Food Trip: Scratch Kitchen
By Team A
By: Cody Avellana
A welcoming restaurant in the South Shore Market at Ward, the service is nice and was very fast, considering the number of people in our party. They were also quick to bring out drinks and take our orders. Parking should not be much of a problem since there is a parking lot nearby, although you may have to walk for a minute or two.
What I would recommend getting is the BLT benny, which comes with small whole roasted potatoes, arugula salad, and English muffins topped with bacon, tomatoes, and hollandaise sauce. The potatoes are deliciously crispy on the outside and soft and flavorful on the inside. The salad is refreshing, and the vegetables were super crunchy. The dressing was tangy, sweet, and salty. The eggs were perfectly done on the outside, and golden yellow on the inside. The yolk is perfectly done and is creamy when you eat it.
All of the ingredients are fresh and locally sourced. As for the menu, it is not set and is seasonal. The owner likes to experiment with new and exciting dishes! The ambiance was very nice; they had an open kitchen where you could see all of the chefs cooking the food up! The lighting is inviting and had a healthy amount of natural light. Overall, this amazing restaurant has made it on my top ten list!
Team A students enjoying brunch at Scratch in Ward. [Photos by Hanna Na]
Getting real-life experience in food writing and photography. [Photos by Hanna Na]
By: Victoria Brown
Scratch in Ward Area is an amazing restaurant that I absolutely recommend. I loved the open kitchen. You could see your food being made. The dark red and navy blue ceiling went very well with the wood tables, chairs, and booths. The 3D wood piece wall and glass logo was a very nice touch to the restaurant. The hanging lights and the big windows gave off very good lighting. The waiters were very nice and seemed like they enjoyed their job, which made the experience fun and enjoyable. The prices were very reasonable - $15, cost of food and drink, plus tip and tax.
I got a Sprite, which came in a glass mug. They even gave me the remaining drink in the Sprite bottle, which was very thoughtful of them. I ordered the Milk and Cereal Pancakes. The food was presented very beautifully. The pancakes were fluffy and dense at the same time. The milk syrup, which was made out of vanilla, condensed and evaporated milk, came on the side in a separate glass cup. It was topped with blackberries, strawberries, bananas, and a type of cereal. The pancakes were delicious and went so well with the milk syrup, but it was so much. I could barely eat one pancake by myself!
Chef and restaurant owner, Brian Chan, said that when he was 27, he wanted to become a restaurant owner. He said the enjoyment and happiness shown on people’s faces when eating his food was what inspired him to open a restaurant. He makes seasonal menus, 4 meals a day, each one different from the last. This restaurant is in my top three, by far.
By: Camryn Cleaves
My overall experience in Scratch at Ward was great. I shared the Milk and Cereal Pancakes and BLT Benny with my friend. The pancakes were wonderful, nice and fluffy. On top were bananas, strawberries, and frosted flakes. They gave you a syrup that was made of condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla. It was so good that I drank some by itself. The BLT Benny was also very good. It had an english muffin, bacon a piece of tomato, a poached egg and hollandaise sauce. I really enjoyed the hollandaise sauce with the poached egg. It wasn’t super thick, which was good. The meal came with a set of two, so I feel like it was easy to share. It also came with crunchy potatoes. I really liked how all the flavors went. There were three pancakes so that made it easy to share also.
There were about 20 people (all 6th graders and two teachers) in my party, and the food came out fast for that amount of people. There were three on the menu only for my party because it was a field trip. The waiters were super friendly and always had a smile. There was a nice modern/rustic vibe. There were people talking and laughing, and it felt very homey. I loved how you could see the kitchen and watch them cook. I got talk to the owner/head chef and asked a few questions. I asked what inspired him to start the restaurant and he said, “I like food and making people happy." I also asked what his favorite dish is and he said it was the shrimp and grits. Again, I had a great time having brunch at Scratch and I highly recommend.
By: Teia Helbling
The restaurant Scratch is a chic, little outlet that serves delicious food in the Ward Village area. When you walk in, you immediately feel welcomed by the joyful waiters and their young and trendy customers. My party had reserved seats for us, so I don’t know what the wait is like, but it looked like people were getting seated pretty quickly. But beware, parking can be hard. You either have to find street parking or you have to park in the shopping center’s garage, which is a little walk.
The ambiance was modern, and it was really neat that you could see into the kitchen to watch the chefs preparing your meal. The menu stays exciting as the owner, Brian Chan, modifies it four times a year. Luckily, you can go any time of the day as Scratch serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
I went for brunch with only fifteen dollars, and I was able to get the B.L.T. Benny and orange juice. The Benny was made up of two english muffins topped with a tomato, bacon and poached egg that was seasoned with a little bit of pepper. It was delicious! On the side was a handful of arugula salad with a sweet dressing and six fried potato balls with some ketchup.
My overall experience was amazing! I highly recommend Scratch because you are getting delicious and innovative food at a reasonable price.
By Hi'i Gibo
Scratch is a great place if you want to eat brunch. When you walk in, there is an appealing smell! All of the workers looked like they enjoyed their jobs and had smiles on their faces.
I came with about a group of 20 (it was a class field trip), and none of the workers seemed overwhelmed. It is a very comfy and casual place. In the day time, there is quite some natural lighting. You can enjoy yourself and whoever you go with. The first thing they offered us was a drink. I got the plantation iced tea. It was so good and would have to get it again the next time I go there! I ate the B.L.T Benny. It was like an eggs benedict. This dish comes with potatoes and arugula salad on the side. The main item was a toasted english muffin, a poached egg, tomatoes, and bacon on top. The potatoes were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, which are the best kind of potato in my opinion. It also came with a side of ketchup. The bacon was half crispy and half chewy.
Portion sizes was 2 B.L.T Bennies, 6 small potatoes, and a handful of salad. The tables my group was sitting on was arranged like a table of 4 then 8 and another 4. I was on a table of 4 and we ordered first. Our food came pretty soon after we ordered. I loved how there was an open kitchen. When the food arrived there was amazing presentation.
I got to ask the owner a couple of questions, and one of them was “How did you come up with all your recipes?” He replied, “I used to just cook when the restaurant was closed and put stuff together and if it worked it worked, but if not then I would change the recipe and the ingredients.”
Another question was what inspired him to open a restaurant. His answer was “I like food and I like to make people happy.” Overall, my experience here was really good and recommend it. Scratch, thanks for letting us come and have this wonderful opportunity!
BLT Bennies from Scratch. [Photo by Hi'i Gibo]
By Sabrina Pallango
Scratch is a good, go-to, brunch place. It is a very casual, down-to-earth rustic restaurant. The waiters were super welcoming, and it seemed like they loved their job. They smiled at every customer and were very polite. Right when you walk in, you are hit with the lovely aroma of sweet and savory food. When you sit down, you immediately feel like you are at home. People were talking and laughing as if they were at a family reunion! You could also see the kitchen so that made it even homier.
We had a special menu with 3 items that were all $15 (including tip and tax). By the way, we had the special menu because we were on a field trip with 16 students and 2 adults. They all sounded SO good, and my whole table couldn’t decide what to get! We made a final decision to share so we could try all of them.
I got the Shrimp and Grits, someone got the Milk and Cereal Pancakes, and the other two people got the B.L.T. Benny. Although we had a large party as well as many other regular customers, the food came out very fast. The Shrimp and Grits had andouille sausage, shrimp, some sort of garlic mixture, and a sunny-side-up egg on top of a bed of the grits. The sausage was delicious because it had a bit of spiciness that gave the dish an extra kick of flavor. The shrimp was cooked perfectly and was soft to eat. The grits were seasoned with just the right amount of salt and were so creamy. Since the grits didn’t have much flavor except salt, the popped the egg yolk on top it made it much more delicious. The Milk and Cereal Pancakes were so fluffy and had the perfect amount of sweetness. There were a mixture of berries on top as well as sliced bananas. It also came with a silky and creamy “milk” syrup. It gave the pancakes most of its sweetness, yet alone it wasn’t super sweet. You may be wondering, “What?! How does she know what it tastes like alone?” Well, it was so good and I wanted to know what was in it so I drank some straight from the bottle! I still couldn’t find a specific ingredient that tasted like it so I decided to ask the owner, Brian Chan. He said it was a concoction of condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla.
Lastly, the B.L.T. Benny. It was a plate of two toasted English muffin with a slice of tomato, a strip of bacon, and a poached egg on top. It was covered in a creamy hollandaise sauce. On the side, it had some arugula salad and roasted potatoes. Although I didn’t try the B.L.T.s, I did try the salad and potatoes. The arugula was peppery and the dressing was tangy. I couldn’t quite put my finger on the taste, but I think it was like a lemon vinaigrette. And oh my god, don’t even get me started on the potatoes! They were crunchy and the outside but so soft on the inside. Even though it was only seasoned with salt and pepper, it was still very flavorful and packed a punch.
Since all the service and food was on point, I would recommend this restaurant for any occasion. From a casual get together to a semi-fancy business meal. Overall I’d probably give it 5 out of 5 stars.