Live gospel and all the Bloody Marys at Shake's new brunch

In a city where brunch is an institution, there’s not always a whole lot to differentiate one from next – booze, eggs, booze, pancakes and more booze. It’s a winning enough combination on its own, but Shake is upping the ante.

The soul and Motown supper club has launched a Sunday brunch with a twist: gospel. The voice in the limelight is Tarra Conner Jones, the newest singer at Shake and sister jazz club Heyday who, along with some serious eats, erases whatever ill effects might remain from poor Saturday night choices.

Lobster rolls, 128RMB

The menu matches the soulfulness of the music. There are eggs, of course, but largely it’s more interesting. Chef Danyi Gao delightfully riffs on the Filipino dish sisig – made traditionally with pig’s head and liver – with pork belly and chicken liver (88RMB) served sizzling over rice with an egg. Lobster rolls (128RMB) are brightened with a swipe of sriracha-lemongrass butter and covered in melted cheese. 

Kaya toast, 68RMB

Plan on an afternoon nap after the glorious Singaporean-inspired kaya toast (68RMB) that Gao’s packed with a pat of butter and generous slicks of coconut jam, or the sautéed Argentina shrimp (98RMB) floating on a pool of mozzarella and mashed potatoes, drowned in shrimp gravy. The Korean pork rib tacos (88RMB) feel out of place, served on fried wonton rounds in a trio – more small bites than anything else. This is all the ‘Hangover Cure’ section of the menu, and cure a hangover it will do.

Bloody Mary series, from 68RMB

So will the seven types of Bloody Marys created by bartender Colin Tait. The Burnin Coal 75 (68RMB), with a heat level listed as ‘some like it hot’, is a fiery concoction made with New Deal Gin No 1 and tasting intensely of yellow bell pepper. A heat level up at ‘too hot to trot’, the delicious Delta Fire (68RMB) mixes Captive Spirits’ Big Gin with clamato juice, Worcestershire, tom yum paste and snow lotus chilli for a distinctly Thai flair. If you want throat-burning, suffocating heat (in a good way), suck down a Too Hot to Hold (78RMB), which is ‘super hot, like don’t touch your eyes hot’ and combines Ransom Dry Gin and Hot Monkey Vodka with demon red chilli and After Death Hot Sauce with Liquid Fire and Shake’s house sangrita mix.

The ‘Shake It Up’ brunch isn’t exactly traditional. And that’s a very good thing.

Shake is open from Tuesday to Sundays 6pm-2am; Sundays 11am-3pm and is located at Third Floor, 120 Jinxian Lu, near Maoming Nan Lu, Huangpu district.