Second Sunday Brunch Bunch: Malai Kitchen

For this month's Brunch Bunch, we opted for a more unusual location...Malai Kitchen. 

When I think of brunch, Thai/Vietnamese food does not immediately come to mind. But you shouldn't judge a brunch book by its cover, because Malai does a fantastic job of putting an Asian twist on all-American brunch classics. For example, their version of a breakfast sandwich is a Ham and Egg Banh Mi, made with a Vietnamese baguette, ham, egg, cucumbers, spicy aioli, Sriracha, cilantro, and Thai basil. 

Before delving into the delicious food options, we ordered a plethora of delicious cocktails, including Bloody Marys, Mimosas, Vietnamese Limeade (house-infused green tea vodka, lime, palm sugar, and mint), and a Ginger Bird Margarita (tequila, lime, agave, muddled ginger, and Thai chiles).

To start, they brought out sticky rice with a spicy eggplant dipping sauce. The sauce doesn't look very appealing, but I promise that it is quite delicious. 

Sarah ordered the chicken Pho Bo, which she very much enjoyed.

 Jill and Erin both got the Thai Eggs Benedict, which is described as "Scratch Coconut Biscuits piled high with Spinach, Thai Basil, Shrimp, and Poached Eggs with Thai Chile Hollandaise." They both raved about the dish, particularly the coconut biscuits.

Note that Jill ordered ham on hers instead of shrimp because she was a little too hungover for shrimp :).

Finally, Laura and I both ordered the Banh Mi French Toast, which is made with a thick-sliced Vietnamese baguette and comes with flambeed bananas and coconut syrup.

I can't tell you how good this french toast was. My only complaint was the puny amount of potatoes on the side. But the ridiculously good coconut sauce totally made up for that. 

If you are looking for something different for your next brunch, I highly recommend Malai Kitchen. It won't disappoint.