Why I Hate Brunch (RESTO 09)
Friendships, Birthdays, and Ricotta Pancakes
Hi Friends,
Happy Pisces season! It’s almost my birthday, so that’s what we’re chatting about today. (Also, want to put out a disclaimer: the thumbnail is indeed oh-so iconic Kasama, but I ADORED Kasama. I just don’t eat enough shitty brunch to have a generic photo for this post).
This time many moons ago (before the ones pictured, March 9th, 2018 to be exact), I started my eighteenth birthday at Bills, an Australian Brunch joint, waiting patiently for three friends I’d managed to find in my high school social swamp. To say that high school was socially tough is probably an understatement; I ate more lunches in the counselor’s office, library, and women’s restroom than socially acceptable in the latter half of high school. Still, I had found a sweet group of girlfriends, all four of us from different ethnic backgrounds and home countries.
At 11:15, 15 minutes after my reservation time, I saw my friend Alice (names altered because now is not the time to catch a lil defamation case) walk in, join my table nonchalantly, and then let me know that the three of them had gone clubbing the night before. It’s important to note here that I am a pretty timely person; I tend to run on the early side, and my pet peeve is when folks are perpetually late. The clubbing part was largely unsurprising to hear; high school seniors in the Korean international school system are notoriously club rats in Hongdae and Itaewon, but my strict parents had always set a 10PM curfew that barred me from joining in on the debauchery.
What did surprise me, however, was receiving a text from the two other girls 15 minutes later, a jumble of something about birthday wishes, being hungover, and still in bed. When I realized that half of my party had just flaked on my 18th birthday celebration, I felt my face flush cherry red and my everpresent pubescent appetite dwindle to null.
Alice and I still finished that brunch at Bills, working through our Avo Toast and Ricotta Pancakes, once one of my favorite dishes in Seoul, over surface-level conversation. I practically ran home after, tears dripping down my face as I beelined through Gwanghwamun to go back home. Perhaps if I were an optimist, this story would be one of the dedication to friendship that Alice showed. Unfortunately, this was more of a traumatic event that has affected my relationship with two social phenomena: brunch and celebrating my birthday.
While I’ve always been aware of my own social anxieties surrounding my birthday because of this event, I’ve never really thought about why I’ve veered away from brunching in recent years. I’ve always chucked it up to the food, a predictable mix of overpriced platters that contrast with my typical preferences of buying meals I can’t make myself. While this makes sense, it doesn’t explain why I once loved a good ricotta pancake and a well-balanced avo toast and now would need to be paid a lump sum to order them on a monthly basis.
Food contains memories, the same way scents do. I love Lawry’s Prime Rib because it’s been the center of family celebrations for decades, and I avoid Lao Gan Ma because it reminds me of my homeless era in New York. Unknowingly, I’ve also placed brunch on my blacklist.
To be honest, I’m not that upset about it. I don’t find anything remarkable about pancakes, french toast, or 2 eggs and potatoes; my dad and I can easily top our local brunch joints. That being said, there is something so socially satisfying about brunching with *the girls* or a brunch date with my (currently nonexistent) partner. It’s casual but chic, a socially acceptable medium for day drinking, and the perfect way to kick off or close out a good weekend. I also happen to work on some weekend afternoons, so it’s the perfect pre-shift social outing.
I actually thought about doing a brunch for my 25th birthday; what better story arc than overcoming the trauma from my first adult birthday on my first *real* *no excuses* adult birthday?
Time was not in my favour though; I’m looking forward to 11AM service at my New York church followed by a 2-4PM Culinary Creatives Collective for The Libi Project, the culinary creative studio that I work for. I decided on dinner at Gramercy Tavern with four of my nearest and dearest NYC friends who have happened to be with me through my life stages: one from elementary and middle school, two from middle and high school (neither one being part of the Bills birthday breakdown), and one from college, all my good friends through adulthood. There’s something so gratifying about the friendships I’ve managed to sustain throughout the years; I’ll never be a large friend group gal, but I love holding my near and dearest friends close, even if that means through an annual dinner catch-up.
On that note, let’s move into this week’s RESTO (it’s been a really exciting week!)
Reading: Substacks
Despite being a regular Substack writer, I’m not a huge Substack reader. I’ll support my friends (Hi Eric/The Pass by EKGoal! And Becca, I miss Sippin’ Pretty.), but aside from aimlessly subscribing to New York/LA food writers, I’ve never avidly kept up with their columns. As I built out my itinerary for New York, though, I found myself leaning on Substack a lot more for recs and general inspiration.
Some NYC-Based Substacks I subscribe to and read regularly include Burger Diva by Christina Castillo, Crumbs NYC by Madeline Marcella, and Smithereens’ Zine from the namesake restaurant/wine bar (though I’m scared they’re ditching the Substack efforts).
Eating: My new favorite upscale restaurant in Orange County
I chose Marché Moderne for my family birthday dinner, largely because who else am I going to be paying $100+ per person for a dinner for? I’ve been meaning to check this spot out for the past couple of years; it’s been a significant presence in Newport Beach’s fine-r dining scene (there aren’t enough restaurants I’d actually consider in the “fine dining” category) for quite a few years, and I figured probably for good reason.
Marché Moderne is as stuffy as it gets; we went on a Wednesday, walked into an empty dining room, and left to a full house, primarily occupied by white couples and white men on business dinners over the age of 50. Service was top knotch; the only restaurant I’ve been to so far where the hospitality rivals the standard for restaurants at this price point in New York, so I knew we were in for a treat.
The wine list is exorbitantly expensive (we do not condone drinking Talbot for $250), so we opted for cocktails, and my dad got a glass of Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC with his main. On a whim, I ordered a negroni, since I always get shit for drinking the same Tanqueray dirty martinis both at home and at restaurants, which was pleasantly enjoyable. Perhaps 25 is for geriatric taste.
Along with bread service for the table, we each ordered a crudo and a main, but passed our spoons/forks to get a taste of everyone’s plate, as the dance should go. I opted for the Scallop Crudo, whilst my parents had the Grouper and the Hamachi, and I am so, so glad I got the Scallop: it’s been the best bite of 2025.
I haven’t had a bite that prompts my signature closed-mouth smile of deliciousness (I hope you all can experience a meal with me in which this happens; this is the high that I chase in my food journey) probably since New York in November, and the Scallop Crudo managed to do just that. The plate had five perfect bites to savour (so net three for myself), each from bottom to top, with a slice of medjool date, a crunchy roasted hazelnut, buttery sweet scallop slice, shrimp head chutney, with black sea salt and yuzu kosho perfectly sprinkled on top, and a glistening layer of crustacean brown butter and aged balsamic poured on top and throughout the plate. That first bite of this layered bite was life-changing; the sweetness of the scallop and it’s cold yet buttery texture was only amplified by the sweetness of the date, the textural contrast of the hazelnut, the umami richness of the chutney and butter, and the light acidity of the balsamic and yuzu kosho, amped up in flavour by the sprinkling of salt.
It was INSANE; I wish I could go back every week for these $5.50 per bite morsels of goodness. The other crudos were delicious but standard fare; I appreciated the use of fruit throughout that created a nice balance of sweet, salty, and acidic, but the richness and surprise element of the flavour components of the Scallop Crudo were mindblowing. Who would have thought crudo could have so much depth in flavour?
For my main, I chose the duck breast, which was smoked and roasted, accompanied by a very delicious Amaretto jus, a pureed pear jam, almond praline, crispy skin, and grilled bitter lettuce. This was a well-executed dish, though clearly overshadowed by the aforementioned small plate. My parents tucked into the pork tenderloin and rabbit cannelloni, which were both cooked and prepared exceptionally.
We each got a dessert (as it should always be); I opted for a light option, “Between a Pavlova & a Vacherin,” which was just that; a pavlova with a cake layer and a bitter, sweet, tangy, Grand Marnier & Grapefruit ice cream that was as effective as a digestif in closing out a delectable meal. My dad, our resident chocolate lover, opted for the chocolate soufflé cake, tastefully paired with mango and coconut to balance out the richness of the flourless chocolate cake, and my mom opted for a beautiful rendition of her favourite dessert of all time, crème brûlée.
While the cost of a dinner at Marché Moderne is steep, I think it’s the perfect restaurant to celebrate life milestones in town. My parents aren’t as picky as I am, but there is a lot to be said over the fact that we all really, really enjoyed this dinner and would return for another celebration dinner in a heartbeat. The staff went above and beyond to remember my birthday, the sunset ocean views at Crystal Cove are breathtaking, and the food, maintaining the perfect balance between timeless and innovative, took me to my happy place.
I will, once there are enough notable restaurants, create an OC dining guide, but for now, rest assured that Marché Moderne is at the top of the fancy dinner category.
Styling: Spring/Summer Outfits in OC, Winter Outfits for New York!
I bit the bullet this week and succumbed to the cult of Brandy Melville. I’ve tried my absolute hardest to stray away from overconsumption, buying most of my recent pieces on Depop and/or after extensive consideration. That being said, working in coffee means I’m always at a deficit of easy-to-throw-on tanks and tees that I can comfortably move and sweat in.
I bought a handful of basics from Brandy, including a tank, a couple of tees, a cute summer dress, and a maxi skirt, all of which are appropriate enough to wear both in and out of work. These are all good layering pieces to wear through the summer and in the fall. The weather was warm during the week and chilly over the weekend, so I found myself switching back and forth between tees and layers.
As I prepare for New York, I’ve also been scrambling to figure out my outfits. Thankfully, I’m staying with my friend Elizabeth in the city, who was my neighbor for a year and have often shared clothes with, so I have a uniqlo puffer and some basics there for me, but I’m still hoping to look good and feel good while I’m there! I’ve packed a lot of layer-able basics, a couple of maxi skirts that I can sneak my Uniqlo Heattech leggings and boots under, and a reserve of going out clothes that I’ve basically never worn in OC. I’m so excited to eat, drink, party, and yap my way through the city in style, while also getting some style inspo from the NY streets.
Treating: Matcha Tiramisu!
My coworker Isabella’s birthday was yesterday, and a little group planned a sweet dinner for her. I hate celebrating my birthday, but I absolutely love celebrating others’!
As the resident baker of WIP (and generally all of my social circles) baking for our resident matcha drinker, I whipped up a matcha for the group. This was my first independent go at tiramisu; I’ve watched my dad make the classic espresso version a couple of times throughout my life, and other than the tempering of the egg yolks (and having to hand whip the whipped cream), it was pretty straightforward!
There are a few changes I’d make the next time I make a tiramisu, like using better ladyfingers and splitting my custard cream into threes before layering (the bottom layer of cream was *significantly* thicker than the top), but I’d generally say that this was a success! Everyone enjoyed the tiramisu, especially the birthday girl, which brought me so, so much joy to see. There was more than enough for the six of us, so we shared with the staff at our dinner spot, Pasta e Pasta by Allegro, which was very on brand because they happen to be a Japanese pasta joint. My parents tucked into the leftovers today, so this week’s dessert was definitely well-shared.
Obsessing: Over Change?
I probably should have shared this a couple of weeks ago when it actually happened, but I got into my first law school, with a very generous scholarship that would almost all of my tuition. While the news itself was (and still is) so exciting, it also sent me into a spiral of refreshing my other application portals and waiting for results. I’ve been in this weird quarter-life purgatory for a while now, and I’ve been seeking change and mental stimulation to distract but also help get over this crisis.
I’m getting my hair cut on Wednesday, which I think is going to be a major style change, and I’m fighting every ounce of my body not to get another piercing or tattoo. Perhaps I’m just anticipating the change that will come this year with starting law school, but I’ve been obsessed with finding ways to change my routine, my aesthetics, and my life to create more excitement to fizzle the anxiety of the law school decision waiting game.
Overall, this week was super fun and super exhausting; I’m excited to be out and about in New York this week and get the break from WIP that I need to return excited and ready to work full-time for the bulk of March.
Thank you all always for reading about my life; I’d love to hear about your recent yummy bites and sweet moments!
With Love,
Anna
1) Very Bourdainian title 2) gramercy tavern is so good 3) it’s not too late for you to pick up Arc’teryx before your trip 4) when am i getting baked goods?