Gourmet Garden

End of last month, RoundU ( a company that bridges business owners to consumers through new media) had organised a luncheon with one of the directors of Weissbräu German Bistro & Bar situated at Quay North of Straits Quay. Wayne Yoon has over 20 years of experience in the F&B line in various parts of the world, holding different responsibilities throughout the years. And 15 months ago he decided to establish Weissbräu in Malaysia with its first outlet in Kuala Lumpur, then 3 months ago he and his partner(s) committed their resources to setup a branch in Penang. With that Weissbräu Straits Quay was born.

Weissbräu Penang German Bistro & Bar seats around 70 people indoor and 100 people at Alfresco, and opens at 12:00 NN daily to 1:00 AM (open till 2:00 AM on Friday & Saturday). Reservation is recommended especially for dinner hour and weekends.  ”Happy Hour” is throughout the day till 9:00 PM, and all day on Sundays.

The initial Weissbräu menu was compiled by Master Chef Pascal Schnyder from Luzern, Switzerland.  It is divided into 2 distinctive sections, one for the light eaters and the other for the hearty eaters. The lighter section of the menu contains items like salad, sandwiches, wide ranges of home-made and imported sausages and cold cuts that are quite suitable for lunch or over the counter for quick a take-away. For the hearty meal section, there are their signature Crispy Pork Knuckle, Pork Ribs, Giant Wiener Schnitzel and lots more to pacify the hunger and satisfy the sinful desires. All their main courses are complimented with 2 of their home-made side dishes which you can choose from; buttered market vegetables, Sauerkraut (Shredded Cabbage in white wine vinegar), German Potato Salad, Garlic Mash, lightly pan-fried Spaetzli (home-made egg noodles) or roesti.

At Weissbräu you would find some items or dishes that have influences from their bordering countries like France, Switzerland and Belgium.  Pissaladière, it is a popular pizza from Southern France that has a thin crust dough topped with sour cream, roasted onion, anchovies and olives. Roesti, a Swedish favourite of shredded potato strips pan-fried in clarified butter and can be served as it is, or top-up with bacon, egg, onion, cheese or anything you fancy to create your individually unique dish. Moule Mariniere or ‘Seamen’s style Mussel is a Belgium version of mussels in a pot with white wine and fresh vegetables.

Classic Ceasar Salad RM16.80++, crisp Romanian lettuce, tomatoes, and croutons topped with home-made mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese & bacon bits. To add an extra punch to the light dish, you could include either lightly curried chicken for RM6.00++ or smoked salmon for RM8.00++.

Buttered Swiss Roesti with onion, bacon, cheese & eggs RM24.00++.

Italian Touch Pizza with Mushroom Topping RM28++, thin crusted pizza with sour cream, homemade tomato paste, mozzarella cheese an d your choice toppings (here we have mushroom).

Crispy German Pork Knuckle RM48.00++, pork knuckle boiled then pickled for 2 days then deep fried before serving. It comes with 2 side dishes of your choice and beef stock base red wine sauce.

Giant Weinerschnitzel RM34++, skilfully cut and hand pounded pork fillet breaded and pan fried till golden in colour then served with 2 side dishes of your choice (Spaetzli and Buttered market vegetables).

Schublig RM42++, lightly smoked giant pork sausage mixed with their own special blend of spices and served with your choice of 2 side dishes (over here is Garlic mashed potato and Buttered market vegetables).

Homemade Sausages (Chili Pork Sausage, Herbs Pork Sausage and Garlic Peppercorn Pork Sausage), are special Homemade Pork sausages encased in lamb casing and seasoned with their respective flavours (natural herbs and spices), then smoked for 4 hours to infuse the smoky aroma & taste. This item is new to the menu and may be off the menu for now but is available by request.

• Smoked Herb Pork Sausage RM 34++
• Smoked Garlic Peppercorn Sausage RM 32++
• Smoked Chili Pork Sausage RM 34++

And when the kitchen is not busy, you may ask for a 2+2 sausages, but with respective charges. Please do inquire for further details.

For those who like to have something sweet at the end of the meal to cleanse the palate, you may want to  op for their desserts that are home-made as much as possible to keep the principle of making food the way it used to. At one point, Wayne jokingly pointed out that the only thing they don’t do is grow their own vegetables and rise their own cattle and swine!

Apple Strudel served with Vanilla Ice-Cream, an envelope of filo pastry stuffed with green apple cube prepared with nutmeg, white raisin and sugar syrup and top with crunchy sugar granules.

Chocolate Mousse top with Pear, bitter sweet chocolate mousse blended with VSOP for richness and served with chilled poach pears.

Popularity: 6% [?]

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There is another German Bistro in Straits Quay that goes by the name of BERLIN’S BIER HOUZ(BBH). This is their second outlet in the whole of Malaysia as I was told. Their first flagship outlet was established in May 2010 in Ipoh’s infamous Green Town area. Berlin’s concept is to provide proper sit in dining for German and European food at an affordable price with an extensive range of beers to compliment their available dishes. We were told that they currently have about 43 types or brands of beer that are available by the bottle and or by the tap. The price of the beers are slightly cheaper compared to price offered by some of the F&B outlets that are also housed in Straits Quay. Another plus point for having a few drinks at Berlin’s is the night view of the Gurney Drive cove and that of the container yard on the opposite site of the island.

As it is mentioned, BBH serves dishes that have origins from Germany and Europe. The food list is not very extensive but at least it can provide some variety of choices with quite a budget price tag. The food list starts with light bites or snack that goes quite well with the many types of beer that they have to offer, then there are the mains that comes in to fill the hunger and it ends with desserts.

First up we had the “German Sausage Platter” that is priced at RM25.80.  The platter comes with a mixture 3 different sausage (if not mistaken Emmentaler Cheese, Garlic & Black-pepper). This platter could suffice the urge for gourmet sausages at a budget price with an average or acceptable taste profile. But texture wise, I prefer firmer sausages with more crunch or crisp skin. Thus, it would be better if the sausage were not sliced open before serving to keep the crisp feeling when we slice into it, and also to maintain the juices are intact.

Next was their version of “German Pork Knuckle” that is prices at RM25 for a half portion and RM43 for a full portion(whole). The price was very tempting although we already had a light dinner before we went to BBH. For RM25, the portion of the knuckle was quite luscious. The crackling was very crisp with every bite, but the meat was slightly dehydrated and over firmed. With the knuckle we found the simplicity of taste, just the flavours of pork and some savouriness.

Then we had their “Pork Burger with Cheese” that is stated RM16.80 per order. The patty is made with full 100% minced pork pan-grilled until well done, then slab on a bed of juicy sliced tomatoes and shredded lettuce and sandwiched between 2 halves of a toasted fluffy bun. The patty was flavourful and moist and goes quite well with a pint of cold beer. The only down side of the burger was that it was a bit sloppy.

Overall experience:

BERLIN’S BIER HOUZ

3E-G-3B Straits Quay Jalan Seri Tanjung Pinang Tanjung Tokong 10470 Pulau Pinang.

Popularity: 21% [?]

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This our first adventure to Straits Quay in Tanjong Tokong. Previously we had our fears that the place might not be sustainable but with the many major brands from KL setting shop there, it would be a place to be seen for the many rich and famous of Penang. This was a working visits as we were there to have a business discussion with partners, but of cause it was also an excuse scout around for new places to dine in the newly opened up and coming commercial/retail location.

The place that we had our discussion was Weissbräu, a German bistro and bar that serves pork specialties, sausages, pizzas, roesti, and imported draught & bottled beers. Weissbräu is the German word for white brew or white beer that is popular and common beer in Germany.

During the discussion session we had a few glasses of beer and also their “Sausage Combo” (RM48++). The combo comes with a choice of two(2) sausages and two(2) side dishes. And the items that I chose and matched were “Farmer’s Garlic Pork” sausage, “Nurnberger” sausage, sauerkraut and mash. The sausages were meaty, juicy, tenderly firm and very flavourful. As for the mash, it was quite rich and creamy with a fluffy texture. And the sauerkraut served was of mild acidity as they have noticed the taste preference of locals and other Asians a like that do not like the original sour taste of this German specialty.

Sauerkraut in the olden days, before refrigeration and produce importation, serves as the vital source of the vitamin C, lactobacilli and other nutrients during the winter. It also contains increased levels of anti-cancer agents such as isothiocyanates.

Before we left the place for another joint, we vowed that we will be back for their pork knuckle after spotted this item on their menu. The only German pork knuckle available in Penang was the Ingolf’s version, but now there is the Weissbrau version. Also available now in Straits Quay is the Irish version of pork knuckle at Finnegan‘s and the Bulgarian version in Vintage Bulgaria.

The “Crispy German Pork Knuckle” (RM48++) we had the next day at Weissbrau had a crispy layer of skin with minimal amounts of fats and chunks of tender moist meat. The flavours were closed to natural as we did not taste any residue of herbs or spices on and in the knuckle. Again like the day before, we had a choice of two (2) side dishes which I chose again the sauerkraut and something different, roesti. The roesti is actually a Swedish signature that has been included into the German eating culture due to the close proximity between the countries. Roesti is made from shredded potato formed into a flat pan-cake like shape and pan fried till golden brown. It was crisp on the surface and fluffy in the middle, quite nice to our palates.

After the knuckle we had their “Alsatian Sauerkraut” (RM38++), which is a mixed plate of braised pork belly, loin, knuckle, Frankfurter and Nurnberger with one (1) choice of side dish. It is a healthy combination as the meaty items are either braised or boiled except for the Nurnberger. The meats were tender, flavourful and not salty at all, and the mash and sauerkraut were consistent in taste and texture.

After the 2 recent back-to-back visits, we will definitely be back to try out other signatures or specials that they have to offer. Reason being there is consistency in taste and service. Another thing to look out for is the brown sauce that we found in two of the three dishes that we have tried so far, it is infused with wine and does not taste like the pre-mix type.

Overall experience:

Address: Straits Quay, Lot 3C-G-1, Jalan Sri Tanjung Pinang, 10470 Tanjung Tokong, Penang.

Tel: +60 (4) 8901808

The Menu

Popularity: 35% [?]

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