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Since it opened in Shangri-La Plaza two years ago, my friends and I regularly hang out in Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant because of their good selection of German beers, delicious food, and the simplest yet most practical reason of all, it’s a central meeting place for everybody where we can all hang out until after the mall closes—until 2AM, in fact. Beers aside, I also love their mojitos—one of the best I’ve tried in Metro Manila.

Brotzeit Glorietta Entrance (photo courtesy of Brotzeit)

So I was pleasantly surprised to accidentally discover a new Brotzeit branch in Glorietta 4 (beside the entrance of Ascott outside the mall), which opened on January 8, 2015. Just like its predecessor, Brotzeit Glorietta offers world-famous German beers and Bavarian cuisine in a relaxing setting great for a barkada get-together. I particularly like that this branch’s ‘al fresco’ area is actually covered, so rain or shine, you can dine and drink comfortably in their smoking area. It also has a special function room that seats up to 18 persons, perfect for private family or barkada functions or even business meetings (they have an available projector for use in this room). It’s open until 1AM on weekends and until midnight on weekdays.

‘Al fresco’ area

I’ve convinced so many of my friends to try Brotzeit Shang, so allow me to try to convince you to check out both branches this time, especially since they have an exciting selection of Summer Specials. I tried three of them, and I consider two of the three my new faves—I actually asked the chef if they can make them regular items on the menu. I will also share with you my favorite thing to order whenever I visit Brotzeit with friends, two desserts you should leave room for, and some must-try German beers to wash down your meal with.

Brotzeit

Brot (pronounced as spelled), which is German for bread, and zeit (pronounced “zayt” which rhymes with “sight”), German for time, when combined refers to a typical and traditional Bavarian expression for a small meal or snack always accompanied by fresh, pure beer.

Brotzeit Glorietta is the second Philippine branch and 19th in the world. Brotzeit is a Singaporean brand conceived in 2006 to introduce world famous quality German beers and authentic Bavarian cuisine to the Asia Pacific region. It was conceptualized by Germans who missed their home country and wanted to bring a part of it to Asia via cuisine, beverage, and atmosphere. Besides the Philippines and Singapore, you will also find Brotzeit in Malaysia, Vietnam, China, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Australia, which only recently opened as well.

Main dining area with function room on one the end

Brotzeit serves a host of imported German beers and boasts the widest selection of premium German beers in Manila. There are four beers on draft and several German specialties in bottles all served in the appropriate glasses.

(Photo courtesy of Brotzeit)

Contrary to what you may think upon reading the definition of Brotzeit, it is not about beer and bread alone. Read on for my review of three of their summer specials, as well as three regular menu items (two of which are desserts!) you simply have to try.

Summer 2015 Specials

(Poster courtesy of Brotzeit)

Brotzeit has several summer specials that are available until May​ 31, so you better sample them while they’re on the menu. I tried three of the summer specials and posted detailed reviews below.

Schweinkotelette mit bohnen (or simply King Henry Pork Chop), P690

The Grilled Pork Chop served with bacon-wrapped beans and mashed potatoes topped with gravy is definitely comfort food material. The HUGE cut of well-done yet juicy meat is marinated in beer and had a nice char to it, topped with garlic herbed butter that enhanced its slight acidity. The dish has a great balance of flavor and texture, with the meat satisfyingly having both lean and fatty parts.

Meanwhile, the crisp, fresh, lightly sweet, and juicy string beans are wrapped in super succulent bacon that has the perfect saltiness. The beer-based gravy, on the other hand, is so good and pairs well with the smooth, creamy mashed potatoes—good thing you can ask for more. Sarap! This is definitely one of my two favorites from the summer special lineup.

Schweinbauch mit backerkartoffeln (or simply Braised Pork Belly), P550

This pork belly braised in red wine is served with baked potatoes, a red pepper jam, apples, and bacon. The meat is cooked so well, it’s super juicy and sobrang lambot (soft)! The slightly sweet jam—served the classic way: cold—and apples give this dish its slight sweetness. The baked potatoes are like gratin, not too mushy yet creamy, lightly flavored with salty crusty parts, and topped with bacon bits. This is my other favorite among the summer specials.

Schwenkbraten mit Schwenkgemuse und Speck (or simply Schnitzel skewers), P450

The Chicken Schnitzel skewers topped with medallions of herbed butter and served with roasted vegetables and potato salad instantly made me think of a summer barkada barbecue treat. The meat is cooked well and made tender (not dry—you know how I am with dry chicken) and put in skewers to cool. The chicken has a light herby taste that was complemented so well by the garlic herbed butter. Speaking of which, the butter is made of six spices that gave it a hint of acidity. Meanwhile, the potato salad has a mustardy taste. All the summer special dishes come with potatoes, in case you didn’t notice, each done differently.

Regular menu faves

Kasekrainer (Pork Cheese Sausage), P480

After sampling the summer specials, we couldn’t resist ordering my favorite in Brotzeit’s regular menu: the Pork Cheese Sausage served with potato salad and sauerkraut that has bacon bits. The smoked sausage is super juicy and tender, oozing with delectable and creamy cheese—definitely kid-friendly. It’s perfectly salted and has a slight spice, too. You can request to change the potato salad to French fries, and I suggest you do because you’ll love their house fries: It’s crispy, salty, savory, and flavorful, thanks to its 16 different spices.

Schokokuchen (Chocolate Cake), P270

For dessert, I have two suggestions: The first is this Chocolate Cake that’s served warm and with Stracciatella ice cream. The cake is rich, sinful, and has a bitter edge, thanks to the dark chocolate they used. I was particularly impressed with the ice cream: It’s thick, creamy, and very rich, it didn’t even melt too quickly, even when it took me a while to shoot it (as you can see in the photo above). They make their own vanilla ice cream with chocolate specks. Technically it’s gelato with a little more cream in it, so it’s the ice cream people expect to enjoy.

Schwarzwalder (Flourless Valrhona Chocolate), P120

Another must-try dessert is their Schwarzwalder. The rich flourless Valrhona sponge cake has chocolate mousse and kisch. I like the richness of the dark bitter chocolate they used and drenched in cherry liqueur. The alcohol taste is light, don’t worry, and the chocolate neither too sweet nor overwhelming. It’s a Black Forest Cake, basically, and this being one of my favorite cakes, the Schwarzwalder easily won me over.

Must-try German beers

Brotzeit offers three core beers you can pair with any of your orders in Brotzeit: Weihenstephaner (pronounced “vine-shteff-aner”), from the oldest brewery in the world; Paulaner (pronounced “pow-lah-ner”); and Schneider-Weisse (pronounced “shnydur-vice”).

Weihenstephan Wheat Beer served in a boot (P445 before 6PM and P540 after 6PM)

I tried two Weihenstephaner variants, which are both served tap or draft, with the 1L order served in a boot! The Original Hell is light, super refreshing, and is your typical summer beer, making it a perfect match to their summer specials. The Wheat Beer, meanwhile, is smoother, richer, and more flavorful, but has a darker flavor.

Weihenstephaner Original Hell (P165 before 6PM, P200 after 6PM for 0.3L; P250 before 6PM and P300 after 6PM for 0.5L)

Paulaner is served both draft/from tap and in bottle, and has different variants, but there are two I usually order: The Original Munich Lager (the latter pronounced “lah-ghur”) is light and great even for ladies who aren’t particularly fond of beer. The bitterness non-beer drinkers recoil from is not as pronounced in this beer. There’s also Hefe-Weissbier (pronounced “hayfuh-vicebeer”), made with wheat malt, which has more sparkle and fizz, yet is heavier and has hints of banana.

Take note of some of the pronunciation notes I made here, so male readers can impress the ladies when they take them out, while female readers can likewise impress the guys with their knowledge of German beers and pulutan. Enjoy and see you soon at Brotzeit!

Photos by Trixie Reyna

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