Many a place there is in this country where one can go for a spot of brunch these days- as much as a brunch eater am not I- quite a few of them I have, in fact, been.
Amongst one of my favorite places for brunch is Dan Ryan's.
Nestled at a quiet, unobtrusive place off Orchard Road near Tanglin Mall and the Botanic Gardens, this place offers what I'd casually describe as American cuisine. You know how some places offer you the Texan country vibe? This one offers a vibe that has me thinking of Chicago and a hint of moose country.
The mains for lunch and dinner are extensive. Steak- done whichever way you prefer, salmon- I think it is either grilled or pan fried, pork chops, battered fried fish, grilled (I think) trout, rosemary chicken, lamb chops and, yes, sandwiches- including a Philly cheesesteak one that I think they added only last year.
As much as I like the mains, the sides (creamed spinach!) and the desserts (American style apple pie, anyone?), however, their brunch offerings are what I particularly favour, so much so that I would actually much prefer going there for brunch rather than dinner.
Don't mistake me, Dan Ryan's has a great dinner vibe. Their bar is in house, so you get soccer games playing on the ceiling mounted television, they've got great dining booths for some private conversation, and everything is done in the fine-dining way.
What helps the decision for brunch, however, is the fact that their brunch hours on Saturdays and Sundays stretch from 11am all through to 5pm- and so there's no rush and I can make it brunch, late lunch, or early dinner.
When I do manage to make it for their brunch hours, I'm often caught in a quandary between their pancakes and their Eggs Benedict.
Their pancakes come served either plain or blueberry, in portions of three, and have butter, jam and maple syrup on the side. Perfect for a pancake lover like me. The dilemma, though, comes in the form of the portions. Each pancake is huge, and although I would love to have three fluffy pancakes made from scratch all for myself, the whole platter can get a tad overwhelming.
It would make perfect sense if I had someone to share the pancakes with me, but I don't. My dining companion orders one thing, and one thing only whenever we brunch there.
Steak and eggs.
Plus an additional order of French Onion Soup.
Can't say I disagree with the choice- for someone who fancies steak, and who favors protein over carbs, Steak and Eggs is excellent. You get the steak done whichever way you like, you get the eggs which you can choose however you wish to, and there is the toast where you can have white, wheat or rye. My companion always has the steak medium rare, the eggs sunny side up, rye bread (it being more interesting than wheat or white) and a side of sweet potato fries.
And so, although I really, really, really do love the pancakes, more often than not, I end up going for the Eggs Benedict instead. The portion is just as huge- two perfectly poached eggs above two slices of ham topped with Hollandaise sauce, two English muffins that I have on their own with a thick serving of butter and a dollop of strawberry jam.
Nestled at a quiet, unobtrusive place off Orchard Road near Tanglin Mall and the Botanic Gardens, this place offers what I'd casually describe as American cuisine. You know how some places offer you the Texan country vibe? This one offers a vibe that has me thinking of Chicago and a hint of moose country.
The mains for lunch and dinner are extensive. Steak- done whichever way you prefer, salmon- I think it is either grilled or pan fried, pork chops, battered fried fish, grilled (I think) trout, rosemary chicken, lamb chops and, yes, sandwiches- including a Philly cheesesteak one that I think they added only last year.
As much as I like the mains, the sides (creamed spinach!) and the desserts (American style apple pie, anyone?), however, their brunch offerings are what I particularly favour, so much so that I would actually much prefer going there for brunch rather than dinner.
Don't mistake me, Dan Ryan's has a great dinner vibe. Their bar is in house, so you get soccer games playing on the ceiling mounted television, they've got great dining booths for some private conversation, and everything is done in the fine-dining way.
What helps the decision for brunch, however, is the fact that their brunch hours on Saturdays and Sundays stretch from 11am all through to 5pm- and so there's no rush and I can make it brunch, late lunch, or early dinner.
When I do manage to make it for their brunch hours, I'm often caught in a quandary between their pancakes and their Eggs Benedict.
Their pancakes come served either plain or blueberry, in portions of three, and have butter, jam and maple syrup on the side. Perfect for a pancake lover like me. The dilemma, though, comes in the form of the portions. Each pancake is huge, and although I would love to have three fluffy pancakes made from scratch all for myself, the whole platter can get a tad overwhelming.
It would make perfect sense if I had someone to share the pancakes with me, but I don't. My dining companion orders one thing, and one thing only whenever we brunch there.
Steak and eggs.
Plus an additional order of French Onion Soup.
Can't say I disagree with the choice- for someone who fancies steak, and who favors protein over carbs, Steak and Eggs is excellent. You get the steak done whichever way you like, you get the eggs which you can choose however you wish to, and there is the toast where you can have white, wheat or rye. My companion always has the steak medium rare, the eggs sunny side up, rye bread (it being more interesting than wheat or white) and a side of sweet potato fries.
And so, although I really, really, really do love the pancakes, more often than not, I end up going for the Eggs Benedict instead. The portion is just as huge- two perfectly poached eggs above two slices of ham topped with Hollandaise sauce, two English muffins that I have on their own with a thick serving of butter and a dollop of strawberry jam.