Park Side Bar & Grill Launches their Brunch

While I’m always multi-tasking different projects simultaneously and stuck permanently with an irregular schedule, Sunday brunch is one of the few consistent things in my life that I look forward to on a weekly basis.  It’s no secret I’m always on the prawl for new brunch spots and Park Side Bar & Grill is one of the best brunches I’ve had in quite some time.

Only about seven weeks old (opened on May 28, 2010), Park Side is already a popular sports bar and hang out (packed throughout the World Cup) in the Lido neighborhood and word on the street is that they’ve got the best lasagna in town. Lasagna aside, Park Side serves a solid a la carte menu with a wide selection of cocktails, smoothies, appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts, Park Side has most recently launched a new brunch menu and will soon start offering a set lunch menu (RMB 78/98 for 2/3 courses + drink).

Their brunch menu is served on weekends from 11:00-16:00 and offers a Build-Your-Own 3-egg omelet option (RMB 48 for 3 sides) and an assortment of eggs benedict varieties (RMB 68) and other classic breakfast staples (English breakfast, Yankee Breakfast, pancakes, crepes, etc. for RMB 48-68).

To start, I ordered the Yogi Brrr smoothie - tropical combination of mango, pineapple, banana, kiwi and yoghurt (RMB 38/48 for 245ml/400ml).

We then ordered a few salads – the Chili Mango Shrimp Salad (large size) with pan-seared shrimp & chili mango salsa and the Summer Strawberry (small size) with fresh strawberries and chunks of blue cheese topped with crisp leaves and balsamic dressing. Both salads were great starters and perfect for a hot summer day. All salads are RMB 48/68 depending if you prefer your salad portion as a starter or a main course. See here the portions for a large salad vs. a small salad.

For mains, we ordered the Build-Your-Own Omelet and chose smoked salmon, shredded Swiss cheese and spinach. Other omelet add-in options include diced ham, diced sausage, diced bacon, tomato, shredded cheddar cheese, mushrooms and onions. Portions were generous and for RMB 48, this is a great deal, but the omelet was a little dry.

On the other hand, my friend Andreas ordered the Mediterranean Benedict (RMB 68) which was the BEST eggs benedict in Beijing. Instead of an English muffin, they use homemade foccacia bread which is topped with rich tomato ratatouille, thinly sliced Parma ham, 2 poached eggs topped with white wine tomato butter sauce.  To me, this was the holy grail of eggs benedicts – it was that good.

Review of Park Side Bar & Grill: 6-9 Jiangtai Xilu (facing Rosedale Hotel), 将台西路9-6号, Tel: 6444-6555

Best Part:

• Casual, comfortable Western-style restaurant in the Lido area
• Versatile environment that is suitable for anything from a casual lunch to late night drinks.
• Mediterranean Benedict is the best benedict I’ve tried in Beijing – you gotta try it to believe it.
• Long smoothie selection with variety of fresh fruit juice available
• Refreshing summer salads (Chili Mango Shrimp & Strawberry Blue Cheese were great combos)
• Super friendly service, manager Robbie was a great host
• Prices are absolutely reasonable considering the portions are generous and the chef’s creations are innovative and definitely worth coming back for.

Comments:

• I hear from several sources that the lasagna is the best in town, but I yet to try it for myself.
• Park Side serves great food, but it still feels more like a bar than a restaurant even during the day.  When we went for brunch, there were a few other tables of people, but it was pretty quiet for a Sunday afternoon. While I prefer the environment/decor of Element Fresh, Park Side’s food, service and value is MUCH better. Considering they are newly opened, I think they have a ton of potential.
• Something to look forward to – they will soon be serving set lunch menus – RMB 78/98 for 2/3 courses + drink

Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)

• Food: 8
• Atmosphere: 7
• Service: 8
• Overall Experience: 8