Half-Off The Hatchery's New Soul Bowl Menu, Mar 23-28
We probably hadn’t heard a group of people talking so much about packed bowls since we were last in a liberal arts college dormitory, but let us just say the excitement was warranted because Soul Bowls are back. These items initially caused a stir at The Bookworm about six months ago when the folks involved with The Hatchery were gearing up for their venue opening in Tuanjiehu. Now that this Beijing-based culinary incubator has sealed their dinner menu with the Mighty Mo’s concept, these piled high gorgeous messes of grains, meat, and fruit round out their offerings with a daytime menu (10am-5pm, closed Tuesdays) that is delicious and responsibly satisfying.
A choice pick was the Ahi Aloha Poke Bowl (RMB 75, pictured above), which reminded us of the resulting dish if you were to take a tuna roll from your favorite Western-influenced sushi joint and threw it in a food processor. In addition, we also sampled and recommend their King Congee (RMB 55), a four-hour brown rice congee with free-range chicken, and the Mayan Bowl (RMB 75) a quinoa salad with homemade chorizo.
Their cold bowls are a little lighter but equally breakfast friendly. Imagine if you will a horizontal parfait of fruit and granola, filled with the nutrients to get you going without weighing you down. The Acai Smoothie Bowl (RMB 60) and Granola Goodness (RMB 50) came out on top, both a hearty mixture of fruits and grains that will provide a refreshing option once the warmer weather begins to fry us like eggs on the sidewalk during our daily commute.
If you prefer something a little more gut-busting, they also have a section of more traditional breakfast options like poached eggs with bacon, and a chorizo sandwich made for those requiring a quick swift intake of calories to seize the day. In other words, for the weekend when you just need those carbs to soak up all the booze left in your stomach after a long night out.
Some of the other concepts they are playing with for their weekend brunches are the build your own bloody mary bar. They have a bunch options so that you can create a unique mix of this classic hangover remedy to some pretty wild specifications, using ingredients like red pepper-infused tequila, wasabi spices, and fresh tomato juice.
If you are hesitant for some crazy reason to check out The Hatchery, which we assure you is well worth the visit, their current promotion should supply you with even more incentive. From Wednesday (Mar 23) to this coming Monday (Mar 28) their breakfast/lunch Soul Bowl menu will all be half-off (reservations are required for the weekend brunch). We like it when restaurants use drug pusher-type marketing schemes to get you hooked on their product, but keep in mind this menu is for a limited time, and they're much healthier than illicit substances, so don’t miss out.
More stories by this author here.
Email: danielkippwhittaker@thebeijinger.com
Photos: Kipp Whittaker
