Neighbourhood Nosh
Brunch for less than $1,200? MOvie and a drink afterwards? head to this addition to Kennedy Town’s expanding café landscape.
Hey, c’mon now. We all love a decadent Sunday brunch with free-flowing booze and a nice view to go with an extravagant and, let’s admit it, shameful amount of food. Most of it wasted. Not that we needed the death, illness and chaos but one of COVID’s silver linings was forcing something of a moratorium on wasteful dining; just ask Feeding Hong Kong how much food we bin each day. More and more buffet brunches are “semi-buffet” and will only bring you more food if you’re absolutely sure you’ll eat it, and more than likely by the time we’ve flagged a waiter the urge to gorge has passed. This is s good thing.
Which means there’s room for a more civilised level of Sunday gossiping, delivered by the likes of Blend & Grind. The eatery isn’t new to Hong Kong’s food scene. The first B&G opened in 2017 as a trendy, coffee and smoothie bar in Mid-Levels, and followed with a more hipster Wan Chai location in 2019. This third outlet is by far the most restaurant-like, and the relative dearth of tony residences and office towers nearby gives it a more neighbourhood feel.
The casual “let’s stop for a bite” vibe starts at the front door, thanks to the indoor-outdoor design (by Ō Droma Design Development), the natural woods, ventilation and light, giant sliding doors and windows, hanging greenery and lazing hounds. Yes. Bring the dog. B&G kind of comes out to the street, and in doing so engages with the tram trundling by and everyone out for their morning walk. It flirts with the same kind of spontaneity that its neighbour, Golden Scene Cinema, down the road does. You live in the area, you’re walking by, why not pop in for that Iranian drama you’ve been meaning to check out? Then a refreshing cocktail and a shakshuka? Casual approachability is B&G’s greatest strength. It would be easy to linger on the patio or flaked on the plush sofa for hours. And hours. And hours.
But it’s not going to stay open long if the food is crap, so thankfully no worries there. Brunch is B&G’s bread and butter, with the stars of the show being the Açai Bowl ($115), a hodgepodge of Greek yoghurt, berries, bananas, granola, chia seeds and other Birkenstock delights, which is actually quite delicious. The Avosmash ($105) adds sun-dried tomatoes and lemon drizzle to the popular sourdough-based sandwich, one of half a dozen bread-y breakfast items. For big appetites (or to share?) is the Breaky Board ($158), which comes with – deep breath – scrambled eggs, avocado slices, grilled halloumi, pomegranate, beetroot, corn, asparagus, pesto, feta, sourdough, smoked salmon, mini pancakes with caramel and blueberry sauces and OJ. The surprises, though, include the Lamb Shakshuka ($128), which is a little more substantial than the traditional version, as well as B&G’s assorted fritters ($115), served with poached eggs. Those things are frakkin’ delicious and the sweet corn and zucchini will come at you out of nowhere.
The weekend is the ideal time to enjoy the brunch menu, but most of the items are available daily until 4pm, when B&G switches over to a more bar snack/tapas type menu. This is the stuff you munch on before that 9:45pm movie we were talking about. Among the more interesting nibbles are Halloumi fries ($93), and the grilled steak and chipotle ($112), lamb ($108) or chicken and mango chutney ($98) bao tacos. Three sharing boards are available to cater to all tastes: a sampler ($152), a charcuterie board ($173) and a sirloin monster ($218).
At all times, the signature coffees and smoothies are on deck. The smoothies ($60) are a case of what you see is what you get: the Power Up (guess what it does?) mixes mango, pineapple, banana and coconut water; the heart-smart Avocardio is a combo of avocado, apple and lemon. Our favourite? The Recovery, a concoction of chocolate plant protein, banana, chia seeds and coconut water. Who cares if it’s “good” for you when it tastes like a damn chocolate milkshake? Bring it! On the caffeine front, B&G’s house blends – the White Edition medium roast blend from Ethiopia and Brazil for milky coffees, and the Black Edition blend that throws Kenya into the mix for espresso drinkers – form the basis of the café’s hallmark espresso martinis. No. Seriously. Have the Salted Caramel Espresso Martini ($79). Have it today. If martinis aren’t your jam, the house cocktails ($98-$132) are made with ingredients such as dragon fruit, yuzu, wasabi, Frangelico and a bunch of other unconventional parts, and the bartenders are happy to find you the right fit.
Blend & Grind
Address: G/F 20 Catchick Street, Kennedy Town
Kennedy Town MTR Exit B; Tram stop North Street
Available on: Deliveroo
Worth going back: Mos def if you’re in the area