VIVOCITY was designed such that many of its restaurants have a good view of the waterfront facing Sentosa.

But few of these eateries make as good use of the seaside vista as Brotzeit.

The ground-floor German restaurant has removed the entire glass wall facing the sea, allowing its tables to spill outdoors closer to the water's edge.

You don't have to worry about the heat, though. Despite the open facade, the air-conditioning is strong enough to ensure that diners sitting inside stay cool.

This outdoor feeling is ideal for the concept of the eatery, which is that of a modern Bavarian beer garden serving traditional German fare.

You sit on wooden benches at long wooden tables, which give the place a casual and convivial ambience. One can easily imagine rows of people on those benches swigging beer and singing to loud Bavarian music during the annual Oktoberfest beer festival. Well, that, at least, is the image conjured up in my mind.

But don't expect an old-fashioned restaurant either. With the furniture painted black, the look is sleek and modern.

When it comes to the menu, however, tradition rules. The selection of sausages and sauerkraut, as well as dishes like spatzle (little egg dumplings) and Bayern fladden (a German-style pizza), are as old-fashioned as you can get in and out of Germany.

And, of course, there is that iconic Teutonic dish, pork knuckle. Though not listed on the menu, it is available nonetheless. Sadly though, it turned out to be the only disappointment during my dinner there last week.

The hefty knuckle ($32), actually an entire roasted pork hock, was a bit too burnt. And the crackling was not crispy enough.

Everything else that I tried was wonderful, though.

Servings here are big, so it would be a good idea to share everything.The seafood salad ($18.50) I started with, for example, could easily be a complete meal for a light eater: The bowl of greens was topped with a generous amount of smoked salmon, tuna and shrimps. It was also delicious, with the seafood mixing well with the crisp greens.

For the main course, my dinner companion and I shared a bratwurst ($14.50) and a mushroom stew ($17.90) besides the knuckle.

The stew was a homely dish of mixed mushrooms like ceps and chanterelles. Think of it as a full-bodied mushroom soup with pieces of the fungi to chomp on. It will please mushroom-lovers.

Floating on top were three fat flour dumplings. I generally dislike German dumplings, which are usually stodgy balls of flour, but these were light and tasty.

The bratwurst - a pale, plump pork sausage - was nice and crunchy, just the way it should be. It also tasted fresh and well-flavoured. Served with sauerkraut and mashed potato, it made for a decent-sized meal even if the solitary sausage looked rather lonely on the plate.

If you're a big eater, try the sausage platter ($28.80), which comes with a mix of fat and thin sausages.

But that may not leave you with room for dessert, which would be a pity. Germans are known for whipping up good desserts, and those here lived up to that reputation.

The sachertorte ($8.50) - a chocolate cake which was actually created in Vienna, Austria, and not Germany, though the two countries share a food culture - was heavenly. Its silky texture and rich chocolate taste made my palate dance with delight with every bite.

The linzertorte ($8) - also Austrian in origin - was good, too, but less evocative. It is a hazelnut tart with a lattice top covering a jam filling. Before I forget, there are also the beers. These are specially brewed for Brotzeit by Paulaner, which also runs the well-known German restaurant, Paulaner Brauhaus, in Millenia Walk.

The dunkles ($12.20 for 0.5 litre) I sampled was a smooth and light affair that created metaphorical twinkles on the palate - an apt reflection of the lights twinkling on the water off Sentosa.

Life was good that night.

BROTZEIT
VivoCity,
1 HarbourFront Walk
01-149-151
Tel: 6272-8815
Open: noon to midnight (last orders at 11pm)
Food: ****
Service: *** 1/2
Ambience: *** 1/2