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http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2016/02/pool-grill-flavours-of-spain.htmlGet ready to be tantalise by Flavours Of Spain, brought to you by Pool Grill and Guest Chef Albert Ortiz. Chef Ortiz was born and bred in Barcelona, is a 3rd generation of restaurateur. For the last 3 years, Chef Ortiz has expand his horizon to Asia, and incorporate the colourful flavours of Asia in his cooking.From 15 February to 13 March 2016, you can taste the characteristic of Chef Albert cooking at Pool Grill. I was fortunate enough to be the first few to sample his gastronomic delight in 4 course dinner ($58++)

The bread, Onion Focaccia. The signature bread from Marriott bakery. The crust on top and bottom was just crispy, while the inner part of the bread is soft, moist with fragrance from the onion. Appetizer - Pan-seared scallop, “sofrito” puree, chorizo “migas”, caviar oil and dill. The scallop is nicely seared, sweet and brainy. The texture is so soft, like cutting through a butter with hot knife. The sofrito puree, made from capsicum and olive oil provided a subtle companion to the scallop. For crispy, crumbly texture, Chef Albert added aromatic chorizo migas, which is a traditional dish in Spain made from day old bread. The touch of caviar helps brings out the flavour of the sea in this dish. Starter - grilled octopus, crusty pork jowl, buttered mashed potato and smoked Spanish paprika oil. Chef Albert version of surf and turf. The octopus was sous-vide before it was grilled to add texture and flavour. It has a delicate springy texture and succulent as well. The pork jowl has the perfect ratio between fats and meat and basically melts in your mouth. Love the buttery flavour of the smooth mash potatoes, and the paprika oil add a subtle spicy kick to the dish. Main – braised beef cheek, olive oil crashed potato, baby carrots and passion fruit. A must try dish for a beef lover. The beef cheek was so soft, I only need my fork to peel each layer of this dish. Accompanied with sweet baby carrots and rustic feel of crushed potatoes. The intense sauce is beef stock reduction finished off with red wine and passion fruit for a twist tanginess. Dessert – dark chocolate ice cream, char-grilled banana, gorgonzola cheese and caramelised butter. It was not the ending that I expected. The heat from the grilled banana actually melted the ice cream. Instead of dark chocolate ice cream, it turn out to be dark chocolate cream. The pairing of intense pungent flavour of gorgonzola cheese with dark chocolate “cream” provided a unique yet pleasant finish to the dish. Dining at Pool Grill, you will have a great view of the swimming pool of Marriott Singapore Tang Plaza Hotel and the view of surrounding buildings in Orchard Road, such as Ion Orchard and Shaw House. We were seated in the huge Chinese style pavilion, where it can seat about 20 people. To keep everyone cool, an unique fan called “Big Ass Fan” is used. It control the temperature nicely without messing up your hair or blowing everything off the table. It was indeed a pleasant outdoor dining experience. According to our host, the gazebo is frequently used for wedding solemnisation. Overall, the menu of Flavours of Spain at Pool Grill is a reflection of Chef Albert new insight to Spanish Cuisine. His signature of fusion of Spanish food with Asian ingredients. So don't miss out on :

Flavours of Spain at Pool Grill
Spanish Set Lunch and Dinner
15 February – 13 March 2016
3-Course Lunch: $35++ per person
4-Course Dinner: $58++ per person

Thank you very much to the team at Marriott Singapore for the tasting invitation.

Kuvo, a multi-concept restaurant and bar located in the middle of Orchard Road. I was first introduced to this unique restaurant that are well-hidden in the bustle shopping paradise by our friends A&J. It was a memorable one as we had high tea here and celebrating my beloved LD's birthday. In welcoming the new year, Kuvo introduced a new menu and new concept to its customers, with food and bespoked cocktail pairings. With head bartender Mr. Yutaka Nakashima as Kuvo chief mixologist, expect to see innovative, novel and at times quirky cocktails with Japanese flair. Please note that due to my medical conditions, I was not able to taste the cocktails, so I enlist Ivan Teh – Running Man for his drinking palate.

The new concept focus on tapas size dishes. We started with Brandy Flambéed Beef Cube ($22) and Grilled Octopus ($16). The chunky beef cube has a good marbling, juicy and succulent. The brandy flambéed gave it a sweet and smokey flavour at the same time. Though there was a huge dried chilli there, it more like a decoration. If you are a fan of garlic, you will love this dish. Coincidentally, I had this dish a few days with our overseas friends for supper and this dish never fails to impress me again. For seafood lovers, grilled octopus is a must-try. A dish that you can normally found in Mediterranean countries. The octopus leg was sous-vide till so tender it almost melts in your mouth. The smoked paprika helps to accentuate the flavour of the octopus. I do find the slow cooked potato is a bid to soft for my liking. Calamari Ajilo ($16). The ring shape calamari is cooked with chorizo sausage, which gave the dish a spicy pork flavour to the dish. It works well with the springy calamari. Unfortunately, there was too much oil in the dish. Making it looks like the dish is swimming in oil. Atlantic Cod Meunière (S$20). So what is Meunière, it is a French style of cooking a fish where at first it was lightly coated in flour, fried in clarified butter and finished off with brown butter and herbs. The double buttering method simply made it so yummy. The cod fish is flaky, juicy topped with subtle flavour from pea crust. The barley fricasse with corn was a little too rich and creamy to be paired with cod fish. I think it will be better if there is a dash of lemon here just to balance the dish. While we have become used with food and wine, Kuvo introduced a creative food and cocktails pairing.
Kuvo Coffee Hot Wings ($14) & Brewski Yen ($21). The crispy fried chicken wings are coated with 'Hot' coffee sauce. Kuvo version of spicy buffalo wings. The wings are crispy and succulent, while the caramelisation intensified the coffee flavour. Watch out for the spicy kick from the sauce. Although it come with blue cheese dip, it is missing the pungent taste. I decided to forgo my utensils and used my fingers. The Brewski Yen will definitely put out the fire from the wings. The mix include Kirin beer, now with an added tang of Suze, lemon, and ginger ale. Slipper Lobster (S$15) & Hello Cel’lo (S$21). Slipper Lobster / Crayfish sautéed with habanero, bell peppers, and cilantro. It is nicely presented, using the shell to wrap the dish. However, the taste reminds me of a normal zhi char dish. The meat of the crayfish was overcooked, making it tough the chew. Hello Cel'lo – made with Bankes London dry Gin, limoncello liqueur, celery bitters, and balsamico. Base on the smell, it smell like a herbal drink. Wagyu & Camembert Sliders (S$17) &Green Iceland (S$21). The Japanese Wagyu beef sliders was meaty, hearty and succulent. Topped with melted camembert cheese and portobello provide the sliders with creamy mushroom finish to the dish. This dish also come with crispy fried shrimp wanton with wasabi mayonnaise. The wanton is light, crispy and filled with good amount of shrimp, and mayo really packs with punch. The cheese rolls is a bit redundant in the dish, as it look pretty mellow. Probably better if they skip the cheese rolls and stick with fried wanton. In line with the East meet West theme for this pairing, Green Iceland mix consist of Italian Antica Fratta sparkling wine, Japanese Umeshu, mint leaf and brown sugar. A good refreshing mix to go with this dish. English Scotch Egg (S$14) & Captain B.R. (S$21). I have been wanting to try English Scotch Egg for a while and what a good opportunity to try one at Kuvo. Whole chicken egg stuffed in giant Wagyu meatball. Perfectly executed, as the yolk was runny when we slice through it. Meaty and hearty like the sliders and topped with edam cheese, who can say no to this. There are some gerkhins on the side to balance the meatiness in the dish. Captain B.R. (stands for British Rum) consists of Earl Grey infused Rum, fresh lemon, and soda water. You have the aromatic rum, with tea twist and fizzy soda that goes well with the English Scotch Egg. Kurobuta Yakiniku Donburi (S$16) & Tales of Shu (S$21). Kurobuta pork yakiniku served on a warm bed of Japanese rice, topped with perfectly poached sous-vide egg. Definitely a perfect comfort dish, especially after you break the egg and let it blanket the rice and yakiniku. It can do with much more sauce and thicker flavour to cover the whole dish. The cocktail, Tales of Shu is the star of this pairing. Brewed in a glass vacuum coffee maker, the cocktail’s freshly-prepared genmai tea, saké, Lillet Blanc, and fresh orange peel. Yutaka san really go all out for this cocktail. Served in Japanese tea cup it provide a good ending to the meal. For those who are unable to consume alcohol, you can try the mocktail concoction of Midsummer Breeze. The mix included Melon Mangosteen Tea, Orange Juice, and Passion fruit. It is fruity, while the melon provide the boldest flavour to the drink, there is subtle tangerines from the passion fruit at the end. It was a very interesting dining experience, especially looking at the food and cocktail pairing in leveraging on Mr. Yutaka Nakashima's expertise. As most of the cocktails have a light alcohol content and with touch of sweetness, making it easy to consume a few concoctions at one seating. My recommendation for a must try dishes are Brandy Flavfmbéed Beef Cube, Wagyu & Camembert Sliders (S$17) &Green Iceland (S$21); English Scotch Egg (S$14) & Captain B.R. (S$21); and Kurobuta Yakiniku Donburi (S$16) & Tales of Shu (S$21). On the side note, I was at Kuvo about a week before this tasting event, I also tried their dessert of Croissant Bread Pudding ($14). The bread pudding covered with filo pastry cranberry fillings, salted caramel sauce and vanilla gelato. A perfect combination of sweet and savoury, paired with flaky pasty. Definitely a die die must try dessert here in KUVO. Thank you very much to KUVO & Media Flair Communications for the tasting invitation.

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http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2016/02/noodle-place-restaurant.htmlOne of the must-try food when you go to Hong Kong is Wanton Mee. Though we have our own version of wanton mee in Singapore, the one in that we normally eat in Hong Kong is different.

The Hong Kong version of wanton mee normally come in clear soupy version. The noodle is thin, springy almost feel like you are biting wires. Fresh, crunchy shrimp wanton which are filled with fragrant sesame oil topped with chopped yellow chives and a robust broth. Recently we found a pretty good place for Hong Kong style of wanton mee in Orchard Road, called Noodle Place. With a little digging, I found out that it was actually owned by PFS Pte Ltd, the food service arm of Prima Group. Apparently, they engaged Chef Chui Chuen Lai, former Executive Chef of Mak's Noodle in Hong Kong as Head Consultant to give Noodle Place the authentic Hong Kong dining experience. We ordered the Shrimp Wanton Noodle ($8.30 for soup & $9 for dry). The soup version come in a bigger bowl compare those we had in Hong Kong. The size of the congee bowl. The broth was golden in colour and from the first sip, you can actually taste the robustness of the broth infused with prawn and pork. The noodle was thin and springy (QQ), but it still has enough pores to absorb the beautiful broth. The four pieces of wanton were fresh, crunchy and cover with the fragrance of the sesame oil. Also watch out for the yellow chives that add the subtle flavour in the wanton mee. Definitely feels like we are eating the wanton mee in Hong Kong.

The wanton was so good, LD actually order another wanton soup. For the dry version, it is served in typical simple, no frills Hong Kong fashion. Dry noodle, 4 pcs of wanton, a few pieces of kai lan and a good dollop of superior oyster sauce. Though the noodle and wanton are the same, the superior oyster sauce can't compete with the superior broth. If you prefer the dry version, my suggestion is order the soup version, ask for extra plate and dry the noodle yourself. This is definitely the way to eat here. To accompany our noodles, we decided to try Twin Mixed Roast Meat – Crispy Roast Pork and Roast Duck ($19). The roast duck is juicy and succulent, while the skin was crispy and beautifully peel off from the meat. It's a bit fatty, but I just love how it melts in your mouth. Oh No... Now I am drooling for the roast duck. The roast pork is more on the fat side, flavourful, nicely marinated, however missing the crunchinesses from the crackling. It seems the skin was being soaked too much in its oil. The décor of the place is very simple, no much fuss about it. It is bright and although they try to maximise the seating area, there is sufficient space between tables.

Overall, Noodle Place is definitely one of the place I will go to satisfy my HongKong Wanton Mee cravings. Of course I don't mind a good plate of roast pork and roast duck as well. Cheers!!

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http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2016/01/golden-peony-cny2016.htmlChinese New Year is just around the corner, in welcoming the year of the Monkey, Chef Ku Keung, from Golden Peony ('GP') has prepared stunning spread to welcome the year of the Monkey.

We started with this year theme creation for Fortune Monkey Yu Sheng. Fortune Yu Sheng with Abalone, Hiramasa and Crispy Fish Skin. (风生水起; 嘻啦玛莎，鲍鱼, 金黄鱼皮金猴捞起). The one we had was the jumbo version, priced at the auspicious $888, which can feed between 30 to 40 pax. Something to consider if you are having a company CNY meal in Golden Peony.  Main ingredients include Harimasa, also known yellowtail amberjack, which have firm, silky texture and rich in flavour; Fresh and crunchy Abalone; Crispy fish skin coated with salted egg to add to the normal golden pillow. The sweet sauce was delicate to ensure that everyone can enjoy the Yu Sheng to the last bite without being overwhelmed.  

Of course, there is a smaller version of Yu Sheng available. Price starting from $68 for small (2 to 5 pax) and $128 for large (6 to 10 pax).

The elegance of dining in Golden Peony continued with Crispy Filo Swan filled with Foie Gras, Truffle and Minced Chicken. (天降横财 – 松露天鹅酥). An upgrade to the normal dim sum dish. Shaped in the form of the swan, it has a light buttery pastry that melts in your mouth. I personally like the rich velvety texture of the foie gras, which combine well with the minced chicken. The portion of the truffle slices are very generous as well. For me, one piece of this will not be enough. Canadian Sea Perch Roll with Lobster, Minced Shrimp and Fish Roe in Spinach Purée (财源滚滚 - 菠菜汁龙珠球). The lobster meat is wrapped by sea perch fillet, lightly seasoned which allow each of the ingredients to stand out. The fish roe provide a nice crunchy texture with a mini burst of explosion in your mouth. The subtle flavour Spinach puree provided a nice touch to this soup dish. Braised Abalone with ‘Monkey Head’ Mushroom, Fish Maw and Black Moss. (金猴献瑞 – 红焖发财鲍鱼猴头菇花胶). A superb robust gravy, thick and packs of flavour. The abalone was springy and crunchy, while the delicate fish maw nicely absorbs the gravy. The monkey head mushroom really soaked up the flavour, like a sponge transferring the gravy. It will be nice to have this dish with a bowl of steam rice. Roast Suckling Pig stuffed with Hainanese Chicken Rice (鸿运当头 – 沙皮海南鸡乳猪). The main attraction of this year CNY dinner at GP. The piggy is stuffed with one of Singapore iconic dish, Hainanese Chicken Rice. I like the crispy skin on the pig which has minimum amount of pig. The chicken rice is a little bit mushy, while the chicken thigh used to roll the rice is succulent. Each slices of the sucking pig is served with chilli sauce, sweet suckling pig sauce and mashed ginger. For desserts, Golden ‘Nian Gao’ with Sweet Potato and Yam Chilled Lemongrass Jelly with Aloe Vera and Jack Fruit in Sour Plum Juice. (阖家团圆 – 金薯芋头年糕拼菠萝蜜话梅芦荟冻). The chilled dessert is just refreshing, especially with the infusion of sour plum juice. Meanwhile the nian gao is sandwiched between sweet potato and yam provided a nostalgic feel of the CNY. Overall, it was a very good all round dining experience in Golden Peony. The Yu Sheng and dishes that uses traditional ingredients such as abalone and fish maw are nicely executed. Being innovative, Chef Ku Keung also pushes the boundary by stuffing the suckling pig dish with Singapore iconic dish. The use of Foie Gras, Truffle and Lobster provided the WOW factor in CNY dishes served in Golden Peony. Definitely a place to consider for this year CNY meal. Cheers!!

Thank you very much to Conrad Centennial Singapore for the tasting invitation.

Alright, we have just past by the Christmas and New Year festive period. Which means, we are more likely to have stuffed ourself silly and need a bit of respite before the Chinese New Year knocking in front of us. So if you feel like something healthy, low in calories or detoxing, you can consider DoSiRak. DoSiRak means lunch box in Korean. Set up by half-Korean, half-Singaporean brothers Edward and Eugene Chia in October 2014, DoSiRak re-introduces the healthier and modern version of age-old method of enjoying a traditional Korean lunch bowl usually comprising rice, a type of meat and a medley of vegetables before mixing in gochujang (Korean chilli sauce). If you are watching your weight, there is even a calories count on each mix and all the DoSiRak menu is less than 500 calories. DoSiRak also recognised by Health Promotion Board Singapore as Healthier Dining Partner. In DoSiRak, the lunch box is served in a look-a-like large size pint of ice cream container. The design of the container inspired from tiles normally used in Korea. The container are then filled up to 75% full to allow enough space to shake the ingredients. How about it, you get to play with your food and eat healthy at the same time. The ingredients in DoSiRak are prepared in the minimalist way. Vegetables are served raw or lightly blanched with minimum seasoning. Meat are cooked sous-vide to lock in the flavour. Best part, No MSG are used here, period. We started our tasting with Avocado sweet potato mix ($9.90). Ingredients include spinach, red cabbage, beansprouts, shittake, white radish. A normal menu will come with rice, however if want to skip the carbo, you can choose cauliflower rice ($3) as your base. At first, we tasted it without adding the gochujang. The ingredients tasted very natural. You can taste the sweetness of the sweet potato, a hint of bitterness from the spinach and red cabbage, together with the creaminess of avocado. The cauliflower rice has a similar texture to couscous, however it is lighter and fluffier compare to couscous.
We finally decided to #ShakeItUp. So you pour gochujang in to the mix. The gochujang works well to bind all the ingredients together. It is thick, sweet and spicy with a hint of vinegar at the same time, which works wonderfully to arouse your appetite. Next up is the Pumpkin Tofu ($8.90). A white rice base combined with enoki mushrooms, spinach, white radish, black beans and purple cabbage. The vegetables are lightly seasoned and allows the ingredients to speak for itself. I like the pumpkin, tofu and black bean in this dish. The finale was Smoked Duck with Cold Noodle as a base. Yup, now we finally tried some meat protein. The vegetables was corn, carrot, cabbage and mushrooms. As the thin and springy noodle already seasoned, you can actually skip the gochujang in this dish. Overall, DoSiRak really provide a good healthy meal with no fuss. As a foodie, we do need some holistic food once in a while. By the way, in the month of January to March 2016, DoSiRak is collaborating with The Food Bank Singapore launching a campaign at their China Square Outlet and EU Bizhub East outlets. It is to help raise funds for equipment that will help feed the underprivileged in Singapore. For every meal sold, DoSiRak will pledge $1 to directly fund this Fresh Food Truck. If customers would like to make additional donation to the fund, they may do so with any amount over DoSiRak Counters, and DoSiRak will reward large donors with a complimentary NuHoney beverage.

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