Sunday, April 17, 2011

Magma

If not for the picture of a purple potato mash that got my previous TimeOutSingapore (and Istanbul) donor salivating, I wouldn’t have paid much attention to Magma, a German bistro located at Bukit Pasoh. Not that German cuisine is uncreative or boring, of course. Or that German restaurants are now as populous and common as their French counterparts. My first Deutsche meal was certainly exhilarating. The selection of beers, pork knuckles, sausages (lots of them!) and sauerkraut – they were all I dreamtsch about for awhile. A few Oktoberfests later, I was no longer the curious, excited virgin I used to be. I’m sure it’s just me settling with equivalents (well, sort of) that I feel resonate best with my tastebuds; like a pint of Guinness, siow bak (Chinese roast pork belly), lap cheong (Chinese waxed sausages) and kimchi. Magma was my first proper German meal since my birthday a few years back, if I correctly recall. And it was a good one, no doubt.

You'd think that business was brisk on a Saturday evening, since it's good. Throughout the night, only 5 tables were occupied. We're not complaining, for the ambiance was excellent; a relieving contrast to the chaotic, congested restaurants in town. This called for a celebration. We had a bottle of sparkling "Secco Festival" Riesling with a touch of peach that came at just S$33. For that pleasant price and taste, it made us really happy. I should thank the attentive and cheerful staff (and The Local Nose) for the recommendation.

As for the dishes, I can't decide if I liked the flammkuchen or the pork knuckle more. The thin, crispy flatbread with a sour cream base (appetizing!) and sprinkled generously with apples, onions, tomatoes, chicken and cheese was a plethora of textures and tastes. Perhaps it's a norm in some regions to combine apples and onions in their recipes, but it did seem strange to me, initially. Now, I think this combination works deliciously well. To add apples to curries, burgers and stir-fries...now that's an idea! The pork knuckle was exemplary, I thought. A bite unravelled 3 distinctive layers that blended perfectly right - savoury, pink, flaky meat beneath golden, crackling roasted skin glazed with honey. Condiments like beer gravy and German mustard provided an extra kick to the meat.

In the midst of such pleasures, the purple potato mash had completely slipped off our minds. That's okay. The dinner itself was a privilege, for not only was the food good and relatively affordable, we'd also enjoyed a really rare, serene weekend dinner with affordable bubbly and wonderful smiles. We must have done something right to deserve this.

Magma
2-4 Bukit Pasoh Road
Singapore 089816
Tel: (+65) 6221 0634
Website: http://www.magmatc.com/

10 comments:

J said...

MMMMMMMMMmmmm! Looks good! :D

Xiu Long Bao said...

Weekend dinner with affordable bubbly?

We should add wine chiller into the list for affordable bubbly indeed. Haha...

Simon Seow said...

Wow, I love the colour of the pork knuckle. Can't find in the pork knuckle sold here in KL.

HairyBerry said...

j, indeed! jom, let's go when you are here! :)

xlb, sounds good but hmmmmmm....perhaps when i successfully spend less than my target first la. then, we'll celebrate..hehe

simon, yeah, i like the colour of the knuckle too! :) give it a try when you are here next time, ya!

choi yen said...

I love pork knuckle. I love sausages. I love sauerkrau. But I don't like beer. Am I consider a German food lover?

Alexander said...

Yummy... What's that first dish? It looks really good. Is it a wrap?

Alexander
Alex's World! - http://www.kakinan.com/alex

Steve said...

Sooooooooo hungry now! German food is divine if a little on the heavy side - best washed down with a few beers to clear the palate!!

Kenny Mah said...

Man, you're just making me miss good ol' Bavaria all over again... In fact, haven't had flammkuchen in ages... the wursts and pork knuckles are more common these days, given the mushrooming of German restaurants in KL also.

HairyBerry said...

choi yen, yes you are! :) you must be very happy that there are so many German restaurants in town now. :)

alexander, it's called a flamkuchen. something like a pizza. yummy! :)

steve, thanks for stopping by! a cold beer is such a comfort, isn't it? ah, i need one now. so hot!

kenny, we shall go to magma when you are here next time! i was thinking of attempting the flammkuchen at home. seems simpler than pizza. then again, a thinner crust is a challenge. *headache*..haha

HairyBerry said...

choi yen, yes you are! :) you must be very happy that there are so many German restaurants in town now, :)

alexander, it's called a flamkuchen. something like a pizza. yummy! :)

steve, thanks for stopping by! a cold beer is such a comfort, isn't it? ah, i need one now. so hot!

kenny, we shall go to magma when you are here next time! i was thinking of attempting the flammkuchen at home. seems simpler than pizza. then again, a thinner crust is a challenge. *headache*...haha.