203 338
QUIRKY CUISINES
97 Amoy Street
6223 0913 | zotts.com.sg
203
Jun14
EXPLAIN IT:
Think the world of French food is vast? This food covers parts of France,
Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Liechtenstein and Monaco, though
the restaurant featured below leaves the latter two little guys out. The cuisine is
built around blustery winters and mountainous terrain. Can it work in sweltering
Singapore? Austrian chef Lorenz-Maria Griesser isn’t the least bit concerned.
WHAT IS IT?
Alpine food
ENJOY IT:
at Zott’s True Alps
Unless you were born in the silvery shadows of Mont Blanc, you’ll want to hold
on to your menu during this meal. A borderless map with a trivia-packed legend
guides you through the dishes and the regions, which is how we learned
carpaccio
d’espadon
($28) hails from the area “where the Alps shake hands with the sea”
(a fancy way of saying Provence). This dish of thinly sliced swordfish adorned with
an “apple creation” (a beautiful semi-frozen mousse covered in sparkling beetroot
gelatin) reveals the chef’s training in molecular gastronomy (copies of
Modernist
Cuisine
on the walls are another giveaway), while the
bouillabaisse Marseillaises
($87) shows he is no slouch when it comes to old-fashioned comfort food, either.
The broth of this fish soup is simply brilliant, though the tongue-twisting
suedtiroler
apfelsuppe
($26), a creamy apple soup with marinated char fish, is also superb
– and less heavy on the wallet.
The
tellerfleisch
($75) is creatively served in three courses. This Austrian-
Bavarian “boiled beef” favourite may sound bland, but it’s not when served first as
baked
Schulterscherzl
(oyster blade) with parsley dip and tartar sauce, second as
homemade oxtail ravioli and third as a fabulous prime rib with carrots, leeks and
freshly grated horseradish.
It takes a darn good dessert to make the first page of the menu – in this case
the
Kaiserschmarrn
($24), a souffled and caramelised pancake
served Sisi-style
(for all you Habsburg history buffs) with stewed plums and vanilla ice cream, edges
out the starters for good reason. Don’t miss it.