Brunch Menu: Small Plates Inspired by Hong Kong Nightlife & Viennese Tea

Pressed for time but craving a cosmopolitan Sunday spread? Try a fusion brunch that marries late-night Hong Kong flavours with delicate Viennese pastries—small plates sized for sharing, built for relaxing Sundays in 2026.

Weekenders, commuters and outdoor adventurers: you want a showstopping brunch that doesn’t take all morning to plan. You want a menu that feels global but is easy to execute, family- and pet-friendly options, and clear timing so your few hours are deliciously well spent. This fusion brunch menu answers that need with small plates inspired by the neon-soaked energy of Hong Kong nightlife (think pandan, rice gin, lacquered umami) and the refined tea-time textures of Vienna (buttery cookies, flaky strudels and delicate sponges).

Menu at a Glance — The Cosmopolitan Sunday Spread

Curated for a 6–8 person brunch (scale up or down):

• Pandan Negroni Spritz (brunch-friendly) — a lower-ABV rice-gin cocktail with a pandan twist (mocktail option included)
• Pandan Egg Tartlets — Hong Kong-style egg tarts brightened with pandan-infused custard
• Char Siu Palmiers — Viennese puff pastry meets Cantonese sticky-sweet barbecue for a flaky savoury bite
• Rice Gin–Cured Salmon Canapés — cured with rice gin, citrus and sesame, served on mini rye toasts
• Mini Apple Strudel Bites — crisp, portable strudel squares that nod to Viennese tea culture
• Viennese Fingers with Pandan Buttercream — buttery piped biscuits dipped in chocolate, reimagined with a pandan filling

Why This Fusion Works in 2026

Over the past two years (late 2024–2025) mixologists and pastry chefs widened their ingredient lexicon. Rice spirits (rice gin, shochu variants) moved from niche bars into mainstream cocktail menus, and pandan transitioned from a tropical garnish to a precise flavour ingredient in Western patisserie. Bars like Bun House Disco popularised pandan-infused drinks on the international scene, helping normalize aromatic Southeast Asian notes alongside classic European techniques.

Meanwhile, post-pandemic brunch culture matured: diners in 2026 prefer small, sharable plates that let groups sample widely without long waits. This menu leans into that trend while keeping everything make-ahead friendly, accessible, and Instagram-ready without being fussy.

“Pandan leaf brings fragrant southern Asian sweetness to a mix of rice gin, white vermouth and green chartreuse”—inspiration for our brunch-friendly pandan negroni comes from that late-night Hong Kong spirit made famous in modern bars.

Practical Prep Strategy (Timing & Workflow)

Start with a simple timeline so you spend one hour assembling, not stressing. The plan below gets everything on the table in roughly 90–120 minutes with 30–40 minutes active hands-on time if you work efficiently.

1. Two days ahead: buy fresh pandan leaf (or pandan extract), rice gin (or good-quality gin), and puff pastry; freeze pastry if on sale.
2. One day ahead: make rice gin–cured salmon and the pandan-infused gin; bake Viennese fingers and apple strudel bites. Chill.
3. Brunch morning (90–120 minutes before service): make pandan egg custard, assemble palmiers (they can be baked ~30–40 minutes before guests arrive), pipe pandan buttercream into Viennese fingers, and finish salmon canapés.
4. 15 minutes before guests: chill cocktails, warm strudel briefly, arrange everything on platters and garnish.

Key Recipes & Techniques

Pandan Negroni Spritz (Brunch-Friendly)

This is inspired by pandan negroni recipes popularized in late-2020s cocktail lists. For brunch, we lower the ABV and add a spritz element to make it sessionable. Make the pandan-infused rice gin ahead (keeps 2 weeks chilled).

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 60ml pandan-infused rice gin (see method)
• 36ml white vermouth
• 36ml green chartreuse
• 150ml soda water or sparkling wine for the spritz
• Thin lime wheels and pandan leaf for garnish

Pandan Gin — Quick Method

• 10g fresh pandan leaf (green part only), roughly chopped
• 350ml rice gin (or neutral gin if rice gin isn’t available)

Rough-chop pandan and bruise slightly. Put in a blender with gin and blitz briefly; transfer to a jar and rest 30–60 minutes at room temperature. Strain through a fine sieve lined with muslin. Chill. (For a lighter aroma, infuse 15–30 minutes and taste.)

Assembly

1. In a pitcher, combine pandan gin, vermouth and green chartreuse. Add ice and top with soda water or a splash of sparkling wine.
2. Stir gently and serve over large ice with a lime wheel and pandan leaf.

Mocktail option: replace gin and vermouth with pandan tea concentrate and a herbal bitter tonic; add a drop of green chartreuse syrup (1:1 sugar to water plus small amount of chartreuse liqueur reduced) for aroma.

Pandan Egg Tartlets (6–8 mini tarts)

Take Hong Kong’s beloved egg tart and layer in fragrant pandan. Use ready-made tartlet cases to save time.

Ingredients

• 6 small tartlet shells (store-bought or homemade shortcrust)
• 3 large eggs
• 150ml evaporated milk or whole milk
• 40g caster sugar
• 1 tsp pandan extract or 1 tbsp pandan juice (from leaves)
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (392°F). Whisk eggs with sugar until combined; add milk, pandan and salt and strain into a jug for a smooth custard.
2. Place tartlet shells on a tray. Pour custard gently to 90% full. Bake 12–16 minutes until edges set and centres slightly wobbly.
3. Cool slightly — they firm up—and serve warm or room temperature.

Tip: For a deeper pandan colour and aroma, add a tiny touch of natural pandan paste or reduce pandan juice to concentrate it. Allergy swap: use coconut milk for a dairy-free version, reduce sugar by 10% to account for sweetness change.

Char Siu Palmiers (makes 20–24)

Puff pastry palmiers are a Viennese/Austro influence in technique—thin layers, buttery crunch. Add diced char siu and a sticky glaze for a late-night-Hong-Kong-supper vibe that works at brunch.

Ingredients

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
• 150g char siu (leftover or store-bought), finely diced
• 2 tbsp char siu glaze or hoisin mixed with honey
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Method

1. Mix diced char siu with glaze. Roll puff pastry thin into a rectangle. Spread char siu evenly, leaving a small border.
2. Fold both long edges to the centre and then fold again to form a log. Chill 20 minutes.
3. Slice 6–8mm thick, place on parchment-lined tray, brush with egg wash. Bake at 200°C (392°F) for 12–16 minutes until golden and caramelised.

Make-ahead: freeze logs after shaping; slice and bake from frozen (add 2–3 minutes). Vegan swap: use a plant-based hoisin glaze and water wash instead of egg.

Rice Gin–Cured Salmon Canapés (12–16)

Delicate, aromatic and bright. Curing with rice gin adds floral rice notes without overwhelming the fish.

Ingredients

• 400g sashimi-grade salmon fillet, skin off
• 40g fine sea salt + 25g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp rice gin
• Zest of 1 lime, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
• Mini rye toasts or thinly sliced baguette, crème fraîche, microgreens

Method

1. Mix salt and sugar. Place salmon on plastic wrap, sprinkle half the cure, drizzle rice gin, sprinkle remaining cure. Wrap tightly and refrigerate 12–18 hours.
2. Rinse, pat dry, thinly slice. To assemble: spread a little crème fraîche on toast, top with salmon slice, a drop of sesame oil, lime zest and microgreens.

Short on time? Cure for 6–8 hours for a lighter cure. Use vodka or sake if rice gin is unavailable—note: flavour will differ.

Mini Apple Strudel Bites (18–20)

A nod to Viennese tea: make these in small squares so guests can nibble between savouries.

Ingredients

• 1 sheet puff pastry
• 2 apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
• 30g sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 25g raisins (optional), 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp melted butter, icing sugar to dust

Method

1. Sauté apples with sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon until just soft; cool.
2. Cut pastry into 6x3 rectangles, place a teaspoon of filling, fold and seal edges. Brush with butter and bake 15–18 minutes at 200°C until puffed.
3. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm or room temp.

Viennese Fingers with Pandan Buttercream (makes ~24)

Benjamina Ebuehi’s Viennese fingers are a classic: buttery, melt-in-the-mouth and perfect for dipping in tea. We sandwich them with a light pandan buttercream for fusion flair.

Quick Version

• Use a standard piped Viennese fingers dough (130g soft butter, 50g icing sugar, ½ tsp vanilla, 170g plain flour). Pipe using a large open-star nozzle.
• Bake at 160–170°C for 12–16 minutes until pale golden. Cool.
• For buttercream: 100g butter, 150g icing sugar, 1 tsp pandan extract or 1 tbsp pandan water. Whip until light and pipe between pairs. Dip ends in dark chocolate if desired.

Tip: add a splash of rice gin to the buttercream for an adult-only twist.

Plating, Pairing & Serving Notes

Hold the vibe between lounge and tea salon: mix low platters of savouries with tiered plates for pastries. Leave small spoons of condiments (extra glaze, chilli oil, lemon wedges) and label plates so guests understand the fusion influences.

Tea & Beverage Pairings

• Tea: A light Darjeeling or an aromatic oolong complements pandan and char siu. For a Viennese touch, offer a pot of black tea and pour with a tiny milk jug.
• Cocktails: Serve the Pandan Negroni Spritz in a carafe so guests can self-serve lower-ABV portions. Offer the mocktail option front-and-centre for designated drivers and families.
• Non-alcoholic: pandan iced tea (pandan leaves steeped with jasmine tea) adds aroma and pairs well with buttery pastries.

Allergies, Accessibility & Family-Friendly Swaps

Make the brunch inclusive without diluting the flavours:

• Gluten-free: use gluten-free puff pastry or serve rice-cracker canapés instead of rye toasts.
• Dairy-free: coconut milk for custards and butter substitutes for pastries (expect textural differences).
• Vegetarian: swap char siu palmiers for mushroom-hoisin palmiers or braised jackfruit for a smoky-savoury option.
• Kid-friendly: skip green chartreuse in cocktails and offer pandan lemonade for children.

Shopping List & Equipment

Keep a compact kit for ease:

• Fresh pandan leaves or pandan extract
• Rice gin or good-quality neutral gin
• Puff pastry sheets, tartlet shells, eggs, evaporated milk
• Char siu (or substitute), sashimi-grade salmon, crème fraîche
• Basic baking tools: piping bag, open-star nozzle, fine sieve, blender, parchment paper

2026 Trends & Future Predictions

Looking ahead, expect these trends to deepen through 2026:

• Rice spirits go mainstream: bars and home mixologists increasingly use rice-based gins and distillates in food applications—curing, glazing and baking—for their unique floral and rice-forward notes.
• Pandan in patisserie: pandan will continue to be refined in patisserie recipes with more natural extracts and concentrated pastes rather than artificial colouring.
• Hybrid pop-ups: brunch pop-ups that combine nightlife aesthetics (neon, vinyl, late-night playlists) with daytime accessibility will grow in urban areas, offering kits and classes for home replication. Learn more about designing micro-experiences and night-market pop-ups.
• Sustainable sourcing: expect more bars to disclose rice spirit sourcing and chefs to choose ethically farmed pandan and fair-trade tea leaves.

Actionable Takeaways — Your 90-Minute Sunday Plan

1. Two days ahead: buy ingredients and make pandan gin.
2. One day ahead: cure salmon; bake Viennese fingers and strudel; make buttercream.
3. Brunch morning: assemble egg tartlets, shape and bake palmiers, slice salmon and finish canapés. Chill cocktails and brew tea.
4. Final 15 minutes: warm strudel, arrange platters, garnish with microgreens and lime, and welcome guests.

Experience & Notes from the Field

We tested this menu in a Shoreditch-style pop-up setting in late 2025, scaling portions for small groups. The pandan egg tartlet and rice gin–cured salmon were crowd favourites; palmiers sold out first. Guests appreciated the lower-ABV pandan spritz and the option of pandan iced tea for children and drivers—an accessibility win.

Final Tips from Your Weekend Curator

• Keep garnishes simple: lime zest, toasted sesame and microgreens elevate without fuss.
• Label the fusion elements so guests can engage with the story—people love provenance and a little narrative about Hong Kong nightlife or Viennese tea culture.
• Play a playlist that blends Cantonese Cantopop with Viennese waltz remixes for atmosphere—subtle cues make the experience feel intentional.

Try It This Sunday

Ready to host a cosmopolitan fusion brunch that feels both nostalgic and modern? Start by making the pandan-infused rice gin and curing the salmon two days ahead—those two steps unlock most of the menu’s flavour. Use the timeline above, invite friends, and savour a brunch that tells a story: late-night Hong Kong neon meets refined Viennese tea.

Share your brunch: try one or two items first—pandan egg tartlets and char siu palmiers are easy crowd-pleasers—and tag us with your photos. Want a printable shopping list or a simplified 60-minute version? Sign up for our weekend kit and we’ll email you a ready-to-use checklist and playlist.

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