A Day in the Life of an Urban Literary Guy: URBAN SELECT’s Healing Lifestyle Goods & Food

Text & photos / A Man’s Daily Life

In September during this year’s autumn equinox, a URBAN SELECT,

Nestled within the alleys of Zhongshan North Road, it’s a two-story white building with floor-to-ceiling glass windows that from afar resemble house-shaped decorations,

During the day, a small pond in front of the entrance features fish swimming freely amid a vast expanse of greenery.

As night falls, the lights hanging from the second floor shine out from the building one by one like stars—warm and tranquil.

URBAN SELECTThe first floor is a brand selection space.

The second floor is URBAN Cafe, serving a new concept in food and beverages from morning till night.

The basement level not only offers dining space but also hosts art and cultural exhibitions on a non-regular basis.

It is currently in its trial operation period, with the official opening set for December 23. There will be a two-day opening event from December 23 to 25.

At the entrance, in addition to being filled with various types of succulents and planters,

the right-side area features lifestyle brand items carefully selected by the owner from around the world.

Some are fun, some are full of design flair, and some have a literary and artistic vibe. The little items in the boutique shop

can sometimes spark different conversations about life.

Using Mexican tortillas filled with a variety of mushrooms that have been air-dried, pan-fried, and sautéed,

topped with a stir-fried truffle sauce, and finally sprinkled with cheese and baked into flower-shaped flatbreads, the presentation is quite adorable.

The tortilla is soft and moist, while the filling carries the aroma of mushrooms and truffle cheese, offering a very unique flavor.

URBAN SELECT A roasted chicken leg cooked in an oven at 250 degrees,

with the high heat rendering the fat to create an extremely crispy skin that is nonetheless not greasy,

the specially selected chicken thigh meat is tender and juicy, locking in all the flavors,

and it can also be dipped in the shop’s homemade salsa for a refreshing taste.

On the side, there are green pesto-flavored bread and fresh lettuce, both deliciously crisp on their own,

or you can drizzle on plenty of sesame sauce for even more flavor.

Two cloud-like sunny-side-up eggs, made like baking a cake by whipping the egg whites before putting them in the oven,

After taking photos, we couldn’t wait to cut into them and try — the texture was just like tasteless marshmallows.

They had a bubbly sensation in the mouth.

It’s recommended to sprinkle some salt and pepper for better flavor. The appearance is quite creative, but personally I still prefer regular sunny-side-up eggs.