Brunch at Kyirisan

It’s time for the first B.S. restaurant review of 2018! (If you’re resolutioning, you might want to bookmark this one for later.) I had a wonderful dinner at Kiyirisan with friends a while back and had been dying to return to the Tim Ma hot spot ever since for brunch. We finally made it happen with Tom’s parents in the midst of the holiday madness.
Brunch drinks were obviously in order. Tom’s parents both had bloody marys, delicious and spicy. Tom had The Dude Abides, a spin on a White Russian with vodka, concerto coffee liqueur and coconut milk. It was a little too sweet for his liking, but would probably make a nice post-meal treat.

You can’t go to a Tim Ma restaurant and not order the creme fraiche wings. These were just as good as ever, messy and spicy and tangy.
The brunch menu at Kyirisan is small but diverse with a focus on stick-to-your-ribs comfort food. Tom’s dad ordered the panko chicken sandwich with a Korean barbecue glaze and ranch slaw topped with a pickled okra. When I first say this dish, I was jealous not to have it for myself. Andy kindly offered us all a bite, and it was killer with the perfect combination of sweetness and spice and the chicken cooked to juicy perfection.
Tom’s mom went with the classic croque madam, a nod to Ma’s traditional French training. With honey ham, fried egg, bechamel and white cheddar it was luscious and decadent.
Tom had the scallion waffle (of course) with pulled chicken and sesame-soy syrup. The surprise is that the waffle is stuffed with cream cheese, a nice balance to the salty toppings. This may have been my favorite dish of the meal.
For my order, I couldn’t resist the congee with pulled chicken (lots of chicken on this menu), pickled ginger, house kimchi and poached egg. I loved the combination of the rich, savory rice with the crunchy spice of the kimchi. It was immensely satisfying on a warm day.
Overall, brunch at Kyirisan wowed me just as much as dinner did, if not more. The dishes were all executed extremely well and priced fairly. Service was excellent and attentive. If you’re looking for a fun brunch to kick off 2018, head to Kyirisan!