Mercato: Indulge in the New Italian Brunch Menu

A Sumptuous Sweet and Savoury Brunch Menu

District: Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong
Cuisine: Italian
How much: Dishes range between $78 – $288, with the option of two hours free flow red, white or sparkling wine and Peroni for an extra $250
The Best for: Brunch with the ladies
Must Order: Poached Eggs with Prosciutto, Ciabatta and Hollandaise and Sundae with Salted Caramel Ice Cream Candied Peanuts, Popcorn, Whipped Cream and Hot Fudge

Known for their amazing, high-quality Italian fare, Mercato has recently launched a rather tempting brunch menu, featuring a range of brunch classics, along with a selection of signature dishes from their dinner menu. All dishes are served up family-style and made for sharing, making this one brunch that you’re going to want to gather up the whole clan for!

We started off with some appetisers, the Burrata with Clementine Jam and Basil ($168), which was served with grilled bread and the Lightly Fried Calamari, with Spicy Tomato Sauce with Black Olives and Capers ($148). Both were delicious, with the light tempura-like calamari batter, complimented beautifully by the tomato dipping sauce.

Moving swiftly on, we loved the Poached Eggs with Prosciutto, Ciabatta and Hollandaise ($138). The egg was perfect, served with plenty of salty and soft prosciutto. We would have been more than happy with just this dish for a hearty brunch, but we had to power on and sample some more of the delicious dishes on offer. In my opinion, pizza any time of the day is more than okay, so I was a big fan of the pizza with Spicy Salami, Broccoli and House Made Ricotta ($188). An indulgent feast, with an unusual mix of flavours (half of which we shamelessly took home).

What is brunch (or any meal) without something sweet? We were desperate to try the Buttermilk Pancakes, Bananas and House Made Nutella ($128), but, sadly, they weren’t available, so we instead went for the ridiculously indulgent Sundae with Salted Caramel Ice Cream with Candied Peanuts, Popcorn, Whipped Cream and Hot Fudge ($88), along with the Cinnamon Sticky Buns and Cream Cheese Frosting ($78). For ice cream lovers, the sundae is a must, an amazing mix of salty and sweet and crunchy and soft! And the perfect end to a mouth-watering brunch.

Sassy Mama Tip:

With delicious and super high-quality food, coupled with attentive, yet non-intrusive service, Mercato is a great choice for a decadent weekend brunch. Just make sure to come hungry, with an army to feed, as you’ll want to try as much as possible on this killer menu! If you don’t fancy going all out with the free-flow option, Mercato offers up some great signature cocktails (by the glass or jug!) – we went for the Mango Sangria, a light and fruity choice, which was a great drink that didn’t overpower any of our food choices.

Mercato, 8/F, California Tower, No.32 D’Aguilar Street, Central, Hong Kong, www.mercato-international.com