Birds of a Feather Review - Perfect Marriage of European Brunch and Asian Spices

On our 50th month together, I decided to trick Bratty into visiting a cafe he would otherwise never have stepped foot into - Birds of a Feather. 

Owned by the people behind Good Wood Coffee in Cheng Du, Birds of a Feather features a lush, comfortable space specialising in modern European dishes with a hint of Szechuan influence. 

Besides the unique menu here - think salad with Szechuan pepper and Mapo tofu burgers - the sleek wooden finishes and abundance of greenery set Birds of a Feather apart from other run-of-the-mill industrial-chic cafe these days.

Menu Highlights

Drinks

As Good Wood Coffee is pretty well-known in Cheng Du, Bratty decided to go for one of their filtered coffees, the Ethopian Yirgacheffe ($6), which he said was pretty good. Being a tea-lover, I settled for a Cucumber Mint Tea ($7) instead.

Cripsy Gyoza with Truffle Soy Vinaigrette - $16

We started off with a quintessential Chinese dish - dumplings!! These bite sized packages, comprising chewy dumpling skins and a tender, juicy meat filling, were pan-fried to perfection.

While the truffle flavours were slightly over-powering, this was undeniably a well-executed dish. 

Crispy Pork Trotter in a Bag - $12

This dish is reminiscent of Duck and Waffle's Crispy BBQ Pig Ears, except it features a different, but equally tantalising part of the pig.

We thoroughly enjoyed this dish. The crisp exterior of the trotter gives way to a unctuous mix of tender meat and gelatinous proteins. The spicy seasoning aids in balancing out the richness of this appetiser. 

Find the Chicken in the Chilies - $16 

Better known as 辣子鸡, this piquant dish is synonymous with Szechuan cuisine. Juicy bite-sized chunks of fried chicken are tossed together in an explosive blend of Szechuan peppers, leek and dried chillies.

This is one of the best renditions I've had in my life, and we appreciated how the chicken was perfectly fried, and not drenched in oil like many versions out there. 

Oriental Bolognaise - $22

Lastly, we had one of their signature dishes - al dente angel hair pasta in an aromatic pork ragout that has just the right amount of Szechuan peppercorn to make your tastebuds tingle. 

The pasta is garnished with a sprinkling of sakura ebi, wilted kale and dehydrated tomatoes. When mixed thoroughly with the onsen tamago, this dish transforms into a perfect harmony of textures and flavours. 

Overall rating: 8.5/10

All in all, we enjoyed every single dish we had here, and we're looking forward to trying more items on their menu such as the signature burger, fortune skewer in Szechuan peppercorn broth, and the glutinous rice cake!

Till our next food adventure,
Brat and Butter