Saturday brunch at home with BB — first weekend of August, phase 2 reopening had been rolling for a few months and the home kitchen had locked itself in as the weekend brunch default.

Today’s plate:

Hot rice base
Fried egg (sunny-side)
Stir-fried vegetables
Pan-seared protein
Chilli sauce on the side

The August Saturday brunch had the same shape as the July ones, the June ones, the May ones. By the second half of the year the routine had become genuinely automatic — we didn’t have to think about what to make on a weekend morning because the plate had earned its slot.

Hot rice base was the standard fluffy jasmine. Properly steamed in the cooker the night before.

Fried egg was the M-style sunny-side standard. Crispy white edges, runny golden yolk centred on the plate. The yolk-break-over-rice ritual.

Stir-fried vegetables today were cabbage shreds with carrot strips, smashed garlic and a splash of soy. Tender-crisp, lightly seasoned. The colour break against the beige rice.

Pan-seared protein was a small portion of sausage rounds today — sliced Bratwurst, hit the pan in its rendered fat, browned both sides.

Chilli sauce on the side as always.

We sat at the kitchen table, drank coffee from the V60 dripper, and ate slow. The August weather meant the kitchen got warmer during cooking than in cooler months, so we ran the ceiling fan during the meal.

The home weekend brunch had become the most reliable meal of our entire week. Pre-pandemic Saturday mornings used to be a queue-and-wait affair at a cafe; in lockdown and phase 2 they’d become the most peaceful 90 minutes of the week.

Some habits earn their permanence.

Overall: 4.3 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Reliable Saturday brunch — keeping the routine.

Original IG post