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SINGAPORE - Brunch. It's the country's favourite weekend meal; one that encompasses a typically lean menu of classic dishes such as eggs Benedict, fluffy pancakes drenched in maple syrup, French toast with fruit compote, or - if you're the healthy sort - thick yoghurt with honey, cereal and fruit.

It's a meal you don't have to put too much thought into. You just show up and ask for your favourite dish, with a glass of juice or coffee or champagne to accompany. It is a meal that asks for languor - you eat, sip and catch up with good friends or family. And when you're done, you can go home and take a delicious nap.

No wonder more and more restaurants have introduced weekend brunch - and not just on Sundays, but on Saturdays, too. Aside from the perennially popular brunch buffets at hotel restaurants, the gamut runs from eateries that serve startlingly small menus, to others that serve creative sets with the option of free-flow champagne or other alcoholic beverages.