Morena by Azul: Small Plates, Big Brunch in Jing'an

A rebirth! Morena by Azul brings fresh energy to Latin American and Mediterranean flavors.
Small plates, a huge weekend brunch in Jing’an, and weekday lunch, with plenty of dishes under ¥100.

This is the rebrand of chef-founder Eduardo Vargas’s namesake venue in Shankang Li, what he calls a “new chapter,” one that’s representing a blend of cultures much closer to home.

Morena by Azul is a Latin American and Mediterranean restaurant in Jing'an, Shanghai for brunch and dinner

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Morena by Azul

Azul was founded in 2003. Eduardo has always placed consistency, quality, and respect for ingredients at the forefront. It’s a landmark restaurant brand for Shanghai, with awards and recognition throughout the years. But in recent years, something new has taken priority in Eduardo’s life — his daughter, Amelia.

Morena is a term of endearment in Spanish. It means “my darling” or refers to a girl with darker features, a brunette.

Born to a Peruvian father and a Chinese mother, Eduardo says his daughter’s “mix” is closer to representing Morena by Azul more than anything else. You could say he named the restaurant for his daughter.

He also says “it’s not fusion for the sake of fusion.” The menu draws largely from his Peruvian heritage and Mediterranean flavors, with Asian ingredients woven in intuitively.

As for the space, it also bears a new look, a brighter palette with sunny yellows and a flower motif.

The spacious terrace is also dog-friendly. For families with young kids, rest easy — there’s plenty of running and playing space in the courtyard.

Brunch in Jing’an

Brunch is served on weekends, with a two-hour free-flow option for ¥150. Plenty of brunch dishes also cross over to the weekday lunch menu, and nearly everything is priced under ¥100.

Weekend Free-Flow: ¥150 for two hours of Bloody Mary, red & white sangria, Cuban Mojito, Spanish cava, martini, mango margarita, pisco sour, beer.

Plus, during weekday lunch, 11am to 2:30pm, order any dish and you get a welcome bread basket plus one complimentary side salad of fruit or vegetable OR one drink black coffee, tea, lemonade, or soda. That’s a lot of value!

Brunch Highlights at Morena by Azul

The Karaage Chicken Benedict (¥68) is a solid start. It’s not brunch without a Benedict, and this one delivers: two poached eggs over tempura-battered fried chicken seasoned with shichimi, all coated in hollandaise. Value and satisfaction on one plate.

Then there’s the Truffle & Egg Croffle (¥68), another hefty plate. It’s a waffle made from the same flaky pastry as croissants, topped with a silky omelet and a truffle-mushroom cream. Decadent, hearty, maybe a little gimmicky — but it works. The croffle base is light and fluffy, perfect for soaking up that creamy egg.

The Venezuelan Pancake (¥88) takes a different route. Made with corn flour and freshly blended corn, it’s a satisfying and genuinely lighter option. The golden-yellow pancake is folded with mozzarella in the center, served with chipotle butter and farmer’s tomatoes.

For something more substantial, the Venison Lasagna (¥98) is a comforting slice, generous with minced venison between baked pasta sheets, béchamel, and a salty Parmesan crust.

The Granola Plate (¥68) is hefty enough to be a brunch main. It’s topped with a dozen kinds of fresh and dried fruit, oats, and served with Yunnan honey. The Greek-style yogurt base is also house-made with zero additives.

If you’re sharing, the Wagyu Katsu Sando M5 (¥168) brings four mini sandwiches with buttery-soft beef tenderloin and truffle aioli. It’s rich and indulgent.

For easy, no-fuss, all-in-one meals, there are bowls: Miso Salmon Bowl (¥98) and Beef Bowl (¥118). The salmon is marinated in miso, served over wheat grains cooked in milk and cream, topped with an onsen egg, avocado, and furikake. I wasn’t a fan of its sweeter profile, but enjoyed the texture of the grains.

I gravitate toward the beef bowl, which prioritizes protein over the starchy base. It comes with New Zealand striploin over fragrant truffle rice, with fried cauliflower and broccoli, pickled cabbage, a refreshing salsa, and an onsen egg.

For something soul-warming, the Spanish Lentil Stew (¥58) is a thick bowl of tender lentils, fried pork belly bits, and peppery chorizo. It comes with black garlic bread toasted with nutty manchego cheese. This is where smaller portions work in favor of solo diners. It’s just enough to taste without being put to sleep. Rich, salty, satisfying. Mama’s cooking from Eduardo.

As for the signatures, plenty of the Azul favorites made the cut, the Seafood Paella (¥248) being one of them. Unlike most places, Morena by Azul cooks their paella over a charcoal grill, which gives the rice a subtle smokiness. Fragrant with spices, generously topped with prawns, octopus, clams, scallops, and mussels. The socarrat, those crispy bits of rice, are visible along the edges.

The Seafood Ceviche (¥98) is an updated version of the Azul classic. It comes with fried calamari, cubed white fish, prawns, crunchy cancha corn, red onions, and sweet potato in a citrusy yellow chili tiger’s milk dressing. Bright and fresh, and a protein boost.

The Tuna Tostada (¥78) gets its texture from a crunchy fried corn tortilla. Diced soy and mirin-marinated tuna are piled on with guacamole. Crunchy, rich, velvety. A generous portion for a tostada. These are the bomb!

The Octopus Al Josper (¥118) is more straightforward: tender octopus cooked in the Josper oven, served with piquillo salsa verde and aioli. Simple, done right.
Desserts are all priced at ¥68.

There’s the Peruvian Flan — Eduardo’s signature that’ll outlast us all — along with Caramel Cheesecake, Latin Churros with whipped cream and chocolate cream, and a Mango Passion Fruit Dessert with mango ice cream.

The Drinks

As for drinks, Morena by Azul has plenty of options. Wines by the glass start from ¥65, classic cocktails and Morena signatures from ¥68, sangria, smoothies, beer, and mocktails (¥48).