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is our monthly column pinpointing great (and not so great) brunch spots around town. Brunch on, y'all. Let the world burn.

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is kind of like a big empty swimming pool during the day light hours. Kinda felt like I was going to get sideswiped by some terrible skateboarder 鈥� some greasy-haired ruffian 鈥� some marijuana addict, degenerate, drain on society-type 鈥� right while I was trying to partake in western civilization鈥檚 most hallowed, solemn, and important tradition: the brunch.

Harrowing.

Basically, all the restaurants in Found 158 are open for daytime business on Saturday and Sunday. German beer and food from draws a few people. pizza is always good. You鈥檝e got Vietnamese from , is there, and is also open and serving.

Specifically for brunch, however, the name of this game, you鈥檝e got just three options:

1. Hooked

Bloody Mary Oyster Shooter



Hooked offers up the most popular brunch in Found 158. On all three weekends we went down there, the venue was at near-capacity: tables of families with strollers; well-dressed ladies embracing their fabulous weekend selves; and groups of yuppy British-ey looking people cheers鈥檌ng each other and looking a bit bleary-eyed blotto. On inspection of the menu, the reason why becomes immediately evident: It鈥檚 the same brunch as , Shanghai鈥檚 favorite brunch, served to this exact same crowd across town on Fenyang Lu. The menu is tweaked a little to fit the Hooked branding 鈥� here the 鈥淏ull & Claw Breakfast鈥� is called the 鈥淗ooked Breakfast鈥� 鈥� and a few items are switched out鈥� but it鈥檚 pretty much the same thing.

So yeah. You鈥檙e mixing and matching courses, depending on how deep you want to dive. The first course is an involved drink 鈥� we got the oyster shooter. Then the second course is lighter fruits, granola, pancakes, and French toast, with the main course being a few egg-based dishes (standard breakie and a few eggs benedicts).


Smashed Avocado and Feta


Hooked Breakfast


The Pancake Tower

And?

Pretty, pretty, pretty great. Classic brunch fare tweaked a bit upwards, with some good personality in the dishes. Great drinks selection to accompany it. I can see why it's popular. It's not cheap, in particular when most of the dishes require additional charges, but I can see splurging on this once in a while. I found the brunch at The Bull & Claw but had a good experience at Hooked. Maybe it was just knowing what to order. Arriving in a skillet, the standard breakfast platter was indeed hearty and meaty good times, and although The Pancake Tower wasn't exactly towering it was also delicious. French Toast is also great.

If you're a fan of The Bull & Claw brunch but didn't make your reservations, here's your Plan B.

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2. El Santo

If you鈥檙e looking to jazz up your basic brunch life a bit with some Mexican fare, hey, would you look at that, El Santo is right next to Hooked in Found 158 and serving up their own brunch menu. Fewer tables than Hooked but business was still good when we went down, with people who looked like they were trying to solve hangovers. And also, those seasoned experts in Mexican cuisine and culture: Americans.

You鈥檙e looking at a one-pager that combines their general menu items 鈥� five or six varieties of taco, nachos, enchiladas 鈥� along with a few specific brunch-ey things: 鈥淏reakfast Burrito鈥�: 68rmb; 鈥淐horiqueso & Sunny Eggs Pot鈥�: 78rmb; Wagyu & Guacamole Eggs Benedict鈥�: 98rmb.

We鈥檒l get to the food in a minute but I鈥檓 telling you right now the main draw of El Santo is that they show luchador wrestling on the teevee which is a very nice touch. Brought back my earliest professional brunch memories, which are of watching WWF wrestling Saturday morning in my jammies, with free-flow Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

But yeah the food is Mexi breakfast gut busters:


Guacamole & Corn Chips


Chilaquilas Duo


Wagyu & Guacamole Eggs Benedict

And?

It鈥檚 greasy. It鈥檚 heavy. It鈥檚 saucy. It鈥檚 paralyzing. It's heart attack-inducing. You won鈥檛 have to eat again for several years. It鈥檚 also really good. Really satisfying. They make their own chips, which is nice, with some pretty good guac. The Chilaquilas Duo is like breakfast nachos, and the Wagyu thing is best applied directly to your arteries.

Drinks are great too. With some alright prices. 128rmb for free-flow or buckets of Corona or pitchers. Helps to keep those flowing when you're eating in a sunken minimall.

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3. Pera

If you don鈥檛 want to give your money to the Camel Group, Turkish restaurant and bar, Pera is the one, lone holdout for brunch in Found 158. They鈥檙e the one teetering opponent to the monopoly in this Found 158 place AKA Yongkang Lu II: What Am I Doing With My Life. Business was sparser. Just a few tables on their outside patio and one couple inside. They鈥檙e offering a single brunch order, which is a couples brunch set menu.

188rmb for 鈥淐heese, Olives, Turkish style scrambled eggs with vegetables (Menemen), Cheese Pida, Tomatoes, Cucumber, 2 kinds of Jam, Honey, Butter, Hummus Dip, Spicy Dip, 4 cups of tea or coffee鈥�.

So in addition to that spread, there鈥檚 also a range of add-ons on top from 15rmb to 30rmb more 鈥� sausages, rolls, chicken dishes, and more.







And?

It's...okay. Kinda feels like they're just assembling lots of items they've got from their pantry that usually accompany evening cocktails 鈥� like they're Volton'ing a brunch spread from a bunch of appetizers. It's a lot of bread. Three or four different kinds of bread with a bunch of spreads and sides 鈥� hummus, jam, honey, olives, cheese. It's more like a wine and cheese. The Turkish eggs were alright but not as good as some of the pyrotechnic eggs served on the other side of the complex.

On the other hand, it is a fair deal cheaper than either El Santo or Hooked. And the brunch-for-two is a fine option to split with your SO while you ponder the roads not traveled that didn't end at Found 158.