best of the brunch

Chef Dan Churchill’s new NYC restaurant is set to make breakfast great again

An Aussie chef is taking our next-level breakfast game Stateside.

Brunch may be your favourite meal of the day, but for chefs, it’s usually (quelle horreur!) their most loathed. Your poached eggs on sourdough is not considered the most exciting of dishes and, food snobbery aside, they usually want to spend their weekends like you – with family, or hungover. But

Masterchef alumnus Dan Churchill is the exception. When the Sydney native opens his restaurant, Charley St, this month, he’ll extend his love for brunch to New Yorkers, with an elevated take on favourites – such as Middle Eastern-inspired bowls and artisanal toasts with toppings far healthier than last night’s antics.

“It’s important to me that people know where things come from,” says Churchill, who names Dan Barber from New York restaurant Blue Hill as a hero. “To see him carry out his ‘no waste’ message is phenomenal.” As such, Churchill plans for Charley St to be partly sustainable through its own rooftop crop. In the meantime, he’s working with local providers.

But it’s not just about the food. “Putting enjoyment into the design is just as important,” Churchill says. He’s making Charley St somewhere with a “vibing atmosphere” that you’d want to spend your weekends. Or at the very least, geotag your #sundaybrunch Instagram post.