Hot New Brunch Spots: Khong River House And Toro Toro

Miamians have two more delicious brunches to choose from. Toro Toro, a gourmet Latin restaurant nestled in the back of the InterContinental’s lobby, is starting a new “Brunch With Bravado” that is bound to become a hotspot on Sundays. It includes their delicious radizio service of grilled meats, unlimited small plates and bottomless cocktails. Some of the favorite little plates include Caramelized Bacon Guacamole served with tortilla chips; Smoked Salmon Coca Flatbread topped with scrambled eggs; Chilaquiles de Pollo in a green tomatillo sauce and a short rib arepa “Benedict.” Yucca fries and Frijoles con Carne and Chorizo Hash serve as sides. The only limitation is time. Guests have two hours to eat before the plates stop coming and the drinks stop pouring.

Across the bridge, on Miami Beach, another unique brunch is underway at Khong River House, which has become an instant success after opening only last month. Specializing in northern Thai dishes with Vietnamese and Burmese influences, Khong offers Miamians dishes that have never been served in the US, let alone Miami.  So what’s for brunch? Vietnamese style Banh Mi sandwiches served on baguettes, hot steamy buns with slow braised pork belly or Chang Rai sausage with egg. There are also hot noodles and quasi-traditional brunch plates like the GI Breakfast, which originates from Bangkok. John Kunkel, the CEO of 50 Eggs Inc. (the restaurant group behind Khong, Yardbird and Swine) explains, “There was so many service personnel outside Bangkok that they developed the best version of an American breakfast that they possibly could and it’s just stuck around for years and years. We didn’t make it up. It’s a real thing and it’s fantastic. It’s sweet Chinese sausage, two eggs over easy, their version of hash and French baguette. You wouldn’t think there would be so much bread [over] there, but there is and it’s very good.”

There is also the Thai-style Simmered Pork Belly, which Kunkel says he ate for breakfast almost every day in Thailand. “It’s like a rice grit done with pork belly and egg drop,” says Kunkel. Even though the menu is a la carte, there are various Bottomless Bar options that range from unlimited sparkling rosé to all you can drink of Hemingway’s Hangover Cure (Which includes a fair amount of Kubler Absinthe – a perfect way to start the day.) Brunch at Khong is available on both Saturday and Sunday.