I was at the Stammtisch this evening with my family to celebrate my parents' wedding anniversary. Since my usual German hangout place Magma is closed on Sunday evenings, we decided to try Stammtisch instead, based on the reviews.

What transpired was an unmitigated dining disaster of unimaginable proprotions. When we approached the restaurant, what I saw was not a cosy, family-friendly restaurant. Tired-looking worn-out 1970s furniture deck the entire restaurant. The place was dim and the boss just sat there at the bar, oblivious to the fact that he had customers. Not a smile or even a simple nod of acknowledgement. So much for a cosy and friendly restaurant. Not a good start but never mind that. Worse was to follow.

Our fears were confirmed when the Filippino waiters could not even explain simple things like the composition of the "sasauge platter" or the difference between a Nuremberger and veal sausage. To their credit, they tried their best and were courteous. In the end, my dad had to refer to some cheap, off-colour photos on the glass wall to get an idea.

The raclette starter was nothing to shout about. It did not come with a few potatoes as was claimed in one previous review. It was one small potato, cut in half. The cheese portion was pathetically small, and the taste was...shall we say, pedastrian. The $28 beef medallion which my mum ordered was of a poor cut, more like rumpsteak. Even worse was the $28 Bavarian platter. The portions were pathetic. It came with roast pork knuckle no doubt....just two sad looking slices was all, with a little sprinkling of sauerkraut and a few slices of potatoes. Well, there was an equally pathetic few slices of eisbein - boiled pork knuckle, which was one of the worst that was ever served to me. There was simply no balance between the meaty and fatty parts of the knuckle. The quality was way below par. We would not have minded at all about the price if the food was good. But at these sort of prices, to say that it was expensive would be a gross understatement.

Here's the best part. We asked for a second helping of bread and all that came was one slice and 2 bread ends, to be shared by 4 people. When we prompted the waiter, the sulky looking boss came to our table. Without a smile, he said bluntly "if you want more bread, we will have to charge you". Even then he had to be prompted on the cost, which he replied even more bluntly "5 dollars". That was quite enough to spoil an evening I was looking forward to with my wife and my parents. This is tantamount to being told in a Chinese restaurant that you have to be charged 5 bucks for white rice! The bread was just normal brown bread to begin with, and it wasn't even warm when served. How the restaurant can tell that to a customer is baffling to say the least. I was prepared to pay for more bread. Not a problem, but 5 bucks for 4 pathetic slices is revolting, repulsive and repugnant! I declined but that was enough to take whatever little taste in their food out of my mouth.

I have lived in Europe for 5 out of the last 10 years, I have eaten in German restuarants across the length and breadth of Germany, Switzerland and Austria, as well as in Alsace, France. Some of my most memorable dining experiences with my wife were in German restuarants. But this is decidedly the worst I have had. To think that it had to happen on the occasion of my parents' wedding anniversary, and of all places, in my own country! We did not even stay for dessert. We called for the bill immediately after we finished our main course.

I'm heading back to Magma in Buket Pasoh. I'm sure the boss there will have a good laugh with me when I recount my experience to him over a glass of Markus Molitor. I'm not even going back to Stammstisch even if it was for free!

Unlimited servings of Raclette at Stammtisch...hmmm...yummy! I will recommend only to those who love Swiss-German cuisine. I love the beef liver...the swiss-barley soup, etc. I'll give the herring platter a miss (not my favourite type of fish)... Wish they have veal liver, as I tried that at Lucern, Switzerland once....more tender.

Stammtisch is a friendly, cosy small eatery that serves very good German and Swiss cuisine. From the bus stop after the Sixth Avenue junction, just head up the steps of Sixth Avenue Centre and you'll find it just past the 2 Indian restaurants. You can sit inside or outside, and there's also space upstairs that I didn't explore.

I had the raclette (tasting portion), bratwurst, currywurst and a couple of Erdingers. All that for $79 all in. I highly recommend the raclette, especially if you like cheese with gherkins. The sausages were also good. On a subsequent visit, I had an outstanding, lovely brocolli soup (of the day).

I will be back to try the pork knuckle and fondue next. I can see why the Swiss or German community in Singapore head here.

Important note: the sign at the restaurant indicates that it's only open for dinner and closed on Mondays.

The waiting staff are pleasant, well trained and communicative and make you feel comfortable and at home. The observant wait staff know how to hang off yet approach you when the time is right. Yes, it's true - the chef takes the effort to come and speak to you.

Ok.. Check this out.... CHEESE FONDUE.. My goodness.. If you like cheese like I do, it's a great place. That's one of the specials of this place. The fondue comes with a bit of wine as well. Once they serve it to your table, they'll even teach you how to eat it properly. You can also order mini potatoes and stuff to come with the fondue though the default is bread which is actually already quite a bit if you order a la carte. They've very friendly staff and they make you feel right at home. Mostly philippino and eurasian staff, it's kinda expensive for the quantity but it's quality is there. Something I've always wanted to try there is the beef fondue. Haven't tried it so far so maybe someone can go ahead and write a review to help. Haha.

This place is one of those truly warm family restaurants where you can just have good food, and then move on to chill the night away talking about old times with friends/family. What the restaurant description says is true - the owner and his wife are friendly and do come out from time to time to chat with their guests. The owner is Swiss I think, but the wife is from the Philippines! I think her name is Angie - she is really friendly, but beware, she can also talk non-stop! Haha! But seriously, its a joy to talk to her as she is just so passionate about life and food, and she can tell you all about their food, give good recommendations and just make sure you have an enjoyable time eating and drinking there.

For food - go for their raclette (melted swiss cheese). I have tried a few places, but this one is truly the best. Each plate cost around $10 and comes with a few roasted potatoes and gherkins. If you REALLY love raclette, they actually have a "buffet" version where you can eat all you want the raclette - they will just keep making for you until you collapse from raclette overdoes! - for a fixed charge of $34.99 I think. You know what - I might just go for that option one day as I'm crazy about good cheese!

For main course, try their veal stew. I like the roesti that comes with it. The stew itself is also tasty thanks to the brown cream sauce - not sure whats in that, but its tasty! Not exactly cheap at around $32 but its good. I have also tried the lamb chops before and they were excellent - my impression of lamb chops is that they are hard and difficult to eat - but this one here is different. Its tender, moist, and tastes more like good beef actually! And as everyone knows by now - I love good steak! =)

Overall, this place is not cheap, cheap (expect to spend around $50 per person if you go for 2 courses, or around $25-40 per person for one main course), but I think there is value as the food is good and the service excellent.