[Shanghai] The Public (Brunch) (2)

The Public | Dianping
Address: 襄阳南路174号2楼(近复兴中路) – 2F, 174 Xiangyang Nan Lu near Fuxing Zhong Lu (徐汇区 Xuhui District)
Date visited: 2014.07 for brunch
Total bill: RMB¥310 for three people
Will return: Yes
What to get:
– Pastrami Sandwich
– Flap Jacks (Pancakes)
– Please see previous brunch visit for more dishes

Portions at The Public are huge. I cannot emphasize this enough. We always order to share; even sandwiches are split among other dishes. I watched an order of fried chicken, chicken & waffles, and more go to the wide-eyed party of three next to us and someone attempt a chicken & waffles by herself on the other side (see previous brunch and dinner visits for sizes). Sharing is caring, you guys. I think this place rivals Madison in how many calories you can consume before 1pm on a Saturday/Sunday. Places like this is why my weekend schedule is wake up, get brunch, take nap.

Pastrami Sandwich (RMB¥90) house-cured USA beef brisket pastrami brined, smoked and steamed for four days, served with Italian country bread, pickled pears, juniper mustard, house-made slaw
Recommend: yes!!!
My favorite pastrami sandwich in this city. I think about this sandwich a lot.

The Public originally served this on sliced square bread but changed to a roll. Sometimes the bread is hit or miss with the toasting–if they under-toast it, the bread ends up being too soft and it feels like I am eating a giant hotdog bun. I personally think this sandwich is better with the bread toasted crispy on the outside. If this is also your preference, don’t hesitate to ask the kitchen to toast your bread a bit more.

Le Big Mac (RMB¥100) with Australian beef patty and toasted brioche bun, cheddar, red onions, tomatoes, house-made pickles, rocket, and lettuce, drizzled with house-made thousand island dressing and mustard
Recommend: yes
Someone saw the words “big mac” and immediately declared he wanted these. Good thing there were three of us to eat this because it was a double patty stacked high with condiments. One of the better gourmet burgers I have had in Shanghai but my favorite is still Beef & Liberty (reviews here and here).

The mustard here is bomb. The spicy and stings up your nose kind. If you see mustard in the dish description (pastrami sandwich, burger, etc), this is the one. I should have asked if I could buy a bottle but then again I don’t cook.

House-made Smoked Maple Bacon (RMB¥30)
Recommend: yes
I think this is a thicker cut of the pastrami from the pastrami sandwich. Recommend especially if you are not ordering the pastrami sandwich (although that would be a grave mistake). Doesn’t hurt to get another order of this even if you are ordering the pastrami sandwich!

Truffle Garlic Fries (RMB¥40)
Recommend: no
No smell or taste of truffle. The garlic overpowers whatever miniscule truffle essence they put in there, if there was any truffle to begin with. The fries were surprisingly crispy given the thickness. The sweet potato fries that come with the sandwiches/burgers are better.

Flap Jacks (RMB¥50) buttermilk pancakes with seasonal jam, maple syrup, bananas, and whip cream
Recommend:
Two huge slices. Another reinforcement that portions here are for giants have to be shared. While the pancake batter isn’t perfect, the combination with bananas, whipped cream, jam, and a dash of maple syrup creates a heavenly taste. The batter is not as moist as I would like it to be but probably one of the better pancake choices in this city given the alternative is Mr. Pancake House (ew) but still far from the best pancakes in life at Clinton St in New York.

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