This restaurant’s name tells you two things about it: it may involve Asian cuisine, and it’s by a park. Those two features piqued my interest, resulting in me trying out their weekend brunch. Fortunately, Ginger by the Park delivered on both the food end and the ambience end. Seated on the terrace, I had an unobstructed view overlooking a beautiful park. The lush green grass, chirping birds, and a slightly chilling breeze set up an impeccable ambience for a mid-day brunch.

I decided on the set brunch for 148 RMB. It consisted of three courses, including an appetizer-tasting plate, an entrée, and ginger cake for dessert. While the portions did not seem too filling at the time, by the end of the meal I was satisfied, with a food baby to prove it. The appetizer-tasting platter consisted of shrimp and pomelo salad garnished with mint and crushed almond, and dressed with a sweet spicy vinaigrette; smoked salmon sushi bites; a roasted tomato and feta cheese tartlet, and; spicy beef and puffed rice, seasoned with lemongrass, shallots, chilli, ginger, mint, coriander, and cashew nuts, all in a lettuce cup. The entire tasting plate was a tempting teaser for what else was in store for the meal. Fusion food either can be a hit or miss; creating a cohesive dish utilizing different cuisines can often come across as too contrived. Other times, the flavors or ingredients are just incompatible. However, I was able to sample bite-sized pieces of Japan, Thailand, China, and Greece all on one plate. The pomelo salad was refreshing and pleasingly citrusy, complementing the fresh shrimp. Smoked salmon in the sushi made all the difference and switched up normal Japanese flavors. The roasted tomato and feta cheese tartlet was reminiscent of microwaveable frozen pizza rolls, but with gourmet ingredients—by no means a bad thing. Lastly, the lettuce wraps gave an interesting twist on a Chinese classic: the spicy beef and slightly sweet puffed rice added more Thai elements into the dish, rather than the usual pork and mushroom mixture.

I deviated away from East Asian cuisine for my entrée and opted for the Middle Eastern choice: shakshouka, which is made up of baked eggs, tomatoes, sweet pepper, spinach, feta crumbs, and crushed almonds served in a cast-iron skillet. The ingredients and flavors were reminiscent of a typical tomato and egg breakfast combination, but the two perfectly cooked eggs with mouthwateringly runny yolks oozing on the hot skillet were what made all the difference. My one suggestion to the chef would be to add pita on the side to dip the remaining shakshouka in. Nonetheless, I have found my new favorite brunch egg dish. Sorry, eggs benedict, your poached eggs just won’t do it anymore.

Ending on a sweet note, it only made sense to have desserts that featured the restaurant’s namesake: flourless ginger cake, ginger jam, candied ginger, and ginger ice cream. Did I say ginger enough times? I was afraid that the dish would be too pungent, but each individual component had just the right amount of ginger essence and avoided an overload. The cake was moist and fluffy, and when sampled with the smooth ice cream, created a harmonious combination of textures that exuded gingery spice in every bite.

As an avid bruncher, I can say with confidence that Ginger by the Park has one of the best brunch deals in Shanghai. Even as the weather gets colder and terrace dining becomes impossible, dining indoors is still just as lovely. The entire interior of restaurant is decorated charmingly, taking aesthetic cues from all of the diverse regions and countries that the restaurant represents in their dishes. For a modern take on brunch in a hip, laidback setting, Ginger by the Park hits it out of the ballpark. 91 Xingguo Lu, near Hunan Lu 兴国路91号, 近湖南路 This article was written by Tatiana Bautista. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Tatiana Bautista