Authentic German restaurants are few and far between in Singapore, but if you are craving for some Pork Knuckle, German sausages and Schnitzel, here’s where you can go to.
Located in the City Hall area at the posh Arcade @ The Capitol Kempinski, Frieda German restaurant and bar offers German and Austrian fare.
Named after Frieda, the only daughter of Berthold Kempinksi (founder of Kempinski hotels) and wife Helene, the restaurant embodies her spirit of warmth and service.
Expect your food with large servings of homely hospitality, much like how this hotelier made guests feel at home.
Let’s start with the interiors.
You should feel this comforting warmth throughout the restaurant’s uniquely-designed pastel green, wood and floral themed sections: Frieda’s Day Bar, Frieda’s Dining Room and Frieda’s Garden.
If you are an art geek, you’d probably recognize the design depicts traditional German restaurant architecture of the late 19th century.
The Day Bar, inspired by Berlin’s urban style, is where you enjoy an abendbrot (a casual evening meal), preferably with an ice-cold German beer on tap or the hotel-exclusive Frieda Lager.
The elegant wood-paneled Dining Room with dramatic lighting is best for a cosy, intimate dinner. And the botanical-themed Garden is simply enchanting and romantic.
Helmed by (the gut aussehend) German chef Jan Mulik, Frieda offers menus for a la carte, desserts & bar snacks, lunch set, and a seasonal menu.
Check out the must-try hearty dishes at this fairly new concept, possibly among the best rendition of modern German cuisine you can find in Singapore:
Oven Roasted Pork Knuckle ($39)
Founded on the oldest recipes of Germany, this house special is prepared using a whole free-range Australian pork hind leg knuckle.
The meat is washed in an ice-bath for no less than two hours, then slow-cooked in a pork stock. What makes the stock so aromatic are the juniper berries, cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns, garlic and onion added to it.
For three hours, the pork knuckle is simmered ‘til fork tender in this flavourful stock. The long process continues with its skin removed and oven-roasted until it turns crispy.
This dish (good for 2-3 or even more) take 30 minutes prep time. Meanwhile, enjoy some table bite or starters while waiting.
You will be rewarded with a succulent yet crispy pork knuckle, served with pretzel dumplings, house-made sauerkraut and beerjus.
Platter of Grilled Sausages and Meatloaf ($54 for 2 pax, $105 for 4 pax)
Dining as a small group? The sharing platters for 2 and 4 are recommended.
A serving includes 4 types of sausages that are grilled to smoky goodness, including a smoked beef sausage.
The moderately spicy Nuremberg sausage, one of Germany’s most significant contribution to European cuisine, is also part of the selection. If you love cheese, you will enjoy the savoury but mild taste of Emmental in the cheese sausage.
As a rule, eat these bangers with the accompanying Dijon mustard or horseradish. Your platter also comes with mashed potato, pretzel dumpling, and sauerkraut that has been fermented for two weeks with salt and vinegar.
Completing the platter is the equally delicious meatloaf – steamed then flavoured with assorted spices and home-made butter.
Veal Wiener Schnitzel ($37)
Wiener Schnitzel is German for Viennese cutlet. While this is also prepared pork or chicken, Chef Mulik uses the traditional veal to create this dish.
The veal cutlet is pounded thinly and evenly to tenderize it, then breaded with flour, egg, and breadcrumbs.
With a property heated oil in pan and flipping at the time, the schnitzel creates a light and crisp golden-brown skin and a tender, moist center.
This light and delicate main course is served with the customary potato salad.
A serving comes with home-made cranberry sauce and traditional gurkensalat, a salad of thinly sliced cucumber, dill, sour cream and parsley. Your Austrian-inspired meal is not complete without this.
Beef Consommé ($15)
Start off your meal warming your tummy with the deeply savory Beef Consommé with semolina dumplings aka Griessnockerlsupper, a signature at Frieda.
The consommé, heartier than a basic beef broth, is prepared from slow-cooking baked oxtail in a big pot to extract the essence of beef.
The stock is clarified of fat and particles to yield a pure, clear liquid, as how a consommé should be. Taste how it carries the earthy notes of the root vegetables and chives, and the couple of egg-shaped Austrian-style semolina quenelles further enriching its flavour.
A variation of this beef consommé (also $15) comes with thin-sliced herbal pancake instead of semolina dumplings.
Poached Wagyu Beef Brisket ($35)
Another signature main course is the Poached Wagyu Beef Brisket, made extra tender by cooking it at 72 degrees for over 24 hours.
If you have serious meat-lovin’ side, this dish will please you.
You’ll appreciate this even more with the accompanying horseradish cream sauce, parsley potatoes and beetroot salad.
Pretzel Dumplings ($26)
If you’re looking for a vegetarian main course, or a comfort dish at that, this is it.
These pretzel dumplings are served with rich and creamy mushroom ragout and scallions. The pretzels come from Berthold Delikatessen, the classy deli next door selling German-style breads, rolls, and pastries.
These dumplings take a long process to prepare these, adding milk, eggs, herbs, parsley, chives, paprika powder, then cooked via steaming.
Semolina Pudding ($12)
Semolina makes its appearance in the dessert menu as a Semolina Pudding, aka Griessflammerie, Frieda’s signature meal-ender.
This porridge-type of dish is cooked with milk and topped with a sour cherry compote and sprinkled with pastry dough crumble.
By baking this with semolina, the consistency becomes like rice pudding or maize-based grits.
Pancake Bismarck ($12)
A Bismarck is a German pancake that’s also called a Dutch baby pancake or a Dutch puff.
Unlike the typical pancake cooked in a pan (hence the name pan + cake), a Bismarck is baked in an oven.
Enjoy Frieda’s version of the Bismarck, a fluffy, crispy pancake served with a drizzle of maple syrup, icing sugar and mixed berries compote.
If you head over Frieda during lunch time, check out their value-for-money lunch sets. A 2-course meal is going at $15, while a 3-course meal is priced at $19. The mains (rotational) can include Grilled German Sausage, Baked Chicken or Swabian Noodles.
Dine at Arcade @ The Capitol Kempinski X DFD Exclusive Promotion
Have a meal at any of the Arcade @ The Capitol Kempinski restaurants recommended above (min. spent $10), and receive a $10 mall voucher which can be used at any participating outlets at Capitol Singapore.
T&C:
– Dine at any of the 8 recommended restaurants above at Arcade @ The Capitol Kempinski to qualify, with minimum expenditure of $10.
– Redeem voucher at Capitol Singapore’s concierge counter from 10:30 am to 10:30pm daily
– Show receipt with min. $10 spend (same day receipts).
– Quote “DanielFoodDiary” upon redemption.
– Redeem a $10 voucher (with 3 months validity) to be used at participating outlets in the mall.
– Voucher redemption ends at the end of December or when 100 vouchers have been redeemed.
Frieda restaurant and bar
Arcade @ The Capitol Kempinski, Unit 01-87, 01-K1-K2, 15 Stamford Road, Singapore 178906
Tel: +65 6715 6873
Email: frieda.singapore@kempinski.com
Opening hours: Lunch 12pm – 3pm, Dinner 6pm – 10:30pm Last order 9:30pm (Mon – Sun)
* This entry is brought to you in partnership with The Capitol Kempinski.
The article is very nice about food, thank you for sharing it!
The roasted pork knuckle taste horrible. It is no way near what you had descripe. The meat is tasteless, tough and skin is over cooked. Totally waste of money.