January's brunch selections are in. This month, we've got affordable Italian at Palatino, literary eats at Bouquet, bougie bites at Pistacchio, and an all-new brunch from Husk. ***

Palatino

If pizza and pasta are what you're after, then brunch at Palatino, a Roman-style restaurant opened by the same people behind Bella Mia, is a solid choice that yields far more value for your money than many pizzerias in town. For 88rmb, you get a set of three starters—bruschetta topped with salami, a small seafood salad and a bowl of creamy prosciutto potato soup—plus a main course, dessert and soft drink. In mains, you can pick from a pizza option (marinara or patatina, which is topped with mozzarella, potato slices, bacon and rosemary); pasta (seafood or sausage ragu) or from the grill (grilled baby squid or meat and veggie skewers). It's simple stuff, but Palatino does it very well. There's just the right amount of cheese on the personal thin-crust pizzas. The pasta is cooked al dente. The baby squid, seasoned with just sea salt and enhanced with a hint of char, is nicely light and tender. These three-course meals should easily satisfy people with healthy appetites, though keep in mind that the grilled entrees are Atkins-style, so those might be better for lighter eaters. Alternatively, there's also a 68rmb option with a pizza or pasta and soft drink if you'd rather forgo the starters and dessert. Service staff was gracious and attentive without being overbearing, and the cozy environment on such a busy street makes Palatino an excellent choice for couples and small groups seeking respite from crowded enclaves like Ferguson Lane or Taixing Lu. Daily: 11.30am-2.30pm For a full brunch listing, click here.

Pistacchio

Pistacchio is the Liam Gallagher of Ferguson Lane, the flashy frontman who skates by on being just so-so while its peers do the grunt work of bringing in the crowds. The place aims to do upmarket rustic Italian and French fare, and its latest brunch menu has a "farm" and slow-food focus... at bourgeois prices. There's no set meal offering here—everything's ordered a la carte from a selection of egg dishes (ie, asparagus with slow boiled egg, 68rmb), salads (prosiutto and pistachio spinach salad, 82rmb), handmade pastas (eggplant parmigiano, 88rmb) and meat entrees (Wagyu beef with foie gras and potatoes, 182rmb). Each of these dishes alone, with the exception of the meat-heavy entrees, is unlikely to be filling, so you might want to add on a side like ratatouille, mashed potatoes or sauteed spinach (38rmb each) or minestrone (68rmb). While Pistacchio touts the high quality of the organic produce it sources (the organic apple and orange juices, 50rmb each, are made from fruits sourced from Bordeaux, France, says the restaurant), the preparation of these ingredients doesn't serve that purpose well. The Meurette poached egg with truffle (78rmb, pictured above) looked fresh and played on the farm theme, but the heavily salted red wine-based sauce drowned out the more delicate flavors from the rest of the dish. Same for the fazzoletti carbonara with black truffle, speck and egg—everything tasted of cream. Just, cream. The cocktails are solid, though—Bloody Marys, Negronis, Amaro iced teas, etc. at 60rmb each—so if you're set on lounging around in Ferguson Lane and all the other eateries are fully booked, then maybe try Pistacchio but go light on the food and heavy on the drinks. Sat & Sun: 10am-3pm For a full brunch listing, click here

Bouquet

You'd think that Light & Salt would have stolen a lot of Bouquet's thunder, but this self-styled book cafe hidden in a Xinhua bookstore is still in rude health. And it's weekend brunch seems to draw a sizable crowd. Options are characteristically eclectic. Chef Rafael Qing likes to throw Chinese ingredients into Western dishes and vice versa. You see it in dishes like eggs Benedict with XO hollandaise and in signature items like his Beijing duck pizza or a mapo tofu burrito. Other items are less experimental, like a Thai-style green papaya salad or a "Country Fresh" omelet. Qing also has a penchant for comfort cuisine, like braised short ribs with seven-grain rice, or pork trotter mac and cheese with a poached egg, Parmesan cheese, and asparagus. You can go two routes, a la carte or a brunch set. The menu is split up into small and big plates priced at 48 and 68rmb, respectively. Or for 99rmb you can get a small plate and a large plate with a glass of fruit juice—definitely the best way to go. Sat & Sun: 11am–4pm For a full brunch listing, click here.

Husk

was brunch institution in its day, and Husk is trying to reclaim this legacy. The menu skews classic, with starters like Bircher muesli with apple and spiced berries or pancakes with plum and berry and maple syrup. Mains are largely breakfast standards. Eggs play prominently, with dishes like eggs Benedict, Florentine, and Royale (which is basically a Benedict made with smoked salmon). They also do a few omelets, like that seafood one you see pictured above. For an extra 46 kuai, they'll upgrade all of the above to platter status. This gets you a ridiculous amount of food—pesto mushrooms, a beef patty, bacon, sausage, a roasted tomato, and hash browns. For the breakfast averse, they offer a beef burger as well as beer battered fish. Both come with a side of chunky chips. To drink, they offer a solid selection of wine and bubbly along with a few cocktails like the Negroni Sbagliato (prosecco, Campari, and sweet vermouth). Sat & Sun: 11am–3pm For a full brunch listing, click here.