Saturday, September 26, 2020

Brotzeit @ Vivocity - Celebrating Oktoberfest In Singapore

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While Oktoberfest has been cancelled in the hometown of Munich, and we can't travel to Germany to celebrate one of the largest folk festivals in the world, let Brotzeit brings the celebration to Singapore from 15 September to 25 October 2020.

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What is Oktoberfest without beer, right? In Munich, only six breweries have the honour of serving Oktoberfest beer. For this year Oktoberfest, Brotzeit has specially imported the Oktoberfest brew from one of the six: Hofbrau, founded by William V, Duke of Bavaria in 1589 which is still a traditional Bavarian-run brewery today.

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Crispy Pork Cracklings 4.2/5

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Crispy Fried Pig Ears 3.5/5

We had some snack bites to go with the beer. We tried the Crispy Pork Cracklings ($6) and Crispy Fried Pig Ears ($12). I enjoyed the pork skin for its crispiness and seasoning. As for the pig ears, I felt the seasoning was a bit lacking. It would be more enjoyable if the batter is more heavily seasoned though it is accompanied with mustard chilli dip at the side.

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Preserved and Smoked Spreads 4.2/5

The Preserved and Smoked Spreads is an interesting platter that is to be eaten like a Korean bbq. You take a piece of romaine lettuce, spread it with the choice of duck confit, chicken truffle or smoked trout, and finally add some salt pretzel, wrap and eat it. It is quite a new and interesting way to appreciate German cuisine in this way.

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Cold Roast Pork 4.5/5

Moving on we have the Cold Roast Pork ($16) which comes with pork collar marinated overnight in Brotzeit's 12-spice pork knuckle mix, pickled beer radish, mustard chilli sauce and crispy pork skin. This is a dish that reminds Chef Lorenz of his grandma, who always prepared cold roast meats with apricots for him after school. It seems like a start dish but its really substantial. I enjoyed everything on the plate, which is very appetising.

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Giant Pretzel with Farmer Sausage 4.5/5

I have eaten pretzel, but not a Giant Pretzel ($28) sandwiched with red cabbage, pickles, mustard and farmer sausage. This is good for 2-3 people. It is really hearty and comforting. I would highly recommend ordering this.

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Crispy Roasted Pork Shoulder 4.2/5

Value for money dish on the Oktoberfest menu is the Crispy Roasted Pork Shoulder ($45) which comes with Autumn vegetables and potato dumplings. The fork-tender pork shoulder comes with a layer of extremely crispy skin, that echoes a thundering crackle with every bite. The accompanying fluffy potato dumplings and vegetables provide a delightful textural and flavour contrast.

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Roasted Pig Liver 4.8/5

An acquire dish on the menu is the Roasted Pig Liver ($26). Either you love it or hate it. I didn't know German cuisine has this dish on the menu. Though it is cooked using the Western technique with a blend of mustard and paired with poached apples, it tastes similar to the Asian way of cooking pig liver. I am really surprised and excited that pig liver can be prepared this way. If you are adventurous enough, you should really try it.

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Battered Fried Apple Wheels 4/5

Wrapping up the meal is the Battered Fried Apple Wheels ($11). The Fiji apple is coated in a light beer batter and dusted with sugar and cinnamon. It has a delightful crunch complemented by a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream.

I really enjoyed the new Oktoberfest menu created by recently joined Group Executive Chef Lorenz Raich. He brings with him a wealth of culinary experience in highly lauded boutique venues, famous Michelin-starred restaurants as well as five-star hotels. For the new menu, he has brought a touch of finesse to the traditional dishes.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Brotzeit
Vivocity
1 Harbourfront Walk
#01-149/151
Singapore 098585
Tel: +65 62728815
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Harbourfront (CC Line, NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Harbourfront MRT station. Take Exit C or E. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Teochew Meat Puff @ Woodlands Industrial Park, Wave9 - Snaking Queue For Their UFO-shaped Meat Puff

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Oyster cake is a rarely seen snack in Singapore nowadays. There probably left only one or two places in Singapore still selling them. If I am not wrong, one is in Maxwell hawker centre, and the other is at Jalan Besar hawker centre. Thanks to MissTamChiak, I get to know another new stall - Teochew Meat Puff in Woodlands Industrial Park selling this delicious snack.

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Teochew Meat Puff used to operate at Pasar Malams, it has no choice but to change its business model, settling into a permanent stall in a coffeeshop at Wave9 building in Woodlands Industrial Park under the current COVID pandemic.

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Be prepared to queue if you plan to try the UFO-shaped meat puff. The latest I heard the wait is up to 2 hours now. The stall owner, Keith, will pour a layer of rice batter into a metal spatula, followed by the meat mixture, celery and another layer of rice batter to cover it. Peanuts are then sprinkled on top before sending it into the hot oil, deep-fried to a golden brown. If you observed each meat puff carefully, you would notice that the peanuts pattern help to differentiate the different flavours.

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Oyster Pork Meat Puff

All together the stall sells 6 different flavours of meat puff. They are Oyster Pork ($3.50), Prawn Pork ($3.50), Octopus Pork ($3.50), Crab Pork ($3.50), Scallop Pork ($4) and Vegetable ($2).

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Octopus Pork Meat Puff

The meat puff is crispy on the exterior with juicy pork filling. My favourite is the pork and oyster filling. I find the briny taste of the oyster complements the savoury pork filling better than the rest. I will go for the pork and octopus if you prefer a more textural enjoyment in each bite. Last but not least, don't forget to have it together with the chilli sauce. 

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Pork Shrimp Meat Puff

The last I check on Teochew Meat Puff Facebook page, the stall owner, is very apologetic to his customers for the long wait. They are currently trying to negotiate with the coffeeshop to take up the space beside their stall so that they can add extra equipment to deep-fried more meat puff. You may not know, but each meat puff takes about 15 minutes.


Teochew Meat Puff
Wave9
71 Woodlands Industrial Park E9
Singapore 757048
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Admiralty (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 8pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Admiralty MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to bus stop opposite Admiralty MRT station (Stop ID 46771). Take bus number 964. Alight 4 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]