Lunch - Yes, Bruch - Eh.

I'd ready about Solaire Bistro in TBJ and was intrigued, as its quite close to my home and office.

My first attempt was an utter failure. After hunting high and low for it on a Thursday night, I finally called and got directions. However, they informed me they were having a cocktail party, and no dinner was being served that night. No clue if that meant it was a private party of some sort, but it was a sign that I wasn't intended to eat dinner there.

So, the following Sunday, armed with directions, I set back out, intending to partake in Bruch. Showing up around 12:30 or so, my friend and I arrived to an empty restaurant. We thought maybe it was closed, but the handful of waitstaff rushed the door and urged us to come in and check it out. We were led to a small table which contained a soup of some sort (pumpkin, I believe), a plate of fried foods of some sort (looked like calamari), some dragon fruit on sticks, and... that's about it. The told us if we stayed there was more to come from the kitchen, but it was an odd enough situation that we bailed. I felt bad, as they seemed enthusiastic, and I liked the vibe of the place, but we were prepared to get our Brunch On, and this wasn't going to be the place.

So... last week I went back on a work day to try the set lunch. It was still nearly empty (one other couple in the place), but I'm happy to report that the food was pretty darn good.

We both started with a nice organic salad. I know it seems simple enough to mix greens with oil and vinegar, but as often as not, a salad in this town sucks. This was great, though... fresh rocket and lettuce, not wilted or stale at all. Perfectly balanced oil and balsamic dressing. Simple, but well executed.

I had the burger for lunch. It, too, was very good. The meat was clearly a freshly ground high-end cut, as opposed to just chuck. It was cooked perfectly and tasted great. My only real complaint would be the bun, which had a sweetness to it, providing an odd contrast to the beef (at least to my American burger palate).

My friend had roast chicken that was also very good.

Served with a soda or coffee/tea, it was a pretty good deal at RMB38 (I think that's how much it was).

Bottom line, a good place for a nice lunch. Not sure about dinner... and unless brunch has evolved some since my near-miss, I'd pass on it.