claws, mussels, razor clams.

Peking duck pancakes were prepared at this station.

Deep fried pork belly, some cold cuts (they discontinued the Spanish ham), smoked salmon, pate’, cheese, bread were available on one side of the central buffet table.

A number of Chinese appetizers and salads were available on the other side of the table, including boiled egg mimosa sprinkled with caviar.

This is a semi-buffet, because the buffet is supposed to be just an appetizer. Then you can order a main from the list above.

I had their turnedos Rossini that was fully satisfying. The meat was really top-grade and super-tender. Also the lamb chops and the cod were substantial dishes.

Among the many treats available, I want to show their truffle cheese and cheese bell peppers. Quite unique in a buffet. I appreciate the attention to the details.

Finally there was a dessert buffet with a couple of good cakes.

The check

The check was 687.70 RMB (or 102 USD) after service charge and water and soft drinks were included (ignore the separation in the check between beverage and food, it was total price, the subdivision must be for internal reasons).

Given the quality of the food, I have no problem with their price.

Finally, they also have some free-flow options for Champagne lovers.

Where in Shanghai:
Ninth Floor, Fairmont Peace Hotel, 20 Nanjing Dong Lu (West Road)
In Chinese: 南京东路20号费尔蒙和平饭店9楼
Info from the official website and link to reservation here.

Brunch at Jean Georges in Shanghai

Jean-Georges in Shanghai holds the record to be the first signature restaurant outside of New York of world-renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. It is a French restaurant.

The visit

I visited the restaurant for brunch in April 2018 with two friends. It is located on Bund 3 along other high-end restaurants and sports nice views of the Huangpu river and Pudong. It is a very classy location, dominated by bright colors.

The brunch deal included two courses and a dessert. We also ordered some additional dishes.

Our order included the chef’s signature eggs with caviar, that I did not find worth it. The other dishes were tasty, beautifully presented, with a touch of creativity here and there.

The check

The brunch deal was around 330 RMB per person. The same offer is still available at the time of writing this post. We actually spent much more by ordering the caviar eggs and some additional dishes. The brunch menu is a good deal in my opinion and it is a great way to have a brunch on the Bund. But if you go for dinner and order a la carte is another story, this is the kind of place where spending hundred of dollars for a meal is quite easy.

Where in Shanghai:
4F, 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu
In Chinese: 中山东一路3号4楼
Menu and reservations:http://www.threeonthebund.com/dining.php

First impressions of Polux by Paul Pairet

Polux is a new project headed by Paul Pairet, the chef extraordinaire behind Ultraviolet and Mr & Ms Bund. It is named after the cat of an old French cartoon and is located in the pedestrian area of Xintiandi, Shanghai.

If you are not familiar with Shanghai, you need to know that Xintiandi is a shopping and entertainment district with reconstituted traditional mid-19th century shikumen houses on narrow alleys. It is a very popular area, but I never associated it with good food (you might disagree if you are a fan of Wolfang Puck).

The visit

I headed to Polux on a Sunday for brunch meeting a friend, just one week after their opening on 14 March 2019. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner (all day dining) with different menus. Initially they were open 7 days a week, but at the time of this post they have instituted a day off on Mondays.

The staff had my reservation on the books and escorted me to a table. I liked the cloth towels, a small luxury these days.

By the way, even if the place was rapidly filling up, the staff noticed that the table was wobbling and they promptly offered me and my friend another table.

I recognized many faces among the staff from Mr and Ms Bund and Ultraviolet. These are incredibly professional people. (Including the marketing team: by the time of my visit Polux was correctly indicated on all social media, including Facebook and Google Maps; contrast this with the Bulgari Hotel for example…) By no accident, in their second week of operations, everything was running remarkably smoothly.

Bread was complimentary, as it should be in French eateries.

While I was waiting for my friend, I ordered their sardines, a simple dish, but it was nice that they included in the menu some small snacks.

I and my friend shared a steak haché with mash and eggs. A steak
haché is basically a French hamburger. I found it very good, with the beef juice adding some flavor to the mix.

Then both I and my friend had the signature Polux burger coming with fries.

It was a relatively small burger (or I should say “compact”), with bacon and a good amount cheese melting around the patty. I think that some sauce was dripped on the buns as well. But there was a twist (in what I would call Pairet’s style): the lower bun was “excavated” to firmly accommodate the beef patty and some extra condiments (asparagus?). The overall flavor was on the spicy side.

We drank the namesake iced tea, that was not regular iced tea (again one of those twists that made Pairet’s cuisine a favorite of mine): it was a concoction with verbena, orange, lemon, apple, cucumber, and mint. The result was quite pleasant.

The check

Total check was 528 RMB (or 40 USD per person). Was it worth it? Wast it good? Will I go back?

To answer context is important. 40 USD for some regular cafe food may seem pricey, but this is Shanghai, where Western food, good one, is hard to come by at this price point. From this point of view, the final check was more than fair.

In an interview that I read (sorry, I cannot find the link) Pairet explained that they intended to offer good unpretentious everyday food, something that could be the second best for many diners. I think that they delivered what they promised and even more. Polux is good comfort food with a twist here and there (and to be fair, the brunch menu was quite extensive and I wish I had tried their cheek beefsteak, their croque, and some of the egg dishes).

Finally, you have to consider that you are in Xintiandi, an upscale district not famous for its gourmet food. Polux from this point of view is a game changer.

I totally see myself going back and digging into their menu. And that Shake Shack is just around the corner is another big plus.

Where in Shanghai:
No. 5, Lane 181, Taicang Lu, by Huangpi Nan Lu
In Chinese: 太仓路181弄5号, 近黄陂南路
Nearest metro: two blocks south of Huangpi South Road (line 1).
Note: close to Xintiandi number 1 heritage house.

Brunch at Le Corto in Ho Chi Minh City

I have already reviewed Le Corto, a fine French restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City and I have praised the creativity and substance of its dishes. The weekend brunch warrants a separate review.

The visit

I had booked my spot for the brunch a couple of weeks in advance (exchanging a couple of messages through the restaurant’s Facebook page). Since the main dining room is not huge, spots are limited.

The brunch included a spread of appetizers, cold meats, cheese, seafood and the possibility to order a selection of dishes. In a nice contrast to other buffets following this format, guests are allowed to order as many mains as they wish.

Oysters and prawns.

Boiled vegetables and slow-cooked chicken breast.

Some salads.

Cheese and smoked salmon.

The cold meat section including Serrano ham.

Some of the desserts,

Above pictures some of the dishes I enjoyed from the buffet.

From the dishes on demand, I had the gratinated lobster.

The poached egg.

The check

The price of the brunch is 650,000 VND net. Since drinks are not included, the real price is a little bit higher. My check was 720,000 VND (31 USD) that was an absolute bargain.

I really appreciated the balance between the buffet quality selection and the hot dishes on demand. Service was good and the atmosphere was pleasant. This may well be the best brunch deal in Ho Chi Minh City at the moment.

Where in Saigon:
5D Nguyen Sieu, Ben Nghe ward, District 1
Website: http://lecortovietnam.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeCorto/

One of my favorite brunch spots in Hong Kong: the Blue Butcher (closed)

The Blue Butcher has in my opinion one of the best deals for brunch “semi-buffets” in Hong Kong. The idea of a semi-buffet is quite good: a nice spread of appetizers, desserts and other more or less substantial snacks and a menu from which to order one or two mains.

The Blue Butcher on weekends has a spread that is really difficult to beat in terms of quality. In addition to this, you get to choose a main dish from a list of five options and a cocktail.

Coincidentally, they are operated by the same company owning Mott 32.

The visit

In 2018 I have been to the Blue Butcher twice, the latest visit in December 2018. If I am staying in West Hong Kong it is a must. I usually book via phone or their website.

They have a bar/lounge area downstairs opening on Hollywood Road, while the brunch is served in the main dining room upstairs. It is a spacious and comfortable space.

The buffet is certainly their main selling point. They have a very good selection of cheese, tartines, cold cuts, seafood, not to mention the dessert station (I will mention it later).

The oyster station is alone worth the price of admission.

Seafood includes prawns, salmon, tuna and crawfish.

The choice of mains is quite limited, but they are all appealing. They have included in the basic price a burger, coal roasted Canadian pork (excellent), deep fried foie gras, pan-seared salmon, and a type of pasta (cavatelli) with mushrooms and Parmesan cheese. So far I only tried the pork and it was excellent.

On my last visit, I had one of their steaks that come at an additional price. It was a good 12 oz (340 grams) piece of Australian sirloin. Truffle and Parmesan fries are included.

Some of my choices: oysters!

Cold cuts and some good cheese (montasio and pecorino).

An avocado tartine, a piece of quiche, salmon and tuna.

My dessert panna cotta with strawberries, chocolate cake and a piece of authentic Italian panettone (it was mid December after all and that’s the season for this baked good).

The dessert station is pretty amazing and they can prepare you a real crepe.

The check

Normally the cost of the brunch is 495 HKD (63 USD). But I chose a steak and it was 220 HKD more, so the total check was 715 HKD (91 USD).

Honestly, with all the food available in the buffet, going for an upgraded main is not necessary, unless you really want a steak (but then go on a normal day when their steak menu is more extensive).

Overall, I found the Blue Butcher a very good alternative to more traditional hotel buffets.

Where in Hong Kong:
108 Hollywood Road.
Website: ~~http://www.bluebutcher.com~~

Sadly, the restaurant closed on 19 May 2019 due to rent hike.

The Sunday brunch at the Shangri-La in Chiang Mai

There is no lack of food in Chiang Mai. But there are relatively few five star hotels. One of the best is certainly the Shangri-La that provides a standard international buffet on evenings and for breakfast. On Sundays, they offer a buffet for brunch. Since I did not see much information online, I figured out it could be useful to share some pictures from my visit in early August 2018.

The visit

The buffet is served in the Kad Kafé, one of the dining venues of the Shanagri-La. Kad Kafé is located on the lobby floor (technically level 2) and is a very spacious environment. I had a booking, but it was not really necessary. Doors opened at 11.30.

Salmon gravlax, carpaccio, and shrimp cocktails

The most popular station: crabs and lobster claws

The check

Overall it was a standard international five star buffet. And by “standard” I mean that the level was high, in terms of variety and choice. Very few Thai dishes though, if you are after Thai fare this might not be the right place.

It cost me 1,188 THB, around 36 USD. The value for money is there. You do not get a similar buffet for less easily nowadays.

They also have a lobster and crab feast night on Fridays that costs close to 2,000 TBH (60 USD) per person, but it should offer unlimited lobsters and crabs. Not sure if it is worth the price tag, considering that you already get an half lobster and unlimited lobster claws and crabs in this buffet. On other evenings, the buffet is even less expensive, 888 THB at time of writing this review.

Where in Chiang Mai:
89/8 Changklan Rd, ตำบล สุเทพ Amphoe Mueang.
Please check their website for updated information about their offering.

Brunch at the Phénix – Shanghai

The Phénix Eatery and Bar is the flagship restaurant of the luxurious Puli hotel in Shanghai. They were awarded one star in the 2018 Shanghai Michelin guide that was confirmed in 2019. I also visited them for dinner.

The visit

I had heard that they had started offering Sunday brunches and I had been thinking of trying for a while. On a sunny Sunday of June the stars aligned and I showed up.

They are one of the many establishments now offering a “semi-buffet”. It works like this: you order a couple of dishes from a menu (usually the choice is quite limited) and while you wait for the hot dishes you can indulge yourself in a buffet with exquisite sides and cold dishes.

The Phénix follows this format. The menu is based on breakfast dishes (from omelettes to tartares). You can choose two mains and a dessert from the menu and have fun with their buffet spread.

From the menu I chose an omlette (with a hint of truffle) and a beef tartare. Small portions. Done by the book. From the buffet I chose to try their oysters, a quiche Lorraine, cheese (they had five or six types available, more than the average buffet in Shanghai), cold cuts (in particular some ham) and some other random stuff. I certainly enjoyed the dessert from the menu, a nicely made chocolate cake.

Juices and tea/coffee were also included. You can check the menu on their website.

The check

The final check was 545 RMB and changes (around 85 USD). When I think about it, I cannot complain about anything, but at the same time there was nothing that stood up and made me think: “I need to come back for it!” I guess the brunch is not indicative of the cuisine that won them the Michelin star. Would I go back? No, in Shanghai there are way better choices for less that money (the weekend buffet at the Kitchen Studios at the Andaz hotel comes to my mind as the best deal at the moment and it is a bona fide full buffet; for a semi-buffet, with a little bit more the Cathay Room at the Peace Hotel offers a choice of more substantial dishes). Subsequently I also had dinner with them and I was equally not that impressed. ~~I might go back to try their full fledged menu though.~~

Where in Shanghai:
2/F, 1 Changde Lu, near Yan’an Xi Lu
常德路1号璞麗酒店二楼, 近延安西路