What’s the best part of a Maketto brunch? Buns, baby. And I’m not talking about a cute waiter (because that would be weird and uncomfortable). Unless you live under a rock, you have been to Maketto and sampled their famous leek buns. A dish that can be only be described as fluffy, cloud-like doughy softballs that are stuffed with a curry infused leek filling, served alongside a deep and dark hoisin sauce. Even though the buns are served at lunch and dinner too, they are the highlight of every meal at Maketto. Let’s take a look at the other dim sum dishes that you can only get at brunch.
Dumplings! Yes, vegetable gyoza are served at brunch. Soft dumpling wrappers envelope a savory vegetable filling of sautéed greens, and served over gingery-garlicky-soy sauce dressing, crowned with fresh cilantro. The dumplings are bright and fresh, chewy and soft. Get two orders.
Lo mein noodles were a major highlight. These are not your typical bland take-out noodles. At Maketto, they’re tossed with greens, mushrooms and a rich, heady, sweet and spicy sauce that you will want to bathe in. We also enjoyed the eggplant, mashed and served with a creamy tofu and crispy hunks of bread for dunking. For something sweet try the sublime soy milk donut sticks that will clog your arteries but make your taste buds sing.
No brunch is complete without booze. I’m always confused when I see people drinking water at brunch. The whole point of brunch is to have an excuse to day-drink (as if I need an excuse). At Maketto, the brunch cocktail menu strays from the usual mimosa and Bloody Mary offerings. I tried a white wine-lemon-lime concoction which was super refreshing and my husband tried a coffee and egg yolk drink that sounded horrible but tasted like a white Russian.
Brunch at Maketto isn’t cheap; you will want about five dishes for two people and each dish is $10 or $11 dollars. But, considering the labor involved in making dumplings by hand, its totally worth it.
