Thanks a brunch!

What began as a combination of breakfast and lunch has come a long way. The term brunch originated in England in the late 19th century. For a while people weren't too sure whether to call it blunch or brunch, but such doubts, it seems, have been put to rest.

Although the British invention took some 30 years to catch on in the US, once there brunch expanded in size and began featuring stuff like pancakes, waffles and even the Bloody Mary!

Today brunch is still seen as the perfect way to enjoy a weekend with family and/or friends. There's no food shopping to trundle through, no sweating over a hot stove and one is spared having to clean up after a meal!

By combining two meals the weekend brunch does away with the need to get up early on Sundays and offers something to look forward to before the start of another work week. And Hong Kong seems hooked to the idea.

Executive chef Michael Boyle at Alto has lined up items such as smoked salmon bagel with capers, cream cheese and red onion under the "something cold" section, while "something warm" features the familiar tastes of one's teen years, with carrot cake French toast, veggie hash, mussels with saffron, and Croquet Madame as well as a steak and eggs combination of grilled hanger steak with two sunny eggs, roasted potatoes, and other nostalgia-rich dishes.

Between May 19 and 28, around 30 Hong Kong restaurants are going to be part of a special brunch promotion. Participants include Flint Grill & Bar, JW Marriott hotel, FoFo by el Willy, Le Reve, Seafood Room, The Steakhouse, InterContinental Hong Kong, TOWN, Wooloomooloo Prime and many more. With catering ranging from semi-buffets to a la carte items, as well as some irresistible free flow packages, there's plenty to entice lovers of good food.

At Flint Bar & Grill in JW Marriott, the weekend brunch menu has some outstanding dishes including Boston lobster, stone crab legs, scallop and Hamachi sashimi, hand-carved Serrano ham, as well as a cheese board and cold cuts, besides a Caesar salad station as well as some delicious home-made desserts.

The latest spin on the idea of brunches is the Evening Brunch.

Zuma, on levels 5 and 6 at the Landmark, has a new weekly event - the Yashoku Night Brunch.

Yashoku translates as midnight snack. It's a twist on the traditional Japanese Izakaya style of informal eating and drinking that fits in nicely with the venue's style of relaxed elegance. Apart from the restaurant proper, there's a quiet terrace in a surrounding garden on Level 5, from which a dramatic spiral staircase twists up to Level 6 to the lounge and bar.

Already known for its top quality service, food and drinks, Zuma is a magnet for Saturday night brunch lovers too nowadays.

The Yashuko brunch menu combines a good selection of their tried and tested signature dishes besides a few new ones. Highlights from the menu include fried softshell crab with a wake-up wasabi mayonnaise, or an equally enticing tuna tartare with miso wasabi and lotus crisps.

There's also a very tasty seasonal vegetables tempura, as well as Hokkaido scallops with ume butter and mentaiko. And, not to be missed, there's also a moderately spicy fried tofu, as well as avocado and Japanese herbs and sliced yellowtail, green chilli relish, ponzu and pickled garlic.

Brunch packages are being offered as part of party catering. For HK$650 guests can enjoy a free flow of champagne as well as sake, seasonal infused sochu and beers. For HK$880 one gets to tuck into a more extensive Yashoku brunch menu.

Also on hand is award-winning bartender Arkadiusz Rybak who serves mocktails and cocktails to match the dishes on offer. And, there's music from internationally renowned DJs too.

With chefs in the creative mode this season's brunch has come a long way from the standard bacon, sausage, tomato, mushrooms, fried bread, sunny side-up eggs, baked beans and black pudding!

It's just as well!

(HK Edition 05/12/2017 page1)