Werner’s Oven

German food is something new for me and where better to start then one thats been commercially reviewed and touted about on television for their food and bread. This was done during a short lunch on a normal workday so naturally, we were a little pressed for time but nonetheless we did what we could.

Occupying an entire building by itself, it is not difficult to locate and parking space is provided for customers. I counted about 8 lots in its small enclosed compound. The layout is split into 2 partitions for the restaurant and 1 for the bread shop. Furniture choice is generally wooden with assorted German decorations and promotions laid out for the homesick expatriates. The feeling it exudes is casual, simple and otherwise, nothing out of the ordinary. There was no crowd when we arrived on this afternoon and less then 5 tables were occupied. We were also the last customers to leave.

Calamari Rings ($12.50) - Our first appetiser was served in a rattan basket and in surprisingly small portions. The calamari rings however, turned out much better then expected. The batter used was of a different kind from the usual found in most rings. The batter made the rings very fragrant and pleasing while offering a superb crunchiness to the otherwise simple item. There was a tinge of sweetness in the batter which i can't quite identify as well. A pretty good item if not for the ridiculous price.

Fried Camembert with Blueberry Jam ($8.80) - Fried camembert, which can also be call fried cheese. The cheese turned out tougher then it was supposed to be maybe due to it being fried without suitable defrosting. Of particular mention is the blueberry jam which should be made in house. It tasted sweet, fresh and strangely, went well with the salty cheese.

Schmorbraten/ Beef pot roast ($21.50) - Whatever the name is in german i do not know but this is basically beef pot roast. Serving was generous with lots of beef but i felt the beef was overcooked because its very tough and requires more chewing then is necessary. The purple stuff you see is actually marinated vegetables which reminded me of Korean Kimchi without the spice. Its sour and tastes pretty appetising but not in big portions. The potatoes were quite hard as well. Not a very good item for me.

German Meat Loaf ($17.50) - The name sounded interesting which is why my friend ordered this. It turned out to be a German version of our now familiar luncheon meat except that it costs nearly 3 times as much as well. The meat was quite salty but otherwise nothing interesting.

Rote Grutze/ Cream with Blueberry Jam ($6) - This tastes like pudding with the blueberry jam i mentioned in the second appetiser. Overall, interesting but not something i'll try again since i feel quite ripped off with the use of the same jam in 2 different items.

Baked Cheese Cake With ice Cream ($6.70) - The cheesecake does not feel like it was baked in house and is average at best. The ice-cream tasted like King's ice-cream which is ridiculous since they charged $2.50 a scoop. It seems every step of the way, rip-off is beginning to be the in word in this restaurant.

The bill for 3 came up to $78.10 which is ridiculous given the quality of the items and the lack of any innovation whatsoever in the dishes. This could have been western food for all it mattered.

The place was nice and obviously, there must be something good about it for people to recommend it. However, i found no such qualities during my visit and found their food offerings less then optimal. I'm no expert in German fare but i'm sure there are great items hidden in other German menus waiting to be discovered, such as restaurants like Magma which i've heard alot about. That said, i'm not returning for another visit here again and i hope you don't too.

Werner's Oven is a famous German bakery and restaurant situated along Upper East Coast in the Siglap area.

I've been buying bread from them for ages and only today, I've tasted the food in their restaurant.

They have good pastries in their bakery. Great if you love wholemeal bread with all kinds of breads and seeds. I love the Fitness Bread which goes for $6.45. It's really healthy but quite costly at that price as one loaf can only be cut into about 15 pieces.

Food ordered (for 6 adults) Schlachtplatte for 3 A knuckle, smoked sausage, farmer's sausage, wild garlic sausage, two kassler and nurnbergerle, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and brezel Beef Lasagne Calamari Breadcrumbed Fish

The Calamari came first and it was very fresh. It was deep fried in a special batter but not very oily. The batter was delicious although not light.

The Beef Lasagne came next. It was pretty decent, served with potato salad.

The Schlachtplatte was the ultimate. There were a variety of sausages (German fare) and a huge pork knuckle. There were also two pretzels. It filled up the stomachs of 5 hungry adults.

They also serve a variety of German beers which was ordered at every table but ours. The ambience is pretty casual and cosy. The service was fine, though not fantastic.

Really worth a try. We spend about $100 which is about $16 per person.