Sweet Maple infuses classic American brunch favorites with Asian flavors.
Courtesy of Sweet Maple
Let’s get this out up front: I’m a bit of a Grinch when it comes to brunch. The lines, the elaborate menus, the bottomless mimosas, the oft-gloopy hollandaise, and ever-soaring prices. I’d just as soon enjoy straightforward bacon and eggs, and pancakes for the kids, in the comfort of my own home, thank you very much (and bah, humbug). Enter Sweet Maple, which carried an additional strike against it considering that the years-long delay for the acclaimed brunch specialist’s new Walnut Creek location almost guaranteed it would be a letdown. But to my pleasant surprise, it wasn’t: It’s great.
The chicken croffle is a treat for the eyes and the taste buds.
Courtesy of Sweet Maple
Indeed, while the wait meant that veteran restaurateur Hoyul Steven Choi’s outpost launched after a slew of similarly modern brunch concepts opened across the East Bay, Sweet Maple is flattered by the comparison. In fact, I think it’s the best of the bunch. Importantly, Choi did a terrific job with a tricky location; the restaurant is tucked down a side lane between Locust and North Main streets at the edge of downtown. The formerly dark Tozai Izakaya space is completely transformed into a bright, contemporary oasis that feels elegant but comfortable while boasting ample natural light from lofty skylights and a wall of sliding glass doors that open to a pleasant side courtyard. The food, meanwhile, is just as striking. The blueberry cloud French toast, for example, consists of a two-inch-thick piece of blueberry-cream-cheese-stuffed deep-fried brioche garnished with blueberry marinade, blueberry cream, and, yes, fresh blueberries. And the tornado galbi omurice presents swirling soft scrambled egg twisted over a mound of veggie fried rice beside a thinly shaved marinated galbi short rib, all within a saucy lake of darkly rich demi-glace. Those dishes are beautiful—smartphones were snapping away around me—but also flawed. The egg was overpowered by the dish’s other bold elements, albeit one of them that delicious sweet-savory-spicy demi-glace, while the French toast was overly bready and crying out for maple syrup. I did, however, enjoy a starter of Korean fried chicken, an adult version of chicken nuggets with boneless chunks of tender dark meat encased in a thick, crackly crust. The accompanying creamy gochujang dipping sauce is very good—the Korean red chili paste lends the aioli a savory, sweet, and spicy element reminiscent of honey mustard with a kick—and mochi, sprinkled like Styrofoam peanuts amid the chicken, is a fun touch.
Pimped Up Ramyun includes cup noodles, Millionaire’s Bacon, and an egg.
Courtesy of Sweet Maple
Still, I found that where Sweet Maple truly excels is with its updated, expert execution of more mainstream brunch standards. As nearly all restaurants do these days, Sweet Maple has a smashburger that’s offered in three iterations: Mexicali (featuring avocado and charred jalapeños), Balsamic (with truffle balsamic glaze), and the extravagant Jam Juicy Lucy. We went for the latter, and it’s a mouthful, with a double patty of grass-fed beef oozing with cheddar. It’s served with arugula and tomato, although the produce is overshadowed by thick bacon bits and a generous slather of sweet hot pepper bacon jam. My preference leans more savory, but one bite was all it took to reveal a standout version in this crowded genre. After unhinging my jaw to get around the pillowy-soft brioche bun, my teeth practically melted through layers of ingredients that melded into a gooey, meaty, cheesy bite of umami comfort that should be the end goal for any smashburger worth its salt. Similarly, in the long and storied canon of brunch Benedicts, Sweet Maple’s excel. We tried two, and both were excellent. The classic Blackstone delivers perfectly soft poached eggs draped by a light, lemony, velvety hollandaise on a sturdy base of toasted ciabatta. Accompanying asparagus was snappy, cherry tomatoes added welcome acidity, and the side of Choi’s spicy-sweet Millionaire’s Bacon lives up to its viral billing. And for Dungeness fans, the $34 Oscar is worth the splurge. Generous portions of garlicky minced crab pair perfectly with briny fried “pop” capers, tender sautéed spinach, and tart hollandaise tinged lime green with the addition of just-a-tad-spicy wasabi. A feathery dusting of Grana Padano cheese completes the pretty picture for this beautiful Benedict. It’s served with a side of the restaurant’s signature home fries, a medley of cubed potatoes that are delightfully crispy while maintaining a fluffy interior. For a lighter take on eggs, try a Soufflegg Skillet, in which an egg scramble is steamed to a custardy consistency and served billowing out of a piping hot miniature skillet. The Gardena version is topped by a healthy mix of sautéed spinach, mushrooms, diced bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes—just make sure to carve a hole in the egg to allow that molten mixture to cool before eating.
Millionaire’s Candy is among the picture-perfect brunch options at Sweet Maple.
Courtesy of Sweet Maple
The Walnut Creek location also has a full bar with beer, wine, mimosas, and even morning cocktails on the menu, along with creative tea and coffee drinks. I’d recommend the refreshing flower espresso tonic, which provided a floral and effervescent ending to what was a surprisingly satisfying brunch for this Grinch. Because while I can’t say that my heart grew two sizes after dining at Sweet Maple, my belt size probably did. sweetmaplesf.com.
Dining and Cooking