Enjoying Weekend Brunch

Brunch is a combination of breakfast and lunch. Brunch time is usually from 11:30AM to 3PM.

One of my favourite restaurants for brunch is Breakfast at Antonio's in Tagaytay. It is a casual and relaxing place for a good weekend brunch in the countryside since you get high quality meals and you also get a nice view of Taal volcano. 

Chorizo fritata with mushrooms, bell peppers and cheese
from Breakfast at Antonio's 

Baby back ribs from Breakfast at Antonio's

Brunch originated in England in the late 19th century and became popular in the United States in the 1930s. Later on more countries have followed on having brunch on weekends.

A good brunch meal varies since some people opt for dishes with eggs but some prefer their favourite comfort food. Thus, restaurants offer various western and eastern type dishes for brunch. In Hong Kong, one of the good cafes for brunch is Simply Life cafe.

English big breakfast plate at Simply Life cafe Hong Kong

Fish Fingers and coleslaw at Simply Life cafe Hong Kong

Weekend brunch has become a good option for most people since it is during weekends when most people tend to wake up much later. It is also a good way have a more relaxed meal with family or friends in case one had a late night out activity the night before.

Another good option for brunch is to have dimsum brunch with friends and family at a hotel or at a good Chinese restaurant.

Dimsum brunch choices at Shangri-la hotel

source: Shangri-la Manila website

In the Philippines, brunch has also become popular since friends and families normally meet up for weekend brunch to catch up and have relaxed conversations. It is interesting to see how the brunch buffet spread in hotels have become a bit more localized since it now includes popular Filipino dishes too.

Cochinillo or baby roasted pig is part of the
brunch spread at Makati Diamond hotel.
This is certainly  the best-seller as
 Filipino brunch eaters tend to try this
 version of lechon first.

The choice of carb options include Pinakbet rice(a fried rice
version of the popular mixed vegetables dish cooked
 with shrimp paste)  with crispy bagnet, creamy pasta
 alfredo and mashed potatoes.

Grilled Australian Lamb with zucchini. roasted potatoes,
and French beans

Grilled U.S. Rib eye steak 

Grilled Prawns

Roasted vegetables(cauliflower, shitake mushrooms,
carrots and garlic)

Apart from grilled dishes, a raclette cheese station is such a treat for cheese lovers. It is a must-try from the brunch options at Makati Diamond hotel.

Racelette cheese station

Raclette cheese with marbled potatoes, crispy bread
and cocktail onions and pickles

For dessert, Makati Diamond hotel offers a different type of macaron since a waiter goes to the tables to offer Foie gras flavoured macarons. The taste is quite interesting as it tastes like Foie gras but it is rendered as a sweet macaron.

Foie gras macaron

Brunch may be enjoyed in different ways. You may  opt to have an ala carte type of meal at a cozy restaurant, go to a friend's place and have a nice spread of various dishes at a garden setting or opt to go for a full-on brunch at a hotel where they offer buffet brunch with options to add bubbly drinks to your meals. What makes a good and happy weekend brunch is when one gets to enjoy the meal at a relaxing environment and gets to connect and have lovely face-to-face conversations with people too. Cheers!