Asian Hit Smallwares Has a New Brunch in Fremont

Fast-and-loose, pseudo-Asian restaurant Smallwares is now serving Turkish eggs, breakfast congee, and loco moco at its new Fremont location. Chef-owner Johanna Ware took over the former Chalino space near N Williams in July, where she has been serving dishes like oysters with fish sauce vinaigrette and nori risotto for dinner service. Those oysters and her popular fried kale have hit her new brunch menu, as well as a daunting number of cocktails, a breakfast bento box, and more.

For those who know Ware’s culinary style from the previous iteration of Smallwares or her current casual counterpart Wares, the playful and eclectic brunch menu will come as no shock. The aforementioned bento box arrives with kimchi and Korean steamed egg, as well as a choice of hanger steak or fried tofu and oyster mushrooms. Her breakfast congee gets some extra oomph with Chinese sausage, as well as a sprinkle of savory granola for textural contrast.

The menu does head into somewhat traditional American brunch territory from time to time: Ware serves an eggs Benedict with Benton’s ham and a biscuit, with just a touch of yuzu kosho in her hollandaise. The sides menu offers bacon and eggs, although the bacon is somehow Sichuan and the eggs are available any style, including steamed with fish sauce and chicken stock.

On the cocktail menu, the bloody mary gets a dose of kimchi liquid, soy sauce, and quail egg, and the spiked coffee comes with caramelized condensed milk and cardamom. For those ready to get weird as early as 10 a.m., the brunch menu includes a full selection of sparkling, white, red, and orange wine, as well as a straight-up old fashioned with garam masala — available with a CBD float, of course. Brunch is available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Take a look at the menu below:

• Smallwares [Official]
• Smallwares [Facebook]
• Everything to Know About the Return of Smallwares [EPDX]
• Look Inside the Not-So-Small Home to the Soon-to-Reopen Smallwares [EPDX]