Fancy a breezy staycation in the Hamptons of China? The stylish Moganshan mountain retreat area, just a few hours drive from Shanghai, is spotted with modern villas, boutique hotels, and spoiled with an up-and-coming culinary scene. Since the early 1900s, it has been a summer hotspot for the fashionable residents of Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Shanghai, and has risen back to prominence in the past few years.
Besides the grand scenery and cozy hotels, mountain getaways call for one other essential element: BRUNCH. Any urbanite knows that a freshly brewed cuppa and a sunny side-up egg — or the lack thereof — can make or break the holiday. For that, Shanghai’s Ocean Grounds Coffee Roasters have concocted a scrumptious gourmet summer brunch and coffee pop-up in the Moganshan retreat area.
The experience is hosted within the four walls of partner L.A. Coffee on the main street of Moganshan town. Not to worry if your Dragon Boat holiday is already booked- the brunch will be served daily 10:00-16:00, with craft coffee running from open to close up until October 8th.
The menu comprises of mouth-watering holiday brunch favorites: Opt-in for a Moganshan Benedict, served with three kinds of mushrooms and local bamboo with poached eggs, or a smoked salmon with crispy potato rosti with poached eggs. Looking to go all in? Check out the hearty American-style Breakfast, which comes with two eggs in any style, bacon, roasted sausage, breakfast potatoes, mixed greens and a sad of their signature yeasted waffles!
The pop-up brunch menu is designed by two internationally acclaimed chefs Tariq Ali and Han Wei. Chef Ali has studied regional Italian cuisine and techniques in Parma and started his career at the two-Michelin-starred restaurant, La Madia, on the southern coast of Sicily. He then went on to develop his craft at some of New York City’s most celebrated restaurants including Marea (Michelin two-star), Blue Hill (Michelin one star), Gramercy Tavern (Michelin one star), Maysville (New York Times Critic’s Pick), and San Francisco’s Delfina (James Beard Award) and Mourad (Michelin one star). Tariq Ali is now splitting his time between Alsace in France and Shanghai.
Chef Han Wei has been a professional in the high-end culinary arts for nearly 20 years. He has manned the kitchens of various five-star hotels in Beijing, including The Peninsula, InterContinental, Regent, and several others. His never-ending love for food and persistence even led him to be a serving Chairman of the Beijing organizing committee for the Olympic Games. Han Wei is a master of multiple cuisines including French, Italian, American, Filipino, and Chinese.
The craft coffee during the brunch will be served by a well-known Shanghai coffee purveyor Ocean Grounds Coffee Roasters, which is currently operating in three sleek coffeehouses in Hongqiao (The Hub), Xintiandi (Hong Kong Plaza), and Changning (Raffles City). Founded by California native Jim Lee, the company brings seasonal coffee blends, rare single origins coffees, and one-of-a-kind creative coffee beverages.
Lee, says he always dreamed of the opportunity to bring his style of coffee to China, and when he saw the market was growing at the pace of over 25% a year, it served as a green flag. Ocean Grounds Coffee Roasters has been successfully operating since 2011 when it opened the first shop in Beijing.
All coffee beans are hand-sorted and roasted in small batches. All of their coffee has been scored 80 points or higher by a panel of certified Q-Graders (industry professionals that know way more about coffee than anyone should). In other words, there is no need to try your luck and get disappointed over a burnt cup of watered down Americano in a shady coffee shop if Ocean Grounds is close by.
Whether it is a week-long trek in the mountains crowned by a comfortable stay around the Moganshan retreat area or just a quick dip into nature, Ocean Grounds Coffee Roasters will see that you don’t go hungry or thirsty throughout your time off. Or even put a few extra kilograms on for winter.
The Ocean Grounds Coffee Roasters
summer brunch & coffee pop-up experience
runs from now till Oct 7, from 10am to 4pm daily
at L.A. Coffee in Moganshan (47 Huangfudong Road 黄郛东路47号).
