Frieda review: German restaurant at Capitol Kempinski

Note: From 15th January 2021 onwards, all dining establishments at the Capitol Kempinski hotel, including Frieda, will no longer participate in the Love Dining programme.

Frieda review

According to the Capitol Kempinski hotel’s website, Frieda, “named after the daughter of the Kempinski brand founder Berthold Kempinski, is a casual dining German restaurant.” So here’s my Frieda review – read on for more on pork knuckle and sausage goodness 🙂

And of course, the American Express Love Dining programme gave us up to 50% off when we dined in.

While selected American Express credit cards come with restaurant discounts and love dining privileges, my most recommended is the Platinum Charge card, – it’s lifestyle benefits are practically unrivalled.

Inspired by this post and want to apply for an American Express credit card? Apply through one of my referral links and receive either bonus Membership Rewards points or statement credit:

• The Platinum Charge Card: Use this referral link and receive up to S$900 statement credits and Samsonite Choca Spinner 68/25 (worth S$700) when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• The American Express Platinum Card: Use this referral link and receive up to S$350 statement credits when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 38, 000 Krisflyer miles and S$50 statement credits when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met. 

Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed on this page are that of Happy High Life and may not necessarily reflect the position of American Express. Happy High Life is not responsible for any decisions made by readers. The terms and conditions for credit card applications may be subject to change by American Express. Readers are recommended to check with American Express or its partners; the list of all benefits of the Platinum Charge Card can be found here.

Location: Capitol Kempinski Hotel

The arcade area at the Capitol Kempinski hotel – somewhat resembles a bit of a theme park. The set up is similar to dining areas commonly seen in Disneyland or Universal Studios. 

While it looks like outdoor dining, al fresco style, the area does have a high but enclosed ceiling. And yes, air conditioning is somewhat there so diners are shielded from Singapore’s heat. 

Frieda review aside – other Love Dining establishments in the arcade area include El Teatro Tapas (Spanish), La Scala Ristorante (Italian), and Chalerm  Thai (Thai). Inside the hotel itself, 15 Stamford by Alvin Leung (Modern Asian)

My husband and I have previously dined at El Teatro Tapas (Spanish restaurant) at the Capitol Kempiski before, and it blew us away.

So really, we wanted to come back here to try the German fare at Frieda as well.

Located at the corner, Frieda’s inner dining area is rustic and charming, with lots of vintage old school European vibes.

Outside – there is a Daybar and Frieda Garden, a relaxing botanical dining area complete with palm trees.

Given that we had a small child, we chose to dine indoors with proper tables and a baby chair. 🙂

Menu

Stereotypically, German cuisine serves pork in many forms – meat, sausages, schnitzel – and Frieda’s menu is no exception.

In this Frieda review, I must emphasize – to qualify for discounts by Love Dining benefits – each adult has to order at least one qualifying item from the a la carte menu. Love Dining qualifying items are dishes from the ‘Main Courses’, ‘Lava Stone Grill’, or ‘Platters to Share’ section. Do note that each platter is considered ONE item (even if it’s meant for two or four people). This means if you order one item from ‘Platters to Share’ and a ‘Main Course’, you have effectively ordered two items. 

Once this criteria (one qualifying item per adult) is fulfilled, the entire food bill (but not drinks) will be given Love Dining benefits. 

To view the a la carte menu, click on the images below (courtesy of Capitol Kempinski hotel) to enlarge pages. Alternatively, check the following link for other Menus (bar, beverage, dessert etc) at Frieda.

Food – Bread Basket

Rye bread! It was unlike most other European/Western dining establishments that serve either white bread, French loaves, or bread with herbs (e.g. at Italian restaurants such as Prego).

warm rye bread and butter

A slight warning – rye bread can be very, VERY filling. So go easy on these. Pro Tip: some people also find sausages or German meat dishes salty. So consider keeping some bread on the side to eat together with the German proteins later.

Food – Lava Stone Grill

The Lava Stone Grill portion of the menu basically translates into ‘sausage fest’ (and one lone roasted chicken item). There’s are four kinds of sausages to choose from – Nuremberger Pork (full or half portion), Emmentaler Cheese Pork (full or half portion), Farmer Coarse Pork (full portion) and Smoked Beef (full portion) Sausages. 

We decided to go with a half portion of the Emmentaler Cheese Pork Sauages.

Emmentaler Cheese Pork Sausage

All Lava Stone Grill items are served with mashed potato, sauerkraut, and djon mustard. 

My husband and I aren’t great sausage connoisseurs – in fact we did wonder whether we’d be able to tell one kind of sausage apart from another. But I must say, you are able to taste the cheesy bits, and there is a nice smokey grill taste. But this dish is great not because of the sausage alone but in its frills. The sauerkraut, well-soured, nicely constrasts the salty meat; dijon mustard, on the other hand, takes it up a notich by sharpening it. 

Food – Lentil Sausage Stew

Our first main was the Linsen Spätzle Saitenwürstle.

Translated as: Swabian Lentil Stew with homemade Spätzle , and a pair of smoked pork sausages.

(How is that 3 words in German but a whole phrase in English?)

Linsen Spätzle Saitenwürstle (Don’t ask me to pronounce this)

Spätzle – some what resembling a crossbreed between fried egg strips and dumpling skin, it’s a German noodles prepared by boiling in water/broth and then pan fried in butter. My kid liked this – it tasted more like eggs than noodles.

Hence, Linsen Spätzle translates to Lentils with Spätzle, and Saitenwürstle refers to a type of long-ish salty sausages.

I was surprised – I tend to associate lentils with either Dahl found in curry, or as a healthy high fiber food for vegans or people on a diet (bad stereotype, I know, thousand apologies). 

But the lentil stew here – it’s literally the best kind of lentils I have ever eaten. Warm, stewy, and thick, it gave a lovely base for the oily egg-noodles and sausages (which were great but not super exceptional). The dish doesn’t look like much but it was filling and very hearthy overall.

Food – German Pork Knuckle

The real winner of the day is the Schwainshaxe – Oven roasted pork knuckle, veal jus, sauerkraut and pretzel dumpling.

Schwainshaxe – Pork Knuckle

In my previous visit to El Teatro Tapas (where I had the Spanish version of Suckling Pig), I mentioned that there are three Nationalities that do roast pork well – the Chinese (roast pig or siew yoke!), the Spanish (suckling pig), and Germans (pork knuckle). I call it the holy trinity of roasted pork.

According to a server, the pork knuckle is simmered in stock for 3 hours till the meat almost falls off the bone. Then roasted in an oven until you get the crispy crackling pork knuckle skin. 

We pulled apart the meat – and true to the server’s descriptions, the meat fell apart easily. Inside lay the soft, tender folds of meat. Succulent and moist – folks, if you could eat only ONE thing at Frieda, this would be it. The skin is just the RIGHT amount of crispy – a joyful crunch in the mouth. Some may find it greasy but the sauerkraut will mellow it out.

The portion is huge – 2 to 3 people can easily share this!

The round bread-texture like slice is actually their pretzel dumplings. Somewhat akin to christmas stuffings, it’s made with a combination of herbs, parsley, chives and mixed with some eggs and milk. The result is a dense, comforting piece of carbohydrate. Soaks up the jus and flavours well.

Helping myself to one person’s portion

10/10  – Especially for pork lovers out there, I recommend this dish to you without reservation. 

Want some Love Dining?

Apply for an American Express credit card and get bonus points!

American Express Platinum Charge Card (Image source: American Express)

Inspired by this post and want to apply for an American Express credit card? Apply through one of my referral links and receive either bonus Membership Rewards points or statement credit:

• The Platinum Charge Card: Use this referral link and receive up to S$900 statement credits and Samsonite Choca Spinner 68/25 (worth S$700) when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• The American Express Platinum Card: Use this referral link and receive up to S$350 statement credits when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 38, 000 Krisflyer miles and S$50 statement credits when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met. 

Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed on this page are that of Happy High Life and may not necessarily reflect the position of American Express. Happy High Life is not responsible for any decisions made by readers. The terms and conditions for credit card applications may be subject to change by American Express. Readers are recommended to check with American Express or its partners; the list of all benefits of the Platinum Charge Card can be found here.

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