La Pomme De Terre: Brunch by Day, Bistro by Night

Yongfu Lu in Xuhui is stirring back to life, and one of its more charming new openings is La Pomme De Terre, a handsome restaurant that’s brunch by day and bistro by night in Shanghai’s former French concession.

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About La Pomme De Terre

La Pomme De Terre, a restaurant in Shanghai's former French concession serving brunch and bistro food

This project comes from Linc, a young returnee from Dongbei after a decade-long stint in Canada. He’s poured his heart into this, his first restaurant, aiming to transplant a slice of Canadian cafe and bistro culture to Shanghai.

The space is airy and intimate, rustic and casual. Warm wood tones and soft lighting are accentuated by vintage-inspired touches, like mirrors and a reflective ceiling that make the room glow against a backdrop of white brick and dark wood.

A row of large windowed doors open up to the sidewalk, creating a lovely inside-outside spot for a few lucky tables.

By day, the space is bathed in sunlight, by evening, the lights dim and candlelit tables set the mood.

(A plus for pet-owners: La Pomme De Terre is dog-friendly.)

Brunch

The menus are split into brunch and dinner. The brunch service, running daily from 11am until 3:30pm, features comforting, well-executed classics from eggs Benedict with smoked salmon (¥78) and fluffy pancakes to hearty burgers and vibrant acai bowls.

Big Breakfast

The undisputed star of the brunch menu is the Big Breakfast (¥115). It is a generously loaded plate, the kind that satisfyingly mandates a post-meal siesta.

It comes with baked beans, two strips of bacon and two herbed sausage links, sautéed mushrooms, two potato and onion cakes, and eggs served sunny side up or scrambled. The bacon is good, slightly caramelized with maple syrup. The potato and onion cakes are a unique addition, savory and flavorful, adding heft to the plate.

Totally my go-to for brunch, as good breakfast plates are hard to come by these days.

Then, there are open-faced toasts — pretty, picture-ready things loaded with toppings. There’s avocado (¥78), a half served over spiced and zesty avocado smash, house-made ricotta (¥68) adorned with fresh blueberries, thyme, and a drizzle of honey, and a vibrant mix of cherry tomatoes (¥65); two pieces per order.

For the indecisive, the Toast Platter (¥125) offers one of each.

While the tomato version can be a little difficult to eat — the tomatoes have a tendency to escape — the flavor is arguably the most compelling of the trio, thanks to a clever mix of fresh and marinated tomatoes that balance natural sweetness with bright, fresh acidity and umami.

For something more substantial, the Beef Burger (¥88) is a pleasant surprise. It appears deceptively simple, a classic build of Angus patty, bacon, pickled cucumbers, and cheddar, served with a side of fries. But the quality of the juicy, well-seasoned beef patty truly shines through, making it quite memorable.

In addition, Pomme delivers with fluffy buttermilk pancakes that honor the diner classic. The Blueberry Jam Pancakes (¥85) come generously drenched in their house-made blueberry jam and crowned with whipped cream.

They also do a classic version with maple syrup (¥58) and a more creative version with mascarpone cream, a shot of espresso, and a scoop of ice cream (¥68).

Dinner

Once brunch hours are done, the restaurant takes a break between services, offering only coffee and wine as the room is reset. When it reopens for dinner, the sunlit brunch spot turns into an intimate bistro, and the menu follows suit, trading daytime comforts for a more ambitious lineup of elegant plates and a few Canadian dedications.

The Burrata Cheese (¥92) is like an evolution of the tomato toast, featuring the same clever mix of fresh and marinated cherry tomatoes, joined by roasted cherry tomatoes, savory pine nut granola, and delicate tomato jelly. The granola provides a desirable crunch against the milky cheese, each bite a play of textures and bright, acidic notes.

You’ll likely smell the Gnocchi (¥92) before it arrives, as the heady aroma of truffle oil and 18-month Parmigiano precedes the plate. These homemade gnocchi are satisfyingly fluffy, topped with tender chestnuts.

For me, the standout is the Pork Belly (¥128). Its crackling-crisp skin gives way to exceptionally well-rendered meat, making it rich but not overwhelmingly greasy.

What truly elevates it are the accompanying sauces: a tart plum jam, a mild apple sauce, and a unique Tieguanyin tea and mustard red wine reduction, each designed to cut through the richness.

Then, there are a few dishes that pay homage to Canadian classics. The star dish from this section is the Captain’s Boil (¥328), a massive, shareable platter of seafood.

This Cajun-style feast comes with a whole baked green lobster, prawns, plump scallops, remarkably creamy mussels, and tender squid, all coated in a dry, spicy seasoning that carries a serious, welcome kick.

There’s also poutine (¥82), which I’m told features the requisite squeaky cheese curds, doused in beef gravy.

Then there’s the namesake: A Potato (¥98). This whole fried potato is sliced tableside to reveal a chicken and prosciutto filling, then poured over with Parmigiano sauce.

Save room for the Beavertails, a quintessential Canadian dessert of flat, fried dough that puffs up into a warm, crispy-chewy canvas for sweet toppings. Pomme’s Bananarama Beavertail (¥72) comes slathered in hazelnut chocolate and topped with sliced bananas and ice cream. Totally decadent.

After 10pm, the food menu comes to a close and the place turns into a wine bar. There’s a modest selection of wines, handpicked for quality, starting from ¥88 a glass, ¥388 a bottle.

A solid brunch spot for the neighborhood, and a cozy bistro setting for the evening.