Brunch at Market at ShangriLa

I honestly don't remember which event I attended that scored me a Buy One Get One Free Brunch at the Market at Shangri-La, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from enjoying it!  Upon arrival, we were told that the bar special of the day was Half Priced Mimosas...well, you can't beat that to start your brunch off right!   Their prix fixe menu for brunch is quite extensive and offers you three courses for $29. If you prefer to dine a bit lighter, you can always order off their a la carte menu. If you do, please try the Steamed Shrimp Salad, it's not part of the Prix Fixe and is well worth the price. Oh, and so is the Truffle Pizza. See the post here. Ordering off the brunch menu, the first appetizer we got was the Seared Scallops, topped with a caramelized cauliflower, with a smear of caper-raisin emulsion for tang. I fully expected only two scallops for this appie, so was really surprised at the fact that there were three. And boy were they big. Perfectly seared on and not overly fussy nor drowning in the emulsion, this was a light bite to start the meal.  Being a meatlover, I decided on having the meat as my appetizer, and forcing myself to have some healthier main entree. So I got the Beef Tartare. This was again a really generous portion of hand chopped tenderloin. It was mixed with a spicy mayo, some gerkins and other spices, which gave this a nice kick! The only downside were the onion rings that it came with. They were cold, and very oily. The batter was actually light and a bit crispy, but the coldness of the oil made them inedible for me. Good thing I had some bread to pile this tartare on to! It was a large portion, especially so for an appetizer.  Next up? My heart healthier entree, their Eggs Benedict. You can choose to have this with Ham, Smoked Salmon or Spinach. As you can see, I went with the Salmon. I also asked for the Hollandaise sauce on the side, and they took it upon themselves to no slather my English muffin with butter in retaliation (I had forgotten to make that request so was pleased that they got into the spirit of my wishes). The egg was poached just right, the salmon slices were thin but aplenty. I am not really a fan of these kinds of potato chunks, but they did manage to get me to eat a few due to the crispiness of the skin. I also loved grilled tomatoes, so simple but such a nice added touch. Joe Fortes down the street does a great Smoked Salmon Benny too!   The MARKET Burger is pretty impressive, with a Black Truffle Dressing, and Melted Brie, along your usual lettuce and tomato. One thing I did like was the housemade pickles, great tang! And the fries were better than the potato wedges too. We also got an order of Roasted Mushrooms as a side, with a nice selection of mushrooms, which were roasted with whole garlic cloves and sliced jalapenos. The sauce was a light lemony butter, and helped to bring out the earthiness of the rest of the ingredients.  
I normally don't have dessert, especially at brunch, but as part of the three courses, I went for it. The first one you see here is the Cheesecake with a Blueberry Sorbet. To be honest, the blueberry sorbet is what sold me on this, and I'm glad we tried it. The flavour was really rich and the cheesecake wasn't overly dense.   On their menu since the very beginning is the Chocolate Pudding with Crystallized Violets. I love edible flowers! Serving portion has gotten smaller over time, but it's still enough for a sweet treat to end your meal. The pudding isn't too rich, but it is velvety smooth. To get the full sensation of the treat, dip your spoon in the middle, scoop up some of the violets and go right down to the bottom, getting some of the whipped cream and pudding. That perfect spoonful will give you the creamy pudding, the airiness of the whipped cream, followed by a crunch of the violets. Oh, and the drink you see being the dessert is their Blueberry Sangria...I found it weird that they used lemon slices with the skin stil on them for fruit, there was nothing in the glass that was edible. I'm used to sangria with mango, grapes and more fruit. I would go with a glass of pinot gris next time.

Take Note:

• Service can be a bit slow
• They have a Chinese-style breakfast (including congee) available
• Neighbourhood Menu (3-6pm daily)