August was a good month for Shanghai brunch enthusiasts. We step into September with three brand-new options and a new-ish creperie in the Shanghai Center. ***

Kaiba Tap House

Kaiba Tap House kicked off its brand new brunch just last weekend. On both Saturday and Sunday, the Belgian beer bar offers a menu of brunch staples with unique little tweaks. They swap out English muffins with corn waffles for their eggs Benedict, for instance, which is a welcome change, seeing as how no one seems able to do a proper English muffin in this town anyway. They also express a deep reverence for that most magical of all meats, pork. They "salute" it with a breakfast wrap of ham, sausage, bacon and eggs. They stuff an omelet with smoked pork neck and Gouda. There is also a big brekkie plate with homemade sausage. And, of course, it wouldn't be a Beligian bar without waffles. Prices are quite reasonable too. Grub goes for 38 to 78 kuai per plate, and select drafts and bottles are set at happy hour prices. The best part, though, is the free-flow beer deal: Order a main and get all the Vedett, Stella, DeKonnick or Liefmans you care to drink. Sat-Sun: 12-4pm Full brunch listing here

Bloc

Pan Eastern Euro eatery Bloc is officially on the brunch bandwagon now too. Offerings range from your standard Benedict to a smoked salmon omelet to filet mignon with eggs any style. Pancakes pop up twice – once with M&Ms and again with apples, cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla ice cream. If you don't fancy mixing your meals, there are some straight-up lunch options too, like a Reuben on homemade rye bread and a chicken salad sandwich on wheat. They also serve a few of the pierogis from their dinner meal. Another selling point: the blintzes. This is a Sunday-afternoon staple you just don't see much of around town. Chef Mike Solovey's are quite delicious and are served in three styles: caramel pecan, chocolate and peanut butter and pear and cottage cheese. He's got another one in the works that's topped with an intensely-flavored calvados cream too. So keep an eye peeled for that one in a couple of weeks. With all of the sweets available for main courses, desserts seem unnecessary. And yet, they're there. Should you feel compelled to indulge, you've got three options: banana merinque, passion fruit parfait, and orange ginger cheesecake. A two tiered pricing system of 45 for starters and 88 for mains, make decisions much easier should you show up bleary-eyed and booze-addled from the night before. Or you can do two courses with a choice of beverage (alcoholic or otherwise) for only 138rmb. There is also a free-flow blini and bellini option for 280rmb. Sat-Sun:11.30am-3.30pm Full brunch listing here

The Grumpy Pig

The Grumpy Pig launched its brunch a couple of weeks ago and already seems popular. We were there last Sunday and the place was full, drawing a pretty mixed crowd – a large family, a few couples, young professionals on laptops and the young Chinese ballers so devoted to Kin. The menu is tight: three small dishes, two sweet and five egg-based. Those who've dined here will recognise influences from the American South – corn bread, biscuits and hickory smoked bacon – but there are unexpected options, such as "Toad in the Pen" (65rmb), a twist on the British toad in the hole. We started with a Cast-iron Baked Bread Pudding French Toast (55rmb), which is loaded with caramelized apples and lemon zest and topped with a smear of black currant jam – stodgy, well presented, and original. Full marks. There is also "The Bennewho?" (65rmb), which is an eggs Benedict reboot: poached eggs sitting on country biscuits with mustard creme sauce and a side salad. Instead of ham, you get two thick wedges of hickory-smoked pork neck. Another winner. None of the portions are too huge, which is good because with biscuits and cornbread floating around, it's easy to get that lead-belly full feeling. All normal drinks ara on offer and there were three brunch cocktails for around 60rmb. For the price, an excellent option – not as hectic as a Mr Pancake fella, but far more convivial than a monolithic hotel brunch. Sun: 12-4pm Full brunch listing here

Crêpes & Co

With a relaxed, café vibe, Crêpes & Co makes for an informal brunch spot, complete with a small outdoor seating area, open kitchen and swift service. In pursuit of all things brunchy, we plumped for one of three sets – 148rmb for two hot drinks, a fresh juice, fruit plate, bakery basket, 2 eggs with the usual accoutrements, cereal or French toast, all topped off with a pancake. It's a lot of food and definitely shareable. All of that's also available individually, and in all honesty, everything, barring the bakery basket (28rmb for warm croissants, muffins and toast served with jam, marmalade and lemon curd) significantly pales in comparison to what's on offer elsewhere on the sizable, à la carte crêpe menu. We ordered up the Suprême – a huge, deliciously gooey parcel of soft fried egg, ham, bacon, mushrooms and béchamel sauce, all wrapped up in a wafer-thin, delicately perforated crêpe. Unsurprisingly, it was the hands-down winner of the morning. Divided between savory and sweet, some of menu's offerings lend themselves more easily to brunch-time bites – the Imperiale (egg, salmon, mushrooms, cheese, béchamel), or perhaps the Normande (apple, raisins, cinnamon). For sweet-toothed diners, there's a range of ice-cream fillings from 50rmb, and for drama queens, crêpes flambées from 78rmb. Alternatively, you can custom design your own dream crêpe, with no fewer than 37 savory ingredients and 27 sweet to choose from. Great value, quality ingredients and an unfussy vibe. Top marks. Daily