Veteran Chef Otto Weibel cooks up soulful eats in the heart of Holland Village
Photos: Otto’s Deli Fresh
The deli offers a curated selection of premium meats and house-made charcuterie for takeaway.
Quietly tucked away in Raffles@Holland Village is a brightly-lit deli, where the comfort of mindful eating meets ingredients of sophisticated quality.
While surprising at first, it soon dawned on me that veteran chef Otto Weibel had his hand in this eatery.
After a lifetime of contributing his culinary talents to top hotels and award-winning restaurants, he returns to his egalitarian roots.
And it’s not hard to see why he excels at making simple dishes a stellar experience for his diners — handpicked ingredients are procured from his trusted suppliers, paving the way for dishes that are equal parts comforting and crowd-pleasing.
While the deli offers a curated selection of premium meats and house-made charcuterie for takeaway, we think you’re better off treating yourself to a dine-in meal.
The Pulled Pork Burger is a must-try.
Pulled pork perfection
We highly recommend the Pulled Pork Burger ($19), a meaty beast that left us wondering why we’d ever settled for any other mediocre burger.
Otto’s rendition comes with pork cheeks slow cooked at 80 degree C for five hours until tender perfection, before being shredded and tossed in savoury-sweet, house-made BBQ sauce.
Expect a party in your mouth when you sink your teeth into the buttery buns, soft pulled pork shreds and crunchy yuzu cabbage salad. Fries? Entirely optional.
Smooth ribbons of al dente fettuccine are braised with beef jus.
Comfort eats, all day
A close contender is the flavourful Beef Stroganoff Fettuccine ($17).
Smooth ribbons of al dente fettuccine are braised with beef jus, caramelised onions and gherkins, and topped with juicy slices of hanger steak and white button mushrooms. We say: Slurp it up, then repeat.
If a simple afternoon snack is what you’re after, go for the Button Mushroom Soup with Toasted Brioche ($8.50).
While mushroom soup sounds like a no-brainer, Otto manages to make a luxurious treat out of this dish.
Each spoonful of the broth is an umami-rich blend of button mushrooms, dried porchini powder, cream and caramelised onion.
On the side is a slice of toasted brioche — buttered and lightly dusted in sugar to ignite all your childhood memories.
The bananas are charred skin-on, so as to retain their moisture and caramelised sweetness.
Sweet endings
Desserts wise, don’t let the name Burnt Banana Waffles ($11.50) put you off.
The bananas are charred skin-on, so as to retain their moisture and caramelised sweetness. Paired with dense, Belgium-style waffles and peanut butter gelato, this dessert will be the best treat you can give yourself at Otto’s.
To round off the meal, skip the coffee and order the hot Valrhona Chocolate ($9.50) instead. The frothy drink is topped with hazelnut cream espuma, sea salt and crunchy pearls for a salty-sweet combination that just works.
#02-01, Raffles@Holland Village, 118 Holland Avenue
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