One great thing about Singapore’s culinary landscape is its highly competitive environment. It doesn’t allow executive chefs to be complacent! And that’s good for consumers.
Take German restaurants, for instance. It not enough just to serve standard German fare; they need to upgrade and be creative with their menus.
Brotzeit is no exception. Their recent renovation in their Raffles City branch promises to make the German experience in Singapore even more satisfying. They have redesigned a chilled room for their kegs which helps to keep their draught beer consistently cool and with less foam.
Care to lock your Stein?
The Raffles branch will also have lockers for their best customers’ Beer Steins. Apparently, it is a Munich custom, that’s relatively unknown here in Asia. Perhaps it’s for good reasons.
Maybe it cause Asians are very practical. We leave our unfinished bottles of XOs labelled and kept safe behind the bar for the next visit, because it has store value. But why would we want to lock a stein with no alcohol?
Aside from the height difference, Germans and Asians will probably never see eye-to-eye on this. Isn’t this exactly why life is interesting!
Modern Appeal
With their redesign, Brotzeit moved further away from the traditional Bavarian beer-house feel. Indeed, Brotzeit didn’t feel stereotypically German, with their high airy ceilings, hip graphics, and clean, modernist design.
It’s a shame in a way. The traditional Bavarian women sporting Dirndl dresses, cut low, with bows to the centre or the left, serving drinks would have been a great touch!
But I get it; tradition must make room for modernity. Not to mention, that there aren’t many waitresses in Singapore whose figures can do the Dirndl justice. Oh, well.
A Taste for German Winter
I hate the cold. Thankfully, I live in the tropics filled with tropical food, fresh seafood, etc.
For countries living through the bitter cold of winter, though, their seasonal cuisine needs to be fortified – meatier, heavier, and loaded with more nutrients to power the persistent shivering.
Brotzeit’s winter menu, designed by Group Executive Chef Claus Schwarzmann and exclusive to the Raffles City branch, gives us a taste of hearty traditional German dishes. The seasonal menu includes Black Forest ham & caramelised figs, beetroot Carpaccio, pumpkin tart, veal cheeks, duck confit tart, slow cooked beef short ribs, roasted pork liver, and sweet curd cheese puffs.
Menu Highlights
Beetroot Carpaccio, or Rote Beet mit Ziegenkase ($19.50), is a colourfully red and happy dish. Goat cheese, leafy greens, walnuts, and a foundation of thinly sliced beetroot (the “Carpaccio”) drizzled with raspberry vinaigrette make up this very atypical German dish.
Refreshing, light, and delicate, it gently paves the way for heavier mains to come.
The Slow-Cooked Beef Short Rib, or Rinder Ripperl ($42.50), is marinated for 24 hours, seared, and then braised for three hours in special dark beer reduction. The meat was dark and rich. It was tender, yet firm enough to hang from the bone.
It was savoury and carried a hint of white vinegar aftertaste. The rib was nicely paired with a delicate side of truffle mash potatoes. Very delightful, well balanced, and comforting.
The Roasted Pork Liver, or Geröstete Leber ($32.50), is really for liver lovers. Served with caramelised onions and brown pork sauce, it has a rich, gamey pork-liver flavour with a touch of white vinegar taste. It was very savoury, and its a delight for anyone who loves the characteristic flavour of pork liver.
Both meat dishes pair well with chilled beer! And guess what, Brotzeit has plenty of that!
By Frank Young
The winter menu is served until the end of March 2015, exclusively at the Raffles City location
Brotzeit German Restaurant & Bar (Raffles City)
252 North Bridge Road, #01-17 Raffles City Shopping Centre
Tel: 6883 1534
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