Menu tweaking at Brasserie Wolf

Would you believe that we are about 1/6 into 2007 and I have not finished blogging about 2006?

The Pier at Robertson is a fun place to explore, gastronomically: Whisky merchants, wine bars, Izakayas, beer and mussel bistros and Brasserie Wolf. This is a pleasant brasserie situated in a small corner where I was invited to an early December Christmas lunch and menu tweaking for an upcoming event in 2007.

When this blog stepped into Brasserie Wolf, the first observation that pops up is that “Wolf” is not an overly French name. Actually, the brasserie is named after the owner Wolfgang Lapper of the Esmirada Group of Restaurants. The decor is a strange mix of very comfortable leather booth seats with inexplicable displays of dead foliage and garishly metallic colors.

It was a lazy lunch time with about 3 other tables besides our long table of 12 in the restaurant.

Even though we have moved on the the new Century and Millenium, the words and advice of Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin on the pleasures of the table still ring true. Although, sometimes rule 4 is hard to follow through.

Moving on, the meal started with the always excellent Champagne Gonet Grand Cru Roy Soleil and immediately settled down to an Escabeche of Scallops and Cod Brandade.

This was also around the time I switched cameras and was testing both out, so some of the images here are strangely inconsistent.

The scallops were fat, juicy and was a very refreshing palate primer especially when paired with the St Joseph Blanc 2005. The Cod Brandade was cool and the sweetness was contrasted with the bitter endive beautifully.

The Roasted Quail salad with Fava beans prompted a lot of Hannibal Lecter impersonations. I am not really fond of Quail mainly because I find it to be too small and bony to be worth the effort of eating it. In this case, the St Joseph Blanc 2005 did not do so well here. We suggested a more perfumed Pinot Noir to stand up against the slightly gamey quail and vegetal-tasting Fava beans.

The Seared Duck Liver with Burgundy Snails (Fear factor? Ha!) was a trifle overdone, but that’s ok because it was all overwhelmed by the brown sauce.

And speaking of being overwhelmed, many people have written about the Over-roasted Suckling Pig of Brasserie Wolf. I can safely say that it deserved a standing ovation.

This spectacular course requires a few days notice to prepare, but I assure it is worth the wait. It was so good and aromatic that it turned the heads of the other tables. Needless to say, we shared the bounty with them.

Heart-breakingly crisp on the outside with oh-so tender and juicy meat. The very young Michel Juillot Mercurey 1st Cru Clos des Barraults 2001 with its mouth-filling and intense cherry flavours that cut through the fat was a perfect match.

I used to think that only the Chinese have elevated roasting to an art, but with this, I am forced to re-evaluate my preconceptions.

However, serving the suckling pig at this point proved to be a mistake because it is really a tough act to follow as the Lamb Tenderloin on Green Pea Mousseline and Wild Forest Mushroom Fricassee found out.

It was competently done, however it paled in comparision to the Suckling Pig. One interesting observation was that the same brown sauce with the Quail and Foie Gras and one can only take in so much brown sauce before getting bored.

By this time, after having 2 mains and 3 starters, we were comfortably stuffed and started walking around the restaurant. They have an interesting wine cellar which is worth looking at. I did not check the prices though.

The dessert of Profiteroles with Vanilla Ice Cream and Warm Chocolate sauce was a classic dessert. Unfortunately, there was a clash with the Chateau Climens 1998 Sauternes. The wine was simply could not cut through and balance the heavy chocolate sauce.

All in all, the food at Brasserie Wolf is good with the Oven-roasted Suckling Pig as the piece de resistance. Service is a little inconsistent as the service staff, while enthusiastic, were a little too new to this. This will be a concern if the restaurant has to cater to sixty diners at the event. We are optimistic however that things can only improve.

Now if only they can change the brown sauce.

Brasserie Wolf is at The Pier at Robertson, 80, Mohamed Sultan Road, #01-13, Singapore 239013, Tel: 68357818, Fax: 67350570.

Posted on 12th Feb 2007 in Bistro/Trattoria, Food and Drink, French

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There Are 3 Comments

Simon Tan commented on March 30, 2007 at 2:22 pm

Ivan…come up to KL and We go to eat some conchonillo. Only you don’t need to order in advance and as jeff can tell you, it is most excellent.

Joey commented on April 6, 2008 at 8:10 pm

Hi Ivan , Could you elaborate more on the prices , hows the pricing like , is it expensive ? How much would a dinner without wine for 2 cost ?

Thanks for the reply .

Ivan commented on April 6, 2008 at 10:01 pm

@Joey: Hi! For dinners like this I would normally budget $150++ per person for a 3-course meal, without wine, to be on the safe side. Do not be embarrassed to ask for local iced water as opposed to imported bottled water as very often the water bill can cost almost as much as the meal itself. I have walked out on restaurants that insist on serving imported water.

As for prices, I tend to look at things qualitatively rather than quantitatively so whether it is expensive or not is subject to the quality I get; i.e. it’s not how much I can get but how good I get it.

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