This month's selections are in. We bring you bloody Marys with a Yunnan twist, simple eats with gourmet coffee, brunch by culinary students, and more. ***

Restaurant-Ecole Institut Paul Bocuse

This branch of French chef Paul Bocuse's culinary school also runs a restaurant manned by chefs and waitstaff in training, with its dining area set right next to a semi-open kitchen so you can eat, stare unabashedly, and if you're mean-spirited enough, snigger at any mistakes made by the people who are preparing your food. No mistakes when we visited though—these people were professional and executed everything smoothly. On weekends they offer up a pretty hefty set brunch: four starters, five mains and five sides with a glass of wine and all-you-care-to-eat dessert. There's no room for experimentation here, so expect a procession of French classics like pork rillettes and terrines, ratatouille with poached eggs, coq au vin, quiche lorraine and so on. If someone needed a one-meal primer on popular French dining, then this would do it. The food is fine. Like we said, it's "executed", not quite a product of passion or loving attention. Just, executed. The one thing that was done exceptionally well was the freshly baked bread—some of the best in town. The quality of the desserts here (rolled out on a fully stocked dessert trolley) is also a cut above that of most French eateries here. The chocolate lava cake here beats the hell out of anything that those so-called chocolate cafes do. Anyway, at 320rmb per person, it's not cheap, but it's excellent value for all the food you're getting. Kids get the same deal for 210rmb each, plus they get a pastry class with one of the school's chefs. Drinks are where they'll get you, though—a Coke is 35rmb and a latte is 60rmb. It's a bit of a trek out to the West Bund area, but Institut Paul Bocuse is within walking distance to the Power Station of Art—walk a few blocks down to see the Biennale after brunch and it's well worth the trip. Sat & Sun: 11.30am-4pm For a full brunch listing, click here

Slurp!

Slurp!, that place in North Jing'an that does Yunnan xiaochi—that's "little eats"—just rolled out a new weekend brunch offering: a classic Western breakfast of sausage, eggs and potatoes done spicy Yunnan-style. That means a heap of sliced stir-fried fatty Yunnan sausages atop a heap of spicy, nutty pan-fried potatoes, paired with a mushroom and spinach omelette. This "carnivore set" runs 45rmb, and there's also a "veggie set" for 40rmb that gets you the same omelette and potatoes, plus a side salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and mint tossed in Yunnan spices. Each plate comes with a large tuft of fresh mint, presumably to help offset the heat coming from all those dried chilis. Continuing the Western brunch theme, they're also pairing Bloody Marys with these sets—your first one is 25rmb, and additional glasses are 35rmb each. Screwdrivers are a little extra at 40rmb each. As to whether or not a brunch plate will fill you up—depends. If you've got an above-average appetite, then you'll probably want to add a few items off of Slurp's regular menu of street snacks and noodles. The Yunnan goat cheese topped with homemade rose jam is a good one to start with. The place has a nice, quiet and cozy vibe about it, and Slurp! just put heaters out in its patio area, too, so dining outdoors for larger groups isn't completely out of the question. Overall, a solid brunch option for those seeking simple yet really flavorful food with a bit (not too much) of boozing on the side. Sat & Sun: 10am-3pm For a full brunch listing, click here

Essence Coffee

From Essence Coffee's small, simple kitchen comes a small, simple menu. Most of it's egg-based. They do a bacon, cheddar, and "spanish" [sic., they mean spinach] quiche for 58rmb. You can get an omelet with cheddar, Swiss, parmesan, and mushrooms for 68. Or you can get a smoked salmon Benedict for 88, and they'll let you have your eggs poached or fried (is it still a Benedict when their fried?). Then there is the meat lover (pictured), a cocotte full of mashed potatoes, Italian pork sausage, bacon and cheddar, baked until a melty crust forms on top. It's basically what you'd get if you crossed a shepherd's pie with bangers and mash. That goes for 88rmb. It's not a huge selection—four items: nothing more, nothing less. But they offer it daily and well past noon. More importantly, they brew a mean cup of coffee with several varieties of beans. Or if you seek some hair of the dog, they do some pretty good cocktails. Mon–Fri: 10am–2pm Sat–Sun: 10am–4pm For a full brunch listing, click here

Chill Out

This Taiwanese-owned cafe, bar, and self-proclaimed home to "the best mocktail in town" does a casual weekend brunch set to a soundtrack of endless 80's love ballads. The signature item appears to be their Spanish-inspired tortilla de patatas sets. These are basically eggs and potatoes baked in a cocotte and topped with chicken, beef, or salmon. Each one comes with a few standard sides: a simple green salad, seasonal fruit, pico de gallo, and some bread. At the more breakfasty end of the spectrum, they've got omeletes—"great" and "Mexican." Neither is an apt descriptor, and they come with two links of pale chicken sausage, a side salad, and a choice of press-molded, pre-made hash browns or two slices of white toast. For those flagrantly disregarding their daily calorie counts, Chill Out offers other dishes, like "Choco Banana French Toast" or a "Jumbo" breakfast featuring fried pork, two slices of bacon, two sausages, two eggs, salad and toast. None of it is remarkable. All of it skews more toward local tastes, but it's affordable (48–78rmb) and reasonably filling. And if you add 10 kuai you get a cup of coffee or tea. You could do worse. Sat–Sun: 9am-1pm For a full brunch listing, click here.