Mr & Mrs Bund
Date visited: July 2015 for brunch
Price: RMB200-300 per person (+10% service charge)
Will return: Yes
What to get:
- Egg Benedicte (RMB75)
- Egg, caviar & dill (RMB125)
- Egg, mushrooms & duck confit (RMB75)
- Sesame lacquered pork ribs (RMB180)
- Le beau chicken vol-au-vent (RMB180)
- Real French toast (RMB80)
After years of having dinner, chef Paul Pairet's Mr & Mrs Bund finally eat brunch. It's about time and totally worth putting your face on for. A much needed addition to the Shanghai brunch repertoire – this is Shanghai's hottest new brunch to top.
The brunch menu is a few pages less than the novel that is the dinner menu, but it's comprehensive enough to require multiple visits. Featuring a flurry of new dishes from variations of savory poached eggs to sweet pastries and French toast, existing signature dishes from dinner such as the foie gras light crumble, black cod "in the bag," and the 'lemon & lemon tart' are also available.
Brunch prices are on the economic side compared to dinner. Essential brunch egg dishes start at RMB75 and fancier meat and fish dishes are between RMB100-180 – it gets pricey where dinner dishes start appearing, although I don't see too many people trying to eat M9 Wagyu rib eye steaks in the morning (but if you do, call me).
Viennoiserie baker's basket (RMB75 serves two people) with two pain au chocolat, two croissant au beurre and two pain au lait.
Recommend: yes
Some carbs to soak up anything regrettable consumed the night before. The gooey pain au chocolat is my favorite.
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Another feature that I like about this brunch is that it offers a selection of moderately priced one-liter jugs of iced teas and fresh juices to mitigate the effects of last night's decisions, or cocktails such as mojito, Pimms cup, and Diabolo grenadine to keep it going. Priced at RMB150 per jug that serves two to three instigators.
And what is brunch without a bloody Mary (RMB80), with Belvedere vodka, tomato juice, and tabasco?
'Egg Benedicte' (RMB75) poached egg on bun, prosciutto crudo, paris white ham, béarnaise sauce
Recommend: yes
I always judge a brunch by the quality of its Eggs Benny, because I didn't get dressed on a Saturday or Sunday to eat regular eggs at a restaurant. This one is a tad salty from the cured ham, but it actually kind of works. This alone is worth getting up for.
Egg, caviar and dill (RMB125) poached egg, caviar, creme fraiche, dill oil
Recommend: yes
Veering far from the realm of ordinary poached eggs, this poached egg is served chilled with caviar. You won't regret indulging in this.
Egg, mushrooms and duck confit (RMB75) poached egg, duck confit & mushrooms fricassée, garlic-parsley, herbs
Recommend: yes
Another great value, perfectly poached egg dish with rich duck confit this time. Egg porn in the finest manner.
Sesame lacquered pork ribs (RMB180) with salted lime sesame dip, citrus, spices, fresh herbs
Recommend: yes
On the heavier side are sticky and tender pork ribs that pack in an Asian twist.
'Le beau chicken vol-au-vent' (RMB180) crunchy puff pastry, chicken and foie gras mushrooms fricassée
Recommend: Yes
A vol-au-vent is a hollow pastry casing usually filled with something savory – chicken, foie gras, mushroom, and asparagus in this case. A buttery puff pastry that is airy, thin, and crispy deserves attention, and the pâtissier, a local who has been working for Paul Pairet since his days at Jade on 36, definitely knows his French pastry. The chicken cubes were slightly dry, but that can be easily fixed.
Real French toast (RMB80) caramelized french toast "pain perdu" with vanilla ice cream
Recommend: yes
The French toast to rule all French toasts in Shanghai. Lightly caramelized crunch on the outside, ultra eggy and soft inside.
Rhum & raisins vanilla milk rice (RMB80) panacotta vanilla rice milk, caramel rice crispies & raisin
Recommend: no
The one dish that did not fly was the raisin rice pudding. I don't like anything about this because I don't like raisins or rice pudding to begin with, but my British counterpart made me try anyway. Still don't like it.
// The Mr & Mrs Bund brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 11.30am-2pm. Prices are subject to 10 percent service charge. See a listing for Mr & Mrs Bund here.
// To see more from Shanghai Girl Eats, check out her other articles for That's Shanghai here.
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