Mao Mao Chong's Brunch, In Review
That the Mao Mao Chong brunch went through multiple trial runs before its official debut this weekend should be no surprise to those familiar with the care taken by Stephanie and Stephen Rocard at Mao Mao Chong. It's hard to make the wrong choice when it comes to their long list of inventive cocktails and the same applies to their brunch menu.
The very reasonably priced menu is carefully curated with an attention towards the homemade. Yoghurt and muesli comes topped with poached fruit (RMB 25). This week, it was plums, certainly the highlight of the bowl.
The centerpiece of the menu is the breakfast pizza (RMB 35), which you can top with house-made bacon for an extra RMB 5. Two baked eggs sit atop the crust nestled in piles of ricotta and sprinkled with paprika and lemon juice. I'd never had pizza for brunch before, but it made me wonder what I'd been doing all these years. This is not your cold day-old pizza to alleviate a weekend morning hangover. The eggs are a nice touch to bring a lunch and dinner standard into the AM, though I'm a fan of yolk and wished for a runny center.
Pizza prevails at Mao Mao Chong, and if it's not straightforward and flat, then it's folded over in the form of a calzone. The spinach and ricotta calzone (RMB 30) could have stood alone as a meal. The oversized turnover is stuffed full. The table beside us had asked for some salt to doctor their breakfast pizzas, and I wished the same for the calzone. I tend towards the oversalted, however, and the simplicity of creamy ricotta and nuttiness of the spinach arguably doesn't need anything more. Our plates were clean by the end of it.
The Bloody Mao is a house favorite and for brunch, Stephanie is offering even more variations (RMB 35). Chili Basil Vodka remains for traditionalist, but you'll also find Thyme Basil Tequila, Thyme Basil Chili Gin and a Sake Wasabi. For those who don't mind the strong flavors of tequila in the morning – my companion seemed to have no trouble – the Thyme Basil tequila is a nice rendition of the classic. Notes of thyme and basil in my spiced gin Bloody Mao fit the pizza brunch, blue sky atmosphere of the morning.
What's brunch without getting properly tipsy? We ordered another round, this time a Maogroni (RMB 35), which uses grapefruit infused Campari and ginseng-infused vodka among its ingredients. It's a stiff and bitter drink, aptly subtitled "energy boost." I'd only advise if you already like the sharp blood orange flavors of a standard negroni. The Wake Up Call (RMB 35) unexpectedly mixes the taste of coffee with citrus. Coffee tequila mingles with kaffir lime vodka, pineapple juice and thai lime. This seems an unlikely foursome and yet, it works. The drink is light and refreshing – a very welcome change from the usual heavy addition of Kahlua or other creamy liquors to coffee drinks.
Mao Mao Chong's brunch is an appreciated newcomer to the small spread of Gulou-Andingmen morning meals. The approach is curated and well-priced, with the most expensive item at RMB 40. Right now, you'll only be able to catch them on weekends, but starting in May, look for weekdays too. And even better, I've heard whispers about sweets, like tiramisu, to come.
Photos: Cat Nelson
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