Chef Conrad Van Den Heever rolls out new brunch dishes at La Brise 523, just in time for terrace season — the brunch menu is available every day!
The dinner menu is also beefed up with highlights of beef tartare and whole roasted salmon head.
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About La Brise 523
Located in Sinan Mansions, La Brise 523 is chef Conrad’s first independent restaurant. It’s a humble eatery with a menu that is best described as the chef’s portfolio of favorites. The cuisine is broadly Western with a hint of chef Conrad’s South African heritage and his love for Southeast Asian flavors.
The restaurant opened September last year, and since then has grown into its own, and tends to attract a neighborhood crowd. It’s a modest space with seating for 40 inside, which includes a semi-private area with a large party table for 10-12.
The outdoor seating area is where it’s at, especially come the warmer season. The venue is dog-friendly.
New Brunch Dishes — Served Daily
For brunch, it’s a la carte with dishes starting from ¥68, ranging from Benedicts to sandwiches to brunch specials. The brunch menu is available every day from 11am to 3:30pm.
It’s easy-going comfort food, very close to the heart, simple and straightforward.
Brunch steps in line with the requisite free-flow. It’s ¥188 for two hours of selected red and white wine, prosecco, Aperol Spritz, and highballs.
For Benedicts, I highly recommend the crab cake and smoked salmon. A massive wheel of Arctic crab cake acts as the base for this eggs Benedict. It’s topped with dill mustard, baby spinach, and smoked salmon, and given lashings of their house hollandaise. Fresh crab meat sauced up with runny yolk, and saltiness from the cured salmon. Substantial in portion. My would-be go-to.
Alternatively, there’s one with roast beef, served on an English muffin with watercress salad, and sweet caramelized onions. It’s surprisingly a light option, not too heavy and fatty.
Other options include a Tuna Poke bowl, a light summertime dish. Raw cubed tuna marinated in a yuzu ponzu dressing with avocado, mango, sesame aioli, radish, and edamame. The sea-fresh tuna goes swimmingly with the citrusy sauce.
For those looking to pack in some carbs, there’s the bagel sandwich. A layer of cured salmon, citrus cream cheese, capers, red onion, and zesty cucumber salad compacted between a bagel.
For something to share, try the Duck Liver Mousse. Duck liver mousse cooked down with rose baijiu, served with a tart cranberry compote and brioche toast. The mousse is light and creamy in body, and really packs a punch. It’s also available on the dinner menu, as is the Beef Tartare. The beef tartare is made with finely cubed beef tossed with homemade Sriracha aioli, teeny tiny shallots and capers, served with toast. Lightly seasoned tartare with a light bodied and subtle Sriracha aioli.
Also recommended is the reuben sandwich and the poached egg and cheese carbonara (¥88), both are signatures on the brunch menu since La Brise’s opening. Calorie bombs that are totally worth your macros.
New on the Dinner Menu
As for dinner, there are a handful of new items, namely a whole-roasted salmon head, a dish that’s close to chef Conrad’s heart, one that reminds him of fishing off the South African coast. The sea-theme continues with fried calamari and a firepit roasted octopus paired with a Middle Eastern sauce.
I do enjoy a roasted fish head from time to time. In the case of salmon, it’s a very fatty cut to tackle, and when I say tackle, it does require some finesse with picking around the jaw. The reward is unctuous and gelatinous flesh, and the prized cut, the cheek, a large scallop-like piece of meat. The roasted salmon head is glazed with teriyaki and served with pickled ginger and lime.
Next is an octopus leg that’s first slow-cooked then roasted over the fire grill with BBQ spices. It’s served with a punchy herb purée, more specifically, zhug, a spicy green Middle Eastern sauce, and topped with bonito flakes.
Of course, there’s steak to share. Comes with roasted garlic and baked pearl onions. The black pepper velouté is to die for — a velvety, peppery, and buttery sauce to go with the marbled beef.
Nomfluence Readers Deals
Nomfluence readers get 20% off your food bill* when you book via the link below! Deal runs until May 31, 2024.
*Deal is not applicable during weekend brunch hours and public holidays. The deal may not be used in conjunction with other on-going promotions.
The brunch menu is served daily from 11am to 3:30pm.
Click here to book now!
La Brise 523
Address: No. 4-6, Sinan Mansions, 523 Fuxing Zhong Lu, near Sinan Lu 复兴中路523弄思南公馆4-6号, 近思南路
Tel: 15800575388
Hours: Tue-Sun, 11am-10pm; closed Monday
