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Bring your friends or family and start the weekend off well by having a substantial American brunch.

“Are you lonesome tonight?”, Chef Billy suddenly goes. He is, however, not making a move at me, but simply singing along to Elvis Presley´s hit single sounding from the speakers inside “Chef Too”. After all, I am here to evaluate the American-style brunch being served every Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 to 15:30.

How does one get the idea of opening a “New York City Grill” near Chaoyang Park? „I grew tired of either eating mediocre food or paying a fortune to eat good food“, explains William Bolton, better known as Chef Billy, who owns and runs the place. He believes that being a good cook does not necessarily mean doing lots of “the fancy stuff”: Chef Billy prefers to keep things “simple and good”.

I decide to order some freshly squeezed orange juice with ice, being here on „official business“ - under different circumstances I might have given in to the lure of the first item on the brunch menu, a 38-RMB Bloody Mary.
The attentive waitress serving the Chef´s Special, Crab-stuffed avocado atop mixed organic salad (78 RMB), carries a pepper mill and offers to spice up my starter. While the combination of remoulade-covered crab pieces with ripe avocado flesh definitely works, the Chef´s Special as a whole fails to knock my socks off. Personally, I would have enjoyed some bread, perhaps a wholemeal roll with salted butter, as a supplement.

I continue by trying three of the restaurant´s brunch best-sellers: Eggs “a la New England” (pan fried eggs atop Boston brown bread with Boston baked beans, grilled tomato and asparagus, 68 RMB), Steak & Eggs (Petit Filet Mignon grilled with eggs your way, topped with basil hollandaise and merlot sauces, 128 RMB), and Smoked Salmon Benedict (poached eggs over smoked salmon, 128 RMB). Even though the steak was undoubtedly of highest quality - “Chef Too” only use fresh Australian beef – the Smoked Salmon Benedict was my personal favorite, since the combination of poached eggs and smoked salmon was incredibly tasty. Due to the molasses contained, both the Boston brown bread and the Boston baked beans have a slightly sweet taste which may not be to everybody´s liking. Along with every egg dish, you can choose two sides such as crispy bacon, grilled ham, or an English muffin.

In the end, I give in to the temptation of the home-made ice cream (28 RMB), which comes in seven flavors, including Blackberry and Hickory Smoked.

Opinions differ on whether “Chef Too”´s Brunch is worth the money spent, with the amount of time spent living in China probably being one of the determining factors. The fact that a 10% service charge is added to the prices on the menu may be typically American, but irritating to other Western guests. On the other hand, children are served free of charge, and adults are treated to a complimentary cup of coffee.

If you want to experience the Saturday & Sunday Brunch for yourself, do not forget to reserve a table as “Chef Too” can hold a maximum of 35 guests at the same time. The busiest time tends to be around 11:00 on Sundays, when groups of hungry churchgoers start pouring in.

Those looking for a weekend treat will appreciate the friendly service and authentic American flair of “Chef Too”, provided they are not too worried about their waistline. I recommend coming here after a night out, or bringing the whole family to start the weekend off well.

-by Sarah Pfleger

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