Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City
I don’t think I realized how universal the egg sandwich is until I started thinking about this blog post. While we have our BEC in New York, there is the sabich in Israel, the tamago sando in Japan, and of course, the croque madame in France.
Yet as far as I can tell from my research, there is no traditional egg sandwich in China. But if there was one, I imagine the delicious creation at Bird & Branch would be it.
Bird & Branch is a hipster café in Hell’s Kitchen with a wide range of coffee drinks (all named for birds) and a handful of food options. The owners are Chinese-American and have used surprising Asian ingredients in their breakfast heavy menu.
In addition to the killer egg sandwich (which I’ll get to in a minute), there is also a Nori Avocado Toast and Miso Hummus.
But the egg sandwich is a true game changer.
The eggs are steamed scrambled and perfectly composed like a soft egg McMuffin with a light ethereal bite. It sits between a brioche nicely seasoned with everything flavors.
And then for the real exciting stuff: the bread is slathered with a wonderful combination of potent soybean chili oil, sweet Kewpie mayo, and a tangy ginger garlic sauce. And instead of bacon, here the salty umami kick comes from Chinese pork floss (rousong) which is light and fluffy but packs so much flavor.
China, are you listening? Here is your chance to compete in the Egg Sandwich challenge. And you just might win! Price: $8.50
| BIRD & BRANCH |
| 359 West 45th Street (between Eighth and Ninth Avenue), Hell’s Kitchen (917) 265-8444 |
| birdandbranch.com |
