The Deep Dish: Tuanjiehu's Bruno Caffe is a Safe Bet for Workers Looking to Woo Clients or Simply Take a Breather

Tom Arnstein | Sep 26, 2017 2:30 pm | Add a comment | 1286 reads

As online voting continues for the 2017 Pizza Cup, The Deep Dish takes a look at some of the vendors that attended this year's Pizza Cup.

Located between Hujialou and Tuanjiehu subway stations, there are probably few reasons you'd find yourself wandering the streets near Bruno Caffe's third and newest venue. Even more confounding is the fact that this branch isn't even open on weekends, but once you spot it nestled in the bottom corner of the Borui Building, you'll understand why they are instead dedicated to feeding the bustling office community that surrounds it.

For those nearby, Bruno will tick all the boxes: it specializes in a grab bag of well-priced pastries, cakes, snacks, and mains, plus your usual coffees (RMB 17 for an espresso to RMB 37 for a large sea salt and caramel latte), teas (RMB 25), juices (RMB 36-42), and smoothies (RMB 33-45). That casual fare is served in a light and airy setting courtesy of floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the café's two levels, which face the Third Ring Road.

The uncomplicated menu works to Bruno's advantage, maintaining a quick a thoroughfare of diners during lunch (minus the occasional snoozer) and a safe bet for groups wanting a venue for a convenient business meeting.

As you flip through the menu, it may occur to you that a number of the dishes owe a fair amount of credit to dishes found at The Rug, and when we say a fair amount, we mean they were obviously stolen and reproduced to a much lower, albeit cheaper, standard, spelling and all. Therefore, what is a "The Rolling Stone" at The Rug, a beautiful and creamy combination of soft-boiled egg encased in an avocado, wrapped in bacon, and perched atop a throne of crunchy hash browns and drizzled with homemade Sriracha, becomes a "The Rolling Stone Hash-Brown Withfrid Cronflake" (RMB 48) at Bruno, which is an egg wrapped in bacon on a slice of tofu on half a burger bun with some tortilla "cronflakes" on the side. That being said, the ingredients are fresh and the prices reasonable.

Take for example the eggs Benedict, which despite its lackluster slivers of smoked salmon, is hard to balk at when you're only paying RMB 38, and is a prime reason why it's a shame that this branch is closed during the weekend (you'll have to visit their Liangmaqiao branch to have the pleasure).

Again, the extremely reasonable (RMB 32) and sizable bowl of rigatoni with spicy tuna sauce does the trick for a quick bite and comes neatly presented.

Likewise, the pricier (RMB 158) but good cut of rib-eye steak comes with a smattering of roasted veg and provides an option for business partners to treat their visiting guests should they need to woo before pen hits paper.

Bruno Caffe isn't going to win any awards for its food but it does have a few flourishes up its sleeve that show that they're dedicated to what they do. Upon ordering Juliet blend drip coffee, the barista diligently prepares her equipment and cuts no corners in preparation; measuring, heating, and pouring with impressive skill to create a rich and fruity cup of coffee. When coupled with a warm atmosphere and capable staff, Bruno may just be the ticket for a lunchtime pitstop.