Ramen Champion (“RC”) is a multi-brand ramen concept brought to Singapore by Komars Group that sources popular ramen brands from Japan and invite them to compete in the annual competition for the prestigious “The Ultimate Ramen Champion”. Their latest outlet after Bugis and Changi Airport Terminal 3 is located at Great World City. Following their concept, each outlet will have different brand of ramen with their own unique taste, flavour and personality of ramen. The outlet in Great World City is represented by Bishamon Zero (existing brand), Tonkotsu Itto (existing RC competitor), Miyamoto and Butaou (new RC competitor).The opening of this outlet was kick start with inaugural Ramen Big Eater Challenge, with the presence of celebrity competitive eater from Japan, Miss Tomoko Miyake. I saw her on a variety show, and it seems that she has a stretchable stomach and gigantic appetite. So without a doubt, she was the winner of the eating challenge. If you got time, you should check her out online, you'll envy her ability to eat so much and stay in shape.

We begin this ramen adventure with Bishamon Zero's Sapporo Miso Special Ramen ($14.80). Originated from Sapporo, the broth is cloudy, robust filled miso texture. The ramen has a medium thickness, springy (qq) and tasty. The pork belly Cha Shu is tender and does not overwhelmed with its fattiness. The egg is cooked to perfection. In the soup, there is mild chilli flavour with subtle spiciness to give the warmness in the ramen. Tonkatsu Itto's Special Tonkotsu Ramen ($16.50) from Tokyo follow next. The ramen size is very thin, similar to Angel hair pasta size. It is springy, not very flavourful, but carry the broth well. The pork base soup is robust and full of collagen taste from part of the pork bones. The egg is cooked nicely with the soft yolk in the middle. The cha shu is tender, however it is tasteless. You might want to eat it while its hot, or you will be overwhelmed by the richness of the broth.Narita's City Miyamoto's Pork and Vegetable Ramen ($16). Once we saw the bowl, we decided to named it Army Boys Ramen, due to its humongous size. It seems the chef is throwing everything except for the kitchen sink in this dish. The noodle size is pretty big, similar to Mee Pok, but thicker and very resilient. The broth is difficult to spot as it is basically buried under the the layers of ramen, bean sprouts, sliced cabbage, cha shu and diced pork. Once you get through the layers above, you can taste milky robust broth with a strong garlic presence.The half boiled egg here serve in full, as it is slightly under cook compare to the previous two ramens, the yolk just ooze out when you poke the egg. The cha shu is tender and flavourful, but I find the most tasty and tender part is the diced pork. Little Devil ('LD') and I feels that this bowl can easily filled two person. The last bowl of ramen that we tried was Butaou's Special Sukiyaki Ramen ($16). Originated from Saitama Prefecture in Tokyo and inspired by Sukiyaki, the broth of this ramen originated its taste from sukiyaki sauce. The broth is robust and sweet, while the ramen is thin and springy. The egg was slow boiled with the yolk ooze out as soon as we break it. The cha shu is the tender, flavourful and the tastiest of all ramen, and the shabu-shabu style pork is just tender. Something different, but take a lot to get used to due the sukiyaki soup base and it will be a favourite to those who love sweet soup.For the sides, we tried Okonomiyaki Gyoza with bonito flakes ($5.80 for 5 pcs) and Mentaiko Gyoza ($5.80 for 5 pcs). The gyoza are tasty with a combination of crispy skin and juicy fillings. We prefer the Okonomiyaki gyoza as the combination of bonito flakes and the sauce create a more flavourful gyoza. The Mentaiko sauce, seems to lack the punch, it can do better with stronger taste with extra mentaiko mayonnaise or mentaiko toppings. Tori Karaage ($4.80) is quite delicious. Crispy on the outside, with well seasoned juicy succulent chicken thigh meat inside. While Spicy Chicken ($5 for 3 pcs) is quite ordinary. It lacks of seasoning, crispiness or even spiciness. The meat is tender, but it seems lacking in the obvious seasoning.Overall, we find the Ramen served in Ramen Champion does have a certain standard. It is very difficult to decide which as are the best as individual preference and taste can be different. For LD's and mine, we decided that Bishamon Zero's Sapporo Miso Special Ramen as our 1st preference followed by Tonkatsu Itto's Special Tonkotsu Ramen. Why don't you give it a try and let us know which ramen you like. Kanpai!!! Cheers!!!Thanks to Malcom and Ramen Champion Team for the tasting invitation.

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala experience, click / copy the link below to your browser:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2013/11/ramen-champion-opening-our-eyes-to.html

Have you been to Adam Road Food Centre around lunch time? If you have, then you definitely seen this stall or even tried it before. The queue from this shop and the rival next door are just tremendous, basically nobody wants to seat at the tables near their stalls.Chubby Botak Koala & The Little Devil survived 60 minutes wait here to get the taste of the ever popular nasi lemak here. We have heard of these notorious nasi lemak place, but this is our first ever visit and it was unplanned as well.

While I was waiting for my turn, I was listening to other customers on the phone checking with their office or family if they want any takeaway for their lunch. Apparently the sight of customers ordering between 10 to 15 packets each are normal here. When it is almost my turn, I heard that they are actually preparing order for 100 packs. No wonder the line is moving at turtle speed.

I ordered the Adam Spread ($5) consist of mutton rendang, chicken wing, fried egg, bergedel, ikan bilis & nuts, acar and of course the coconut rice. LD ordered Sutra Special ($4.50) consist of otah, fish cake, chicken wing, ikan bilis & nuts. While LD requested for extra chilli, I asked for extra rice and the lady just build rice mountain on my place and with no extra charges. So after 1 hour in line, how is the Nasi Lemak? The rice is very fragrant and unique. They use basmanti rice, which is more healthy than normal long grain rice resulted in more al dante version of rice. Ikan bilis and nuts is crispy and crunchy. The chicken wings are pipping hot, crispy and juicy. However the marination is only skin deep, while the meat is tender but tasted bland.

For my mutton rendang, the gravy is thick and sweet. The mutton is tender, but more on the dry side due to the lean meat used. Begedil is very tasty. LD's otah is huge in size, creamy and very flavourful. The fish cake is springy (qq) and in her opinion, the sambal (chilli) is the top notch and star attraction here. It is sweet, not to spicy, with multiple layer of flavour and very appetizing. No wonder people willing to line up, like bees going for their honey. The service here is very friendly but your patience will be tested while waiting. Normally there will be two lady serving, however today she is flying solo. Also, the popular stall next door was on holiday, so their customers went there to overcome their cravings for nasi lemak. The positive side of the slow service, is that the kitchen can keep up with demand and churn out pipping hot food.

As we ordered the two most expensive set, the rest on the menu are chicken set and fish set ($3.50 each). Consist of chicken wings / fried fish, fried egg, coconut rice, sambal, ikan bilis & nuts. There are some other dish you can add to your set, unfortunately you can't order extra chicken wings.Overall, we can now say we tried No.1 Adam's Nasi Lemak. The pricing here is very reasonable. However, if you ask me to wait for another 1 hour for a grub of Nasi Lemak here, I will say NO! But if I am around the area before or after the peak hours, I might try my luck and eat here again. Cheers!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala Experience, click / copy the following link to your browser:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2013/11/no1-adams-nasi-lemak-supposedly-one-of.html

Charisma D'Venue is a Halal semi-fine dining restaurant offering a unique gastronomic experience blending local South East Asia cuisine with western technique at an affordable price. Chef Fauzie is the Chef in charge of the innovative menu, with the ever popular Charisma Biryani (or Briyani)Located opposite Kwan Im Temple in Joo Chiat, this place can be very catchy in the evening. The restaurant decided to use purple lighting and you can spot this place from far away. The decoration is simple, yet modern and sophiscated. Once you enter the restaurant, you can see at the end there is chairs displayed for Malay wedding function. Oh ya, did I mention that Charisma D'Venue can also cater to your special events, such as wedding. As catchy as the purple lighting is, it is the bane for photographer. It made the colour of my photos out of whack. In respect to other people dining in the restaurant, I always try to limit the use of flash as much as possible. Therefore, my apologies if the picture looks weird.

Since Biryani is the most popular this in this place, we ordered their famous Biryani Lamb Shank ($18.80). The generous size of lamb shank is well braised, tender and fall of the bone. The gravy is excellent, robust, rich in flavour and goes well with the rice. The rice is flavourful and al dente, without the overpowering spices that you normally find in Indian Biryani. The mango chutney is a good counter balance for the richness of lamb shank. Although the dish is served with dalcha, we find that is just not necessary. The gravy from the braised lamb is enough to bind the rice and the meat. Yummy!!Another winner here is Charisma Calamari ($6.80). The fried calamari is crispy on the outside, and it is tender and juicy inside. The curried seasoning on the batter gave a distinct touch to the dish. The salad on the sides is fresh with a nice mango dressing. The yoghurt mint dipping sauce is unique, kind of Greek style, but if it is not that watery, the yoghurt sauce will complement it better. While the above two dishes are a winner, the two other dishes that we tried can be improve. Pan Fried Seabass ($16.80) – served with baked potato, mango chutney in mango puree sauce. Firstly they did a good job with the skin, it is crispy, however when they put the mango chutney on top, it just messed up the whole thing. Some part of the skin became soggy, the onion in the chutney is too overpowering for a fish dish. It will be better to substitute the chutney with other vegetables, use more subtle sauce and don't put anything on top of that beautiful crispy fish skin. Charisma Grilled Chicken Wing ($7.90) – served with peanut sauce. Good concept, however failed in execution. Although the chicken wings are well seasoned, The wings and peanut sauce were burnt. When we gave feedback to the management, they made a new one for us to bring back. I applaud their service orientated commitment. During our dinner, the service has been good and efficient. While the food can have its up and down, the mocktails here is a must tried. With the price ranging from $3 to $8.50 depending on ingredients, it sure is refreshing and flavourful. We tried Sunrise, Nojito (non alcoholic version of Mojito) and avocado smoothie. All get our thumbs up. Kudos to the mixologist. Overall, Charisma D'Venue delivered on their promise on affordable price fusion food. With the combination of some winner dish and mocktails, this is a destination for everybody, especially our Muslim friends.

For full review and more photos, please visit
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2013/09/charisma-dvenue-restaurant-devine-and.html

Up to 14 September 2013, Chubby Botak Koala is giving away $25 dining vouchers in this venue. Check out the above link for details.

In welcoming the Mid-Autumn Festival 2013, Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant at Holiday Inn Atrium, together with their F&B Team and OpenRice Singapore organise a Mooncake tasting for the selected reviewers in OpenRice.com.

Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant at Holiday Inn Atrium Singapore is currently helm by Chef Cheung Kin Nam. A native Guangdong Chef with more than 30 years experience in China and Hong Kong, is renowned to be a master in desserts and confectioneries. This year, Xin Cuisine presents four new delectable gems of mooncakes, together with its Signature collection of Mini Egg Custard with Egg Yolk.

While the evening kick off with us savouring the delicious finger food, the star for the night is definitely the mooncakes. For the traditional selection, you will have While Lotus Seed Paste with single / Double yolk, Assorted Nuts with X.O. Sauce (homemade X.O Sauce), Teochew Yam Paste with Single Egg Yolk and of course, the Signature collection of Mini Egg Custard with Egg Yolk.I personally find the taste of the mooncakes here is very subtle, not overly sweet. For those who like different texture in their mooncakes, the Assorted Nuts with X.O sauce will be a good choice. It is crunchy, slightly sweet. The homemade X.O sauce is delightful and not overpowering like those you get from the bottle. The Signature Mini Egg Custard, has a delicate creaminess in its flavour with a nice blend between the saltiness of the yolk and the sweetness of the custard. As the colour of the yolk and custard are similar, it is hard to distinguish in between both of the ingredients. While the Teochew Yam paste looks great in the picture, I did not manage to taste the Teochew Yam Paste as I was distracted. Judging from the speed its gone from the plate, I can only assume that it must have tasted great. For the Mini Snowskin mooncake, I personally prefer the Passion Fruit Paste (with Mango) and Peranakan Durian. The Passion fruit taste combine the unique flavour for passion fruit and mango, the tangy, sour and sweet. Let's just say you can't go wrong with mango. Xin's Peranakan Durian uses Blue Pea flower for the natural purplish colour in the snowskin to combine with the durian filling. Well, it feels like you are actually eating durian. We tried our best to extract information from the F&B team on what type of durian they used, however to no avail. Seems that it is one of those secret where “they can tell you but they have to kill you afterwards” For wine, the general rule of thumb is traditional mooncakes goes well with red wine, while the white wine or sparking wine goes well with snow skin mooncake. However, don't hesitate to mix and match as it is all depends on personal preference. As I am in alcohol free diet, I was not able to enjoy the wine.

Overall, Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant deliver a notable combination of tradition and creativity of mooncakes. Don't hesitate to give it a try as it might be suitable to your palate. Cheers!

Thanks to Xin Cuisine Team, Holiday Inn Atrium Team and OpenRice for the invitation to this mooncake tasting.

For full review and more photos, please visit http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2013/08/xin-cuisine-chinese-restaurant-evening.html

For the full review, click here:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2017/07/jamies-italian-forum.html
Looking for kids friendly dining destination for a group of 18 pax is definitely not an easy task. If you do have this dilemma, you definitely must consider Jamie's Italian at Forum. 

In case you have been living under a rock or somewhere in the jungle of Borneo, Jamie Oliver might sound alien to you. In summary, he is a British Celebrity Chef, author of numerous cook books, plus TV shows, activist who loved Italian Food. Jamie's restaurants always focused on natural and healthy ingredients, with simple cooking method. Jamie's Italian at Forum is the second franchise in Singapore. 

While waiting for the everyone to arrive, LD and I ordered Salumi Crostini ($15). Salumi means different type of salami / Italian cured meat. Crispy bread with buffalo ricotta, crispy salumi and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Crispy, creamy, sweet, with subtle acidity just make a perfect entrée. A good start to tease the palate. 



If you are an olive fan, you might want to try their World's Best Olive ($8.50). Consist of large green olives, with black olives and sun-dried tomatoes tapenade & crispy music bread. I am definitely not a fan of black olive, but I discover green olive is easy to like. Crunchy, refreshing with a touch of delicate sourness almost like a gherkin. 

Since we have a big group, we ordered plenty. Prosciutto & Pear Salad ($25.50). A simple combination of prosciutto and pear, with pecorino, rocket salad, balsamic and toasted pine nuts. It is definitely refreshing, I personally like the combo of salty prosciutto with natural sweetness of the pear. The pecorino, rocket and balsamic just enhanced the flavour in the dish further while the pine nuts give the dish its crunchy texture. 

Gennaro's Italian Sausage Pizza ($27.50). Bianco base (white pizza) with fennel sausage, balsamic onions, black olives and rosemary. Interesting white base pizza, with unique flavour arising from sweet balsamic onions and black olives. The dough is crisp and chewy, like a sour dough. However, I feel it lacked some creaminess from the cheese component. 

Ravioli Con Carne ($26.50). Beef ragu-stuffed pasta with sage brown butter, crispy pancetta, lemon & parmesan. It is a good dish, with al-dente pasta sheets filled with ragu beef. The sage brown butter gave the dish a rich flavour however, it is missing the OMPH factors. It can do with more sprinkle of salt. 

280g Rib-eye Steak ($46) served with grilled portobello mushrooms, gremolata, funky chips and balsamic onions. We asked them to cook to medium rare, however we still find the steak slightly chewy, lacked richness and marbling of ribeye steak. Surprisingly, the grilled portobello was the best ingredients to the dish. Definitely, has lots of room for improvement. 

Lamb Rack ($88). Lamb rack coated with herby breadcrumb served with roasted mixed root vegetables and a yummy red wine sauce. Easily the best dish of the night. Cooked to medium rare, the meat just melts in your mouth. Absent of gamy flavour, the lamb is just to die for.  It is not in the main menu, so you must keep a look out on the special board. A must order dish here. 

Service is friendly, accommodating and professional. The décor of the restaurant is modern, casual with a combination of open concept. The set-up and service are definitely geared towards child-friendly environment, where you and your family can dine freely. The semi open concepts will allow you to see the chefs preparing your food, maybe pique the interest of the young ones in cooking. 

Please note that due to Jamie's focus on healthy eating, you might find the kids meal a bit bland. Feel free to add more seasoning to your child likings (cheese, salt or pepper). 

Overall, An evening in Jamie is definitely an interesting experience. It was packed during the dinner service. The food is simple yet delicious, but don't expect a high-end Italian restaurant version. We'll definitely return for the lamb rack. Cheers!!