To the Germans, white asparagus is their king of vegetables. Just like for us Singaporeans, durian is our king of fruit. This seasonal vegetable would excite any Germans as this bitter-sweet vegetable brings back nostalgic memories of their childhood as they have been eating this spring vegetable for generations. ‘Spargel’ is what the Germans would call it. It is also dubbed as the ‘vampire of the vegetables’ reason being it is grown underground and is completely deprived of sunlight. It is actually green asparagus which has been prevented from turning green. Without any sunlight, the plant itself doesn’t produce any chlorophyll. It tasted just like green asparagus except that it is more succulent and mellow in taste.
This Spring, Brotzeit presented us with a special ‘Spargelzeit’ menu that features this German delicacy for this limited period of time from 28 April till 11 June 2017. Below are some of the white asparagus dishes in their new seasonal menu.
Garden Salad with White Asparagus ($19)
A good mix of greens paired with white asparagus and a tasty mélange of sweet fruit such as mandarin oranges and blueberries. It tasted very refreshing with the white balsamic vinegar as and it makes a good appetiser.
Cream Soup topped with Honey Baked Ham ($16)
I finally understood why white asparagus is usually paired with butter and hollandaise sauce. The asparagus cream soup, which has butter and cream in it, was sumptuous. It’s creamy and so flavourful. One bowl isn’t quite enough for me. I wouldn’t mind having this as a main.
Classic Poached White Asparagus served with Pan-Seared Barramundi ($34)
For the mains, we tried their classic poached white asparagus with pan-seared Barramundi(200g) which is sustainability-sourced from a sustainable fishing farm here in Singapore. It is another stunning dish as it is served with some hollandaise sauce and herb garlic butter that brings out a unique subtle mellow flavour in the white asparagus.
White Asparagus, Strawberries and Panna Cotta ($10)
Group Executive Chef Wolfgang Ranner surprised us with his version of a white asparagus-inspired dessert. It’s probably one of those unique desserts which has a vegetable in it. The tartness of the berries helped to marry the bitter taste of the white asparagus with the sweet and creamy pannacotta. The strawberry sauce really balances out the flavour, making this dessert quite a memorable one.
We had our dishes paired with a tall glass of Trumer Hopfenspiel beer which is one of their latest addition to their beer menu. For wine lovers, you can go for Wittman Pinot Blanc, a white wine which will complement with the white asparagus dishes.
It’s a light and hearty meal which features the white asparagus as a main ingredient. It’s a bold move by Brotzeit which is famous for their meat platters and pork knuckles but they have proven that they are great in preparing other exquisite dishes featuring the German spargel. For the health-conscious flexitarians and vegetarians, these dishes are worth a try!
What’s on our table for that evening at Brotzeit?
Have you tried white asparagus before? Do let me know in the comment box below.
Discovery Walk at 313@Somerset 313
Orchard Road
#01-27 Singapore 238895
Phone: (65) 6834 4038
Fax: (65) 6834 4036
