The Good Word on Mountain Bird

I struggle with whether or not to describe places as gems, but I just can't think of anything else.

Mountain Bird is a true gem for Hamilton Heights.  I mean, look at these lace curtains.

The staff is Japanese, the food is French, the prices are Harlem-friendly and the interior belongs in a Brooklyn cafe.  In other words, an instant recipe for me to fall in love.

The Sunday brunch is a serious steal.  For $15, you get choice of coffee or tea (Harney & Sons, my favorite), a salad type course, a plate of muffins and an entree.  Hell.  Yeah.

No clue if they replace the sugar each time after the table is cleaned, but pretty sure I just plunged my dirty fingers directly into the cup and ate the raw sugar crystals by the fingerfuls.  I'm a monster.

The place is tiny.  Call ahead for dinner reservations (they book up fast!).  No reservations are accepted for brunch, so come as a small group only.  You'll sit very close to other people.  We watched this one group just stare at this one girl who couldn't stop talking.  Literally.  She's still talking right now.

No salad was served for brunch, instead we received a teacup of cauliflower soup, which I gladly spooned into my cold body to warm my soul.  The soup was creamy, tasty and very caul-erful.  



The plate of muffins would have been better enjoyed warm, and with soft pats of butter, but I ate them all anyway.  Spiced bread, scones and blueberry muffins were cute and delightful.

The spiced turkey goulash pasta had a wonderfully rich, flavorful tomato sauce with spicy chunks of turkey sausage.  The poached egg was perfection, and the bits of squash, soaked in tomato, dissolved in our  mouths.  We just wished the pasta wasn't so undercooked.

A popular plate (as you can see at the table pictured above) was the french toast, which comes as an adorable round of bread with a brilliant bruleed sugar crust.  Licoricey chicken sausage and the dreamiest, most buttery scrambled eggs finish the plate.

The dish will satisfy any french toast lover - crispy edges and a soft, tender middle with just the right bit of sweetness.  The plate is perfectly offset with the savory eggs. 

Next time, we'll have to check out Mountain Bird's dinner menu (with nose-to-tail plates), and their amazing looking $4 desserts.  Yes.  Four dollars.  If those end up being fantastic, I will officially be in love.

Han's Nonsensical Rating:  Wonderful new addition to the Hamilton Heights scene with tasty food priced right.  Sunday brunch is especially solid with amazing scrambled eggs - hopefully will report on dinner soon !

Mountain Bird
231 West 145 Street (bet 7 & 8 Avenue) New York NY, 10039