Baby Cafe, Allston, MA USA

Last minute plans can often be the best, and while I’m known for massive advance planning, sometimes it’s just nice to wake up and figure out what to do for the day.

That was Sunday for us, and last minute plans had our family at our friend’s house.

Yuhao and Xiaoling opted for “dim sum for dinner,” which is the Chinese equivalent of brunch at 5pm… and you wouldn’t be surprised to find out there’s really nowhere that serves brunch at 5pm, but our friends are foodies, and they found something similar that would appease the pallet: Baby Café.

With locations in both California and Boston, I was excited to sample Hong Kong cuisine with western influence. Sweet, savory, and filling, when the food arrived, the smells screamed “eat me.”

Yuhao, knowing me well, ended up also ordering Baby Café’s club sandwich. I was both puzzled and intrigued that this establishment would ever carry a club – but hey, it was worth trying!

Creamy, tangy, and satisfying in a filling way, I was pleasantly surprised that Baby Café’s club sandwich actually tasted good. Don’t hold it against me, I’m allowed to have preconceived notions for what to expect from any establishment let alone a Chinese-centric restaurant serving a club sandwich (hey, I’ve eaten a lot of club sandwiches in China!). Egg was perfectly cooked, ham was salty and meaty, and while the mayonnaise tried to drown out the entire meal, it actually added decent value without any decadence. Even the bacon was nicely cooked, albeit not plentiful. And well done on the ripe tomato… sure this club sandwich kinda came off as a hot mess, but it pleased me in the moment.

A restaurant specializing in Hainan chicken, I truly hoped they inserted this protein into the club sandwich, but alas, they went full traditional with the ingredients, and while I wasn’t complaining, I thought this was a missed opportunity. Who wouldn’t want a Hainan chicken club sandwich, complete with garlic sauce??