No reservations, no tips

Duck’s egg with duck’s liver and romesco. [Photo provided to Shanghai Star]

The menu is written on the place mats. If you need English, just flip the paper over. Chef’s specials are written on blackboards, which happened to be placed behind our table, so a procession of the relatively myopic kept appearing before us and peering at the boards.

Because of them, we soon had a very good idea of what’s available for Sunday brunch.

We opted for a drink first to calm the nerves – an excellent Sangria cocktail made from rose wine. I really cannot call it a sangria, but it was very pretty with a layer of pale pink foam on top.

The paper placemat was scrutinized carefully while we agonized over the selections.

Sea urchin bread with pepper butter was a unanimous choice. Sheer curiosity may have motivated the decision, but when it arrived, it was clear why this had been voted one of Commune Social’s signature items.

The ciabatta slices were crisply toasted, the sea urchin’s sweetness was nicely contrasted by the tangy red pepper butter. Two pieces of art on a plate.

Salt and pepper calamari may sound a little California 80s, but I like squid. What made this special was the little rounded heap of jet-black squid ink aoli that came with the crisp morsels.

This was my main course, but it was a fun plate of finger food that was very addictive.