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is our monthly column pinpointing great (and not so great) brunch spots around town. Everything below is all you need to know about where to get leisurely weekend eats.

1. Jalapeno

Good for: A Mexi hangover cure and big sangrias to get you lit up again.
Available: Saturday and Sunday, 11am-3pm
Price: A la carte, egg tacos from 28rmb; mains from 68rmb; green chili carnitas (78rmb); steak and eggs migas for 98rmb.

Since owner Ken Walker took over the reigns at Jalapeno, the "Loco" Mexican restaurant has been steadily re-orienting their menu to a hip and cosmopolitan sort of take on the taco, with creative permutations coming from new Exec Chef Gavin. Their "Frankentaco" section includes: "The Matador" ("Spicy ground beef, hash browns, Fried egg, roja salsa, cheddar, pickled jalapeno"); "Shrimp Diablo" (spicy grilled shrimp on a bed of guacamole, roasted tomato salsa, cilantro, marinated red onion, queso fresco, and pickled jalapeno"); "Seoul Sister" ("BBQ pork belly, kimchi, shredded cabbage, Korean hot sauce, ranch dressing, and pickled jalapenos"). The tacos are intense, involved, and fully loaded. They also do their own house sauces (queso fresco, homemade sour cream, creamy queso dip) and ump-teen hot pepper sauces. Chef Gavin picked up a win for Best Taco at the Latin Fest a little while back and also , so we wanted to check out if the same wonderful and pyrotechnical things were happening with the brunch menu, which was just recently launched.



Jalapeno still looks the same as it always did, which is to say dive bar-meets-lifer expat pub. The spirits of the night before loom in the air. They have the upstairs and bleary eyed comedians hanging out. It's wobbly tables, classic rock on the stereo, and generic Mexicana decor and sombreros on the walls -- an adequate environment in which to get pissed, for sure. I'm not really bothered by the genre but it feels out of step with the food, which is boho Cali-Korea-ish tacos -- albeit hearty and gut-busting ones. Brunch is a simplified and paired back endeavor. They have a range of egg tacos (28rmb), green chili carnitas (78rmb), a breakfast burrito (68rmb), and the main thing, which is their steak and eggs migas for 98rmb. Simple, straightforward, and filling. Adequate hangover cure. Thumbs up. Make the trip to try the tacos; the steak and eggs migas is alright if you're in the area. The sangria is really good too.

-Morgan Short

2. O'Briens

Good for: Guilt'ing your friends who are eating at Fatburger.
Available: Daily, 9am-9pm
Price: Irish all-day everyday breakfasts, egg sandwiches, Dublin rolls (38rmb-55rmb).

O'Briens is the "Irish sandwich shop" that serves "guilt free food" inside the new . It's the same company that owns, manages, and operates both. Fatburger is so guilt-inducing, you see, that they've got this juice bar-slash-sandwich shop called O'Briens right there on the premises to assuage your fears that you're just ruining your whole damn life with that greasy triple burger. There's something about a display case full of oranges that's just really soothing. And yeah, it's there for people who happen to be with the people who want the Fatburger but who don't actually want the Fatburger themselves. Do these people exist? Evidently. And they are Irish. Huh.



So, O'Briens serves all-day Irish breakfasts. Which translates into brunch if you want it. The main thing is the "Irish Breakfast" (55rmb), which is sunny/scrambled eggs with sausage, bacon, baked beans, grilled tomato, and bread. Google tells me this is indeed an Irish breakfast, which is exactly all those things together. Huh, again. It was okay. It was a plate of breakfast stuff, all pretty tasty. The sausages were more like hot dogs though. The other thing is an "Irish Omelette" (45rmb), with turkey, bacon, peppers, onion, and cheese. Google tells me this is not a traditional Irish omelette, . (Ahh, but of course.) At any rate, it was a nice and fluffy omelette, if not earth-shatteringly authentic. Both fine plates of food. Although, they didn't stop me from looking over forlornly at the Fatburger section of the restaurant and wondering about roads not traveled. O'Briens also does juice, smoothies, sandwiches, and wraps, all to varying degrees of Irishness.

(Also, do not look up the Urban dictionary definitions of "Irish breakfast" or "Irish omelette." Trust me.)

-Morgan Short

3. R.G.F

Good for: Generous, photogenic food in a nice garden.
Available: Saturday and Sunday, 11pm-4pm
Price: Set brunch for 158rmb.

Quirky vintage furniture shop and cafe R.G.F has always been popular among well-dressed local ladies -- the kind who love to take selfies while enjoying their afternoon tea. They have two dining areas: the one on the second floor is a spacious, simply designed bar and restaurant; the other in the backyard is a garden full of greenery and rusty-looking furniture. Really nice and quiet. You can either sit in the outdoor area or inside one of their small greenhouses when the weather gets cold.



Their Normann Copenhagen set brunch is diverse, quite healthy, and most notably, very photogenic. Dishes are plated beautifully on tableware from aforementioned Danish brand. Two waiters come to your table to unload various kinds of treats all at once, such as chocolate-dipped Madeleine that perches on a miniature chair with a slice of fresh lemon underneath, a watery soft boiled egg served in a cup, garnished with fish roe, and another egg cracked open at the base of some creamy, airy mashed potatoes, with bits of asparagus and caviar on top.

The brunch also includes rye bread, smoked honey bacon and German sausages, diced dragon fruit, and strawberry oatmeal yogurt, plus a small bowl of banana and blueberry pancakes with melted vanilla ice-cream. That's a lot for 158rmb, and it's somewhat of an awkward portion -- too much for a single dainty lady, but perhaps not enough to be shared by two. Although the food is not outstandingly good, it's decently made. And photogenic, which is the main point, right?

-Jin Qian