[Shanghai] The Public (Brunch)

The Public | Dianping
Address: 襄阳南路174号2楼(近复兴中路) – 2F, 172 Xiangyang South Rd near Fuxing Middle Rd (徐汇区 Xuhui District)
Date visited: 2013.11 for brunch
Total bill: RMB¥500 for five people (cash only)
Will return: Yes
What to get:
– Pastrami Sandwich
– Chicken & Waffles

There are two things The Public does very well: the pastrami sandwich and the fried chicken. There aren’t too many places that offer pastrami sandwiches in Shanghai and of the ones I have gotten my hands on, The Public has been the best so far. As for the fried chicken, I can instantly hibernate for days after eating it.

I frequent The Public for the above two things for dinner and recently made it in for brunch. No surprise I still got the pastrami sandwich and fried chicken but I made other people get brunch-ish food for your benefit. The verdict remains the same: still get the pastrami sandwich and fried chicken no matter what meal you eat at The Public.

Orange Juice (RMB¥30)
Pulpy.

Farmhouse Omelet (RMB¥50) with tasso ham, cheddar cheese, mushrooms
Recommend: maybe, just a normal omelet I suppose.

Home Fries (RMB¥30)
Recommend: no
My friend who ordered this was a bit disappointed as it was too dry.

House-made Andouille Sausage (RMB¥25)
Recommend: yes

Cinnamon Bun (RMB¥25)
Recommend: yes
Not too sweet and had the right soft bun texture.

Pastrami Sandwich (RMB¥70 for short, RMB¥95 for full; full is shown) with beef brisket pastrami brined for 3 days, smoked for 10 hours, and steamed for 4 hours, pickled pears, juniper mustard, house made coldslaw, and arugula
Recommend: yes
The Public is my jam when it comes to a good pastrami sandwich in Shanghai. The meat is so fatty and flavoring is amazing. From the mustard to the slaw (and even some pear slices inside), everything just goes so well together with the pastrami. This is my go-to for a good pastrami sandwich in Shanghai since I can no longer to go Katz’s in NYC.

House-made Bacon & Eggs Florentine (RMB¥55)
Recommend: no
I have definitely had better eggs benedict dishes elsewhere and don’t recommend getting it here. In it are really thick slices of fatty bacon, which I think are actually thicker cuts of the pastrami. But I don’t think it works too well with the eggs and spinach in this case. The pastrami is better as a sandwich so I recommend sticking with that.

Chicken & Waffles (RMB¥145) with half portion of The Public’s famous whey-poached fried chicken
Recommend: yes
At first we thought, how is this thing going to cost RMB¥145? When it came we realized it is because it is meant to feed more than one person and it took three of us to finish this off. Three giant pieces of fried chicken atop a sweet waffle. Delicious.

The fried batter was crispy and flavorful while the meat was juicy. I loved the contrast of the savory chicken mixed with the sweet waffle and maple syrup! The waffle itself is pretty good and there is a standalone waffle dish with seasonal jam and whip cream (RMB¥45) that I would consider getting next time if I don’t think I can handle fried chicken in the morning.

These photos really don’t do justice to the enormous size of this chicken & waffles. Don’t attempt by yourself. It is super delicious if you have the stomach capacity for it.

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