New Brunches & Lunches For Families To Check Out This September

Tuck into these family-friendly brunches and lunches and watch everyone enjoy a great meal!

We know it’s only Wednesday, but that means we’re already thinking about the weekend! If the good weather continues, it’s an excuse to get outside for some al fresco dining, but if the rain keeps coming, there are several family-friendly spots that will help you ignore the cloudy skies. Here’s our pick of the best new brunches and lunches where the whole family can join. Enjoy!

Café Claudel

We were recently treated to a family brunch at Café Claudel and it was so good, every single one of us left saying, “We definitely want to go back there again.”

This totally reasonably priced, family-friendly spot in Tai Kwun had something to satisfy everyone. We started with the decadent cheese plate ($198) that could have come straight from Paris – the assortment of fine French cheeses accompanied by freshly baked bread was beyond amazing. We also had the Avocado Tartine ($68 for two or $85 for four), a bruchetta-like teaser of avocado on bite-sized bread with radishes (fresh and so delicious). For the vegetarians, the Avocado Toast ($98), with poached egg was a perfectly satisfying meal; the Croque Monsieur ($98) was ideal for the hungriest in our brood –  grilled ham and cheese sandwiches complete with French fries and a small salad; the diet-conscious one (hello!) enjoyed the Cod Fillet ($218) with sautéed fennel and asparagus; and the health-conscious one got the Scrambled Egg Whites with smoked salmon and avocado toast ($88). No matter if you choose from the Breakfast Menu (which features an assortment of eggs for $78, any style and even French Toast for $88), or from the starters and mains, you will be making Café Claudel your go-to breakfast spot for sure. (If the sun pokes it’s head out, the outdoor seating here is fab. Café Claudel will soon have its outdoor license, but in the meantime, you can order takeaway to eat at the tables outside).

Café Claudel, Shop 01-G08, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong, 2411 1310, www.cafeclaudel.com

Three Blind Mice

Fans of the Sunday Roast get ready – yet another one of our fave restos, Three Blind Mice, is offering up a mouth-watering menu you won’t want to miss. Every Sunday (all day long!), you can get a three-course menu for $218 which include starters, a main (choices include Roast Beef Dinner or Roasted Pork Belly, each complete with Yorkshire Pudding, horseradish sauce, mixed vegetables, roast potatoes and mash with gravy – yum!) and dessert. Add two-hours of free-flow Pilsner Urquell for $158 or wine, Prosecco and cocktails for $208.

Three Blind Mice, G/F, 35 Ship Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, 2447 7793 www.threeblindmicehk.com

Tosca

We’re getting our fill with favourite spots this month! Tosca, a fine dining resto perched high in the ICC building, is treating its guests to the flavours of Italy this month. We were lucky enough to sample the newly launched “La Dolce Vita” lunch menu (available every Saturday in October) and can say it was up to the Tosca standards we are used to. The menu explores unique Tuscany region delights. Tuscan native Chef Nicola Russo has created a delectable menu of delicacies including Panzanella (a bread salad served with yellowfin tuna tartare) Cacciucco Alla Livornese (seafood soup) and Tagliata di Manzo (charcoal grilled Florentine-style steak). To finish off this perfect meal is a “picnic basket” filled with surprise sweets and treats. We find ourselves heading to Tosca again and again, and this menu is only one of the many reasons! It’s a perfect place for families as well (despite being a fine dining restaurant) because its impeccable service caters to even the smallest ones in your group.

Tosca,  Level 102, The Ritz-Carlton, International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon, Hong Kong, 2263 2270, www.ritzcarlton.com

Mrs. Pound

Not just a speakeasy, Mrs. Pound offers a reasonably priced lunch menu from 12pm to 3pm that has us taking notice! Start off with a Sambal Seafood Salad ($85) or Summer Fennel Salad ($70) to get you going. For mains, take your pick from a variety of rice and noodle dishes, including the Yakitori and Rice Platter ($80), Sukhumvit 38 Pad Thai ($70), Vietnamese Clam Noodles ($70) and more.

Mrs. Pound, 6 Pound Lane, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, 3426 3949, www.mrspound.com

Mercato by Jean-Georges

Does the idea of unlimited seasonal salads, freshly shucked oysters, cured meats and cheese, paired with starters to share and a choice of mains for just $298 per person sound as good to you as it does to us? Then head to Mercato by Jean-Georges because you’ll get all that and more at its new Brunch Semi-Buffet! There is something for all the folks in your brood, including Rigatoni and Meatballs, Crispy Chicken Sandwich With Fried Egg, Avocado Toast with Poached Egg, Eggs Benny with Spinach and Tomato and lots of desserts to top you off.

If you’re craving pasta, Mercato by Jean-Georges has launched “Basta Pasta” to showcase different pasta dishes created by the talented Mercato by Jean-Georges chefs. For the next eight weeks you can try out the various selections which include: Demi Chef Naomi Raagas’ Cappellini Pasta in “Sinigang” Broth with Braised Pork Belly and Spinach; Chef De Partie Sunny Tam’s Rigatoni with Buttered Shrimp and Salted Egg Sauce; Executive Chef Anthony Burd’s Pork Liver Mousse Agnolotti with homemade Char-Siu and Parmigiano-Reggiano; Senior Sous Chef Leonard Nigro’s  Shrimp and Pork Tortellini with Black Trumpet Mushrooms; Pastry Chef Gary Wong’s Summer Squash Caprese Tagliatelle with Shrimp and Crushed Hazelnuts; Chef De Partie Oscar Chung’s Gnocchi all’Amatriciana with Guanciale, Pecorino and San Marzano tomatoes; Sous Chef Resam Chand’s Spaghetti with Clams, Squid, Spicy Tomato Sauce and Gremolata; and Sous Chef Arlan Pasco’s wood Oven-Roasted Chicken, Shiitake Mushrooms and Chianti Wine Sauce. Each dish is $188 and the promotion ends on Sunday, 28 October.

Mercato by Jean-Georges, 8/F, California Tower, 32 D’Aguillar Street, Lan Kwai Fung, Central, Hong Kong, 3706 8567, www.mercato-international.com

cafe bar on 8 at Two MacDonnell Road

Every Sunday from 11:30am to 3pm café bar on 8 will be hosting both a Thai and Western feast for the whole family to enjoy. For the Thai food lovers, we’re talking Tom Yum Soup ($88), Spicy & Sour Chicken Soup with Coconut Milk ($68) to start, a refreshing Thai Pomelo Salad with Mixed Seafood ($118) or Thai Roast Beef Salad ($118) for those looking for a lighter meal, or for the hungrier in the bunch, Fried Rice with Pineapple and Crab Meat in Thai Style ($128), Turmeric Braised Duck with Rice ($128), Grilled Satay Skewers ($128), Thai Grilled Pork Neck with Rice ($108), Roasted Ribs in Thai Style ($128) or Thai Salt-baked Prawns and Vermicelli with Basil in Claypot ($148). But if your kids are picky or just want some good ol’ fashioned western food, they’ll love the Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon and Farm Bread ($108), Eggplant Lasagna ($108), Pumpkin Risotto with Pine Nuts, Chestnuts and Sweet Corn ($108), the indulgent French Bread with Roasted Beef, Blue Cheese and Braised Onion in Red Wine ($108) or the café bar on 8 Signature Beef Burger ($108).

cafe bar on 8 at Two MacDonnell Road, 8/F, Central, Hong Kong, 2132 2688, www.twomr.com.hk

Sakana No Aji

For the family of sushi lovers, the new Omakase lunch menu at Sakana No Aji offers a 10-piece plus hand roll for $488. Guests will be seated at the sushi bar as they watch their meals being prepared and will be treated to authentic dishes including Skipjack Tuna, Red Snapper, Sea Urchin and Horsehair Crab. But if you like to choose your own, there are other options, including raw and cooked dishes as well as vegetarian dishes (from $148).

Sakana No Aji, 2/F, 8 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong, 2896 6018, www.facebook.com

Arcane

Vegetarians and vegans get psyched because Arcane has just launched its first ever vegan menu! Delighting diners with a five-course menu ($750 per person), it’s chock full of fresh fruits and vegetables to start, and the main includes a handmade seaweed rigatoni with broccolini, pine nuts, fried garlic and girolles. If set menus aren’t your thing, you can easily order from the à la carte menu as well.

Arcane, 3/F, 18 On Lan Street, Central, Hong Kong, 2728 0178,  www.arcane.hk