We had lunch at Brotzeit the other day to try some of the dishes from their White Asparagus menu!
SPARGELZEIT
Did you know that the Germans have a term for their asparagus harvest? Yup. They are so obsessed with spargel, white asparagus, that they gave the white asparagus harvest season its own name – Spargelzeit!
Harvest time is from April to June 24 (being Germans, they are very specific!). But you don’t have to fly all the way to Germany to partake of the Spargelfest.
Starting April 26, Brotzeit Philippines will have a white asparagus menu featuring the delicate vegetable in different dishes!
SPARGELFEST at Brotzeit
Excited to participate in my first Spargelfest at Brotzeit!
What’s on the menu?
Looking at the menu, I was impressed by the ways they were able to incorporate white asparagus into soup, salad and gasp, dessert! 🙂
THE FOOD
We started our meal with some Spargelsuppe (White Asparagus Cream Soup). It was light but creamy with a tiny bit of bitterness from the white asparagus. They were generous with strips of smoked ham, whose flavor permeated the soup. Delicate but also hearty, huh. Good though.
We proceeded to have our greens with some Spargelsalat (White Asparagus Salad). The white asparagus were thinly cut on the bias. The salad also had mandarin oranges, pine nuts, dried blueberries and walnuts. The dressing is a balsamic vinegar-based but it’s not sour.
Next we enjoyed the Spargelplatte (White Asparagus Platter). Check out those white asparagus… umm.. asparagi? asparaguses? 
These are not the typical small asparagus that we see at the supermarket. White asparagus is white because it is grown under mounds of earth (basically underground with no sunlight). This growing method produces a white asparagus that is more delicate in flavor; sweeter than green asparagus, with just a hint of bitterness. They will only be available at Brotzeit until supplies last (probably late May?).
The Spargelplatte also has mounds of smoked salmon, black forest ham, smoked ham, beautiful poached eggs, parsley potatoes and Hollandaise sauce. The bread at Brotzeit is also very good. It’s not the soft bread that most people might be used to, but it’s so good with butter! The bread is hard but filling. Haha. I’m really trying not to make phallic references here but it’s nigh impossible. 
The poached egg!
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Hollandaise sauce and butter go really well with white asparagus. I suggest slicing the thick white asparagus thinly and diagonally to make it easier to eat and to have more surface area for butter and Hollandaise, but you do you 🙂
We were only on appetizers but we were already starting to get full! For our main course, we had the Schweinshaxn (Crispy Oven Roasted Pork Knuckle, P1280) – it’s like crispy pata, but so much better! You won’t get over that crackling skin!
It was served with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Try their sauerkraut – it’s perfect with the pork.
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For dessert, more white asparagus! Haha. We had the Zitronen Kase Creme Mit Spargel (Deconstructed Lemon Cheese Tart):
They incorporated slivers of white asparagus into the dessert, which was a first for me. (Oops, I did it again!) It wasn’t bad, but the tart was too tart. I found the tartness overpowering all the other flavors.
Brotzeit Philippines
I’ve been to the Shangri-La Plaza branch a few times, but this is the first time I’ve been to the Shangri-La at the Fort branch.
The vibe at Brotzeit is very casual – just drink and be merry! They have really good beer, too! The atmosphere at Brotzeit has always just been very positive every time I’ve visited, especially at night. The customers just all seem very happy and ready to cheer on a perfect stranger in a beer contest! Oktoberfest at Brotzeit was a fun time. If you need some happy vibes, Brotzeit is the place to hang out.
The food at Brotzeit is always up to par and served in big, heavy portions, too. All the ingredients they use have always been good quality. But my very favorite thing to order at Brotzeit is… can you guess? It’s their hot chocolate! It’s thick, creamy and sweet. Make sure to try it! My other recommendation is their Reuben Sandwich 🙂 Their sausages are also very good! If you’re a meat and potatoes person, you’d like the meats they serve.
Brotzeit is also on Zomato Gold right now – they have 2+2 on drinks!
Enjoy Spargelzeit and have some good beer!
Brotzeit Shangri-la at the Fort
Ground Level, High Street Park, Shangri-La at the Fort, 30th Street Corner 5th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brotzeitph/
