And without any further ado, here it is, our December installment of The Brunch List. This month: some heavy winter grub from M1NT, carb-heavy Continental eats from Sunflour, a Bordeaux-style brunch from Burdigala and some new brunch items from glo London. ***
M1NT
M1NT has just started serving up a Sunday afternoon roast. The first seating is at 4pm, so it’s not really brunch. No, not brunch in the slightest. But depending how late you’ve been out the night before, it’s probably still the first, and maybe the only meal you’re going to eat on a Sunday, and it’s excellent winter comfort food. On our visit, we had a choice of butternut squash and chestnut soup or a pork, chicken and rabbit terrine, then a choice of roast black angus rib-eye with parsnips, red cabbage and Yorkshire pudding, or roast lamb with leek sauce and rosemary gravy, followed by sticky toffee pudding or a lemon meringue pie. The meats arrive cooked perfectly, pink and slightly bloody — the sine qua non of roast beef — and the vegetables are crisp, expertly seasoned and slathered in gravy. Cooking a roast is not hard — no British food is particularly hard to cook — and in the UK this would be the sort of food you’d find in any gastro-pub. But here in Shanghai it’s a rare treat, and perfect with a bottle of heavy red wine now that the cold weather has come in. 300rmb gets you three courses, and there’s a kids’ menu with black cod fish fingers, crispy chicken or a kids’ portion of the roast, which is free. Sun: From 4pm For a full listing click here
Sunflour
Sunflour’s recent expansion has done little to ease the overspill of locals and foreigners, Xuhui’s buggy brigade and lovers of a decent loaf of bread. Be warned: they don't take reservations, making a wait for a table likely. Nonetheless, it’s well worth it for the small but comprehensive menu of pastas, salads and sandwiches, as well as a couple more traditional brunchtime eats like poached organic egg with Parma ham on French walnut bread, and a sizable Continental breakfast. The former gets top marks for presentation, although meat-lovers may feel swindled; the ham comes in two, crisp, salty shards and, truth be told, is more like a garnish. More of a two-eggs Florentine, it’s nonetheless delicious — all oozy, orangey yolk and nutty, hearty toast. It’s decent value at 70rmb. The Continental, meanwhile, with bacon, sausages, eggs, baked beans, mushrooms, potato wedges and more of that wholesome bread is an absolute steal at 75rmb. Surprisingly for a bakery, it’s the meaty offerings that impress the most: the bacon is actually crisp, the sausages amply seasoned. Thumbs up. Drinks aren’t included, so brunch for two is still going to set you back a couple of hundred. Service is friendly enough, but the staff is clearly stretched to its limits. Such is the curse of success… Sat-Sun: 11am - 5pm For a full listing click here
glo London
We had our doubts when glo London first opened. Broad, multi-concept restaurants tend to get off the ground about as easily as the Spruce Goose did. However, in the year or so since it has opened, glo has become a go-to brunch spot for us. The service is prompt, friendly and consummately professional. More importantly, the food is pretty good. A recent menu overhaul has brought on a host of welcome additions. There are sweets like banana and walnut pancakes or pecan waffles with bacon. There are savories like the breakfast sandwich of bacon, egg, sausage, hash browns and baked beans; it’s basically glo’s signature big breakfast in a convenient handheld delivery system. They’re also doing a tasty variation on the Benedict: sourdough toast with poached eggs, mushrooms, pesto and hollandaise. We especially like the new croque madame, which blows Dakota’s out of the water. That extra 43 kuai gets you an actual sandwich, two slices of double-thick toast with ham, béchamel, Swiss cheese and an egg, sunny-side-up. A la carte options are available, and you’ll pay anywhere between 58rmb for a smoothie to 248rmb for their all-new steak and eggs plate. You can also course it out. 168rmb gets you two; 208 gets you three. But, let’s be honest, portions here are pretty huge. One course will probably suffice. Sat-Sun: 11.30am-4pm For a full listing click here
Burdigala
Burdigala’s brunch has been a hot commodity since its inception this fall. We couldn’t even get a table last month. Is it hype or just limited seating? We’re inclined to say the latter. The place is tiny. Still, it’s a solid deal. 128rmb gets you a leisurely multi-course meal. It starts with a basket of baguettes and croissants with butter and jam. Then out comes the soup of the day and a simple green salad. The main is a sampler of sandwiches like their toasted truffle club and smoked salmon with herbed cream cheese on ciabatta along with a side of Bordeaux-style fried potatoes. The centerpiece is a soft-boiled egg topped with a morsel of foie gras, and yes it comes with a few soldiers for dipping too. All of it arrives at the table on a wooden plank. Finally, it finishes off with dessert. You’ve got a choice of whipped yogurt with an apricot coulis or their “chocolate mousse,” which isn’t whipped at all. Rather, it’s baked. If neither of those options suits you, you can select a dessert from the regular menu for an extra 10 kuai. The cost includes coffee or tea. But this is a wine bar, and they’ve got plenty of affordable juice on hand. Ask to see their specially priced brunch bottle selection at 140rmb. Sun: 11.30am-4pm For a full listing click here
