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For those who typically skip breakfast, a new egg-forward breakfast shop will give you second thoughts.
Hatched is a takeout restaurant for anyone craving breakfast and brunch dishes. Its menu boasts a hearty range of chicken and egg sandwiches, avocado toasts, locally-brewed coffees and high-quality matchas.
Tucked in the corner of Palo Alto’s Town & Country Village, Hatched occupies the spot where Roost & Roast previously lay. Roost & Roast reopened two doors down after months of construction. The three visionaries behind the brunch spot have a lifetime of experience working together: they’re all brothers.
The Poon brothers build their family’s Asian heritage into the food by incorporating flavors such as fish sauce marinade into dishes where they are not usually present. Craighton Poon is the youngest of the three and manages the expansion side of the business.
“All the recipes we developed ourselves, and our twist (is that) we lean towards Asian flavors,” Poon said. “You’ll see in some of our chicken and egg sandwiches, we’ll have a little bit of Asian flavor to it, whether it’s shown on the menu or not.”
When Poon saw the gap in breakfast places at Town & Country Village, he set out to fill it. Before Hatched opened Jan. 6, there were only three places at Town & Country Village catering to the breakfast crowd: Boichik Bagels, Manresa Bread and Douce France.
All three brothers have worked behind the scenes since they were teenagers. Their parents opened a restaurant after emigrating from Cambodia and Hong Kong. This meant their childhood involved balancing school and working at their family’s Chinese restaurant located in Mountain View.
“We did everything, including serving, prep work, cooking and cleaning,” Poon said. “Our parents taught us that no task is too big or too small for a small business owner.”
Growing up, two of the three brothers decided to take the corporate route after graduating from college, but they constantly found themselves drawn to their love of food. It should come as no surprise that the three brothers followed in their parents’ footsteps and have opened numerous restaurants along the Peninsula.
The brothers have three active restaurants that they manage: Hatched, Roost & Roast and Kurated Kitchens. Kurated Kitchens is a food hall located in Sunnyvale dedicated to Asian-inspired cuisine and drinks. The food hall gives the brothers a focus group to test which food concepts are most successful before they expand to brick-and-mortar stores. Hatched has taken many of the most popular dishes at Kurated Kitchens and put them on the menu for the Palo Alto location.
The Poon brothers take each of their individual talents to craft successful businesses. Brandon, the eldest, attended culinary school and serves as the head chef for their three restaurants. Clifton, the middle, previously worked as a certified public accountant and is the CFO. Craighton, the youngest, focuses on the expansion and construction of new locations, leveraging his background in engineering.
“Getting to work with family again is really nice,” Craighton Poon said. “We enjoy making food and creating something together, and we’re hoping to grow more.”
The Hatched menu includes elevated dishes from their childhood. The Ono is made from 24-hour marinated fried chicken, a runny fried egg, arugula, tomato and sriracha-infused aioli, all wrapped in a buttery toasted potato bun ($13.95).
“It (an egg sandwich) is something we always had that was our treat,” Craighton Poon said. “It’s like, ‘Let’s go get some breakfast sandwiches and start off the day.’”
Other breakfast classics, like avocado toast, are featured on the menu. The Sunnyside is a piece of toasted French bread topped with creamy smashed avocado, a fried egg, spicy chili flakes and everything bagel seasoning ($9.95).
To wash it down, housemade specialty drinks are also available. Indulge in a Black Sesame Latte crafted with espresso, milk and a black sesame cream top or a ceremonial-grade matcha latte ($6-$7).
“Hatched will be our first (breakfast) brick-and-mortar store here,” Craighton Poon said. “But if it goes well, we’re definitely looking to expand.”
Hatched, 855 El Camino Real #161, Palo Alto, Instagram: @eat.hatched. Open Monday to Thursday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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