South East Asian-inspired brunch with a heart for local hunger

By Kristi Alexandra & Brittany Tiplady
@looselipsmag

Where: The Union Vancouver (219 Union Street)

Neighbourhood: Chinatown

Hair of the Dog: Lychee Mimosa (lychee juice, prosecco, and a lychee) $7.50, Brunch Banga (five spice vodka, tangerine, pineapple, lime, agave) $10, and the alcohol-free Lapu Lapu (cucumber juice, coconut water, ginger, calamansi, pandan syrup) $5

What we ate: To start, we shared the Pandesal French Toast made with bao buns, caramelized Asian pears, and toasted coconut ($11). You can’t have weekend brunch here without trying one of the three styles of Bao Bun Bennies, so we went with the Soy Chili Pulled Pork Bao Bun Benny topped with papaya achara (pickled papaya) and hollandaise, curry spiced hashbrowns on the side ($13). We also tried the Bangalore Hash, filled with curry spiced potatoes, chick peas, goat cheese, cauliflower puree and more ($14). To add a little more protein, we went for a side of the lemongrass pork sausage ($3).

What we loved: Everything on the menu is South East Asian-inspired, with flavours ranging from South Chinese to Thai to Indonesian — but not all ingredients come from afar. Chef Lisa Henderson handpicks ingredients that can be bought locally, so it’s a plus that the haunt is located right on the outskirts of Chinatown. The restaurant also partners with MealShare, which helps provide meals to the hungry when certain dishes are ordered.

Kristi Alexandra is an unabashed wino and wannabe musician. Her talents include drinking an entire bottle of cabernet sauvignon, singing in the bathtub, and falling asleep.

Brittany Tiplady is a part-time poet, and a full-time goat cheese enthusiast. She loves the indoors, fast wifi, collecting maps, and a generous glass of red wine.