Dining in the Next Normal: The Good Times are Back at Brotzeit

Over a hundred days in home quarantine, and slowly your biorhythm is getting back on track. We are now on the homestretch of the General Community Quarantine, but make no mistake, everything will change. Dining out will no longer be the same, thanks to Covid 19. Mandatory health and safety protocols are now in place to contain the viral threat. As restaurants slowly recover from the lockdown and resume operations, here's a peek at dining in the next normal at Brotzeit... 

The initial anxious moments after stepping out of the safe confines of your home can be unnerving, even disconcerting. The outside world looks surreal with near empty streets and face masks. The easing of restrictions allowed some businesses to operate, but things are far from from normal. Restaurants have adapted to this new normal addressing the need for health precautions in the time of Covid 19 and slowly but surely, familiar favorites sorely missed during the quarantine are back. The good times are back at Brotzeit, this time with hand sanitizers, temperature readings and plexiglass dividers...

All establishments are required to follow strict health guidelines and procedures at the resumption of operations. These safety protocols are now part of the daily routine and a reminder that the virus is still pretty much a continuing threat. The staff welcomes you back at Brotzeit, clad in protective face gear with specific instructions for guests. A hand sanitizer is positioned at the entrance as well as disinfectant foot bath. Temperatures are taken and guests are required to log in details for contact tracing purposes. Sanitize, step in the foot bath, get your temperature scanned and register your cell number, this is the next normal.

Inside, tables are set up with tall plexiglass dividers...

...with designated areas for seating to comply with social distancing measures. Many restaurants will be operating on a limited capacity with strict seating rules. Despite all this, stepping inside Brotzeit is like going back home. Since Brotzeit opened six years ago, my blog covered many of its milestones, promotions and new dishes. Coming back is a homecoming of sorts, and the new normal doesn't change that connection I have with Brotzeit.

At Brotzeit, the staff are regularly tested and monitored. This is how things are going to be in the new normal. Malvin Ang, owner of Brotzeit Philippines, recalled the early days of the quarantine when all businesses were closed during the nationwide lockdown. With a skeletal staff, Brotzeit's kitchen prepared packed meals for distribution to medical frontliners and stranded individuals. They've been busy since May in anticipation of the eventual re-opening.  

A sip from a tall mug of cold Paulaner eases your worries. With social distancing, a few more sips reconnects you instantly with old friends even with the plexiglass barriers. As an added precaution, all guests at Brotzeit will be served individual trays of condiments to minimize touchpoints. 

Chef Ivan Maminta, Brotzeit's Culinary Director, then served some of our sorely missed favorites...

...like the Brotzeit Brot or Best of Brotzeit (P 480), savory open-faced sandwiches with leg ham, pork belly bacon, red bell peppers, Emmentaler cheese, boiled eggs, pickles, cocktail onions, cream cheese and tomatoes, perfect with another refreshing sip of Paulaner.

  

One more tall mug of Paulaner and Brotzeit satisfies your serious case of munchies with the Gemischte Platte or Mixed Board (P 720) with a tempting variety of gourmet cheeses, cold cuts and traditional Bavarian bread. 

The crisp and refreshing Backhendlesalat or Crispy Chicken Salad (P 350 Small/P 495 Regular) with semi-dried tomatoes, sweet corn, cucumbers and garden fresh greens tossed in pumpkin seed oil and house dressing topped with tender crispy chicken fillet starts your feast at Brotzeit on a healthy and flavorful note.

The rich and comforting Kalbsrahmgulasch or Veal Goulash (P 690) with melt-in-your-mouth tender braised veal shank draped in a thick sauce enriched with paprika is another sorely missed meal, served with a side of buttered spatzle.

And it was good to see the Schweinemedaillons or Pork Medallions (P 580) with tender grilled pork fillet medallions wrapped in smoked bacon served with a side of fries and vegetables.

Beer and sausages are a staple at Brotzeit, complete your dining experience with Brotzeit's Wurstelplatte or Sausage Platter (P 1,050) with Nurnberger sausages, pork cheese sausages, spicy chicken sausages, garlic pork sausages and Weisswurst with a side of sauerkraut and sour dill pickles. That distinctive snap with every bite followed by another, a dip in mustard and sip of Paulaner brings back the good times you've long associated with Brotzeit.

But Chef Ivan Maminta had one more surprise to my sumptuous homecoming...

...with the Zwiebelrostbraten or Grilled Flank Steak (P 1,180), a mouthwatering rosemary flank steak grilled to a perfect medium with its juicy pink center served with roasted potatoes and vegetables topped with crisp fried onions and peppered egg. Wash it down with a cold Paulaner and the new normal in dining at Brotzeit is looking good.

A bowl of Kasespatzle or Cheese Spatzle (P 490) rounds out a proper homecoming feast at Brotzeit with soft homemade Bavarian spatzle draped in assorted melted cheeses topped with crisp fried onion rings.

Dining in the new normal forces us to re-evaluate the way we do things in a world of viral pandemics. This won't be the last and another viral strain is lurking somewhere in the world. We need to adapt and change along with the new threat to be able to enjoy the little things we took for granted prior to the outbreak. And Brotzeit is ready for the new normal...