Ever wonder on how Singapore looks like in the past? Or do you want to re-live the past of Singapore atmosphere in the 70s? Or are you are looking for a quick escape from the hectic Singapore? The Coastal Settlement is the place to be. Located in an 'ulu' (not easy to reach) location, off Loyang Ave opposite entrance of Changi Air Base, this place is not easy to reach if you are not driving. However once you are there, you will be rewarded with the relaxing olden days environment.The menu in The Coastal Settlement has impressive offering to satisfy the palate of different customers, starting from local flavour such as nasi lemak to your steak and eggs.We started with Portobello Fries ($15), Crumbed Portobello slices with truffle mayonnaise. The portobello mushrooms are sliced to fingers size, coated with bread crumb and fried. It has a nice crispy texture and retaining the juicy mushroom inside. Nicely executed and a must try for mushroom lovers. The truffle mayonnaise dipping was just too overpowering and cover up natural taste of portobello. Personally, just a normal mayonnaise or the Japanese version will be good enough.For our main brunch, I had Rosti Sausage with fried egg ($21), while LD ordered Steak and Eggs ($32). The rosti is nicely done, with the crispy outer part while maintaining the moist internally. The sour cream provide a counter balance to the rich rosti and sausage. The baby spinach are dressed with a dash of balsamic vinegar. Yum!! RatingLD's Steak and Egg ($32) consist of 250g Angus Rib Eye, Scramble eggs, truffle fries, mesclun  and veal jus. Yup, this is a huge one and I end up finishing 1/3 of it. The scramble eggs are smooth and fluffy. The steak was of a good size, cooked to medium rare with nice charred mark. It is juicy and tender, but not the better cut of Angus steak though. The truffle fries is not to our liking, however it goes well when we dip in to the sour cream on the rosti.To accompany my brunch, I ordered a latte ($6). Nicely presented with a latte art finishing. The coffee is smooth, bold with a little acidity at the end. According to the service staff, they use home roasted beans, but decline to let me know from which roaster. LD's homemade lemon barley ($7) came with a lemon wedges, not slices. If you want more lemon flavour, just squeeze it.Service is good and efficient but not extraordinary. We did not need to wait long for our food as it came at a regular interval. The dining atmosphere is just fantastic, feels like we were transported back to the 70s. We were so amaze by collection of 70s items, we just can't stop taking pictures. A very nice place indeed.Overall, The Coastal Settlement really provide us with a location sit down, relax and transported back to the 1970s in Singapore. For those that who don't know what the 70s are like, it can be an educational visit as well. The food are quite good so your tummy will be well taken care off. Getting here might be a challenge, however if you know how to get to Change Village by public transport, The Coastal Settlement is just a couple of stop before the bus interchange. Cheers!!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala dining experience, click the link below:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/03/the-coastal-settlement-reminiscing.html

 

Gim Tim Pte Ltd is a popular neighbourhood restaurant that serve Hokkien and Cantonese Cuisine in Ang Mo Kio area. They first open their door in 1975, and through the years they have been serving quality food and service to its customers. Their signature Buddha Jumps Over the Wall has won much acclaims amongst foodies. Sticking to their root, their main restaurant can be located at Blk 157 Ang Mo Kio Ave 4. On Saturday and Sunday, don't expect to get a seat without reservations.

I have wanted to try out this place for a while, so this time around when our office is looking for a restaurant to celebrate the 1st day opening of the Horse year, we decided to have it there. We ordered the $398+, 8 course meal for 10 person.

The feast begin with Prosperity Raw Salmon Fish (“Yu Sheng”). The Yu Sheng might look simple, however the ingredients such as the carrots and radish are fresh and crunchy. The sauce has the right level of sweetness, creating a well balance combination and it really wakes up your appetite for the next dish. I manage to scoop some of the salmon to give me luck for this coming year. Following the Yu Sheng there are the Shark Fin Soup with Shredded Dried Seafood and Stewed Trotter with “Bak Ku Teh” Taste. The soup is very tasty and robust, the combination of the stock and dried seafood is provide the richness in the soup. The trotter skin basically just melts in your mouth, while the meat is tender. The gravy has a unique BKT taste, but well balance in terms of the seasoning. You won't feel overwhelmed even if you have too much of the trotter that are filled with collagen.A fish dish for the Chinese New Year Banquet is a must. Steamed Grouper with Soya Sauce is well done. It was steamed just right and again the sauce is just perfect. The fish is fresh and you won't feel the muddy taste in the meat. Grouper provide a slightly resilient meat, but no complain here. Braised Sea Clam with Mushroom and Lettuce is the vegetable dish. The vegetable is crunchy accompanied with thick and robust gravy. The Sea clam was cooked slightly too soft in texture, that can be mistaken for mushroom. As most of us started to struggle to finish the dishes on the table, Poached Live Prawn with Wine & Wolfberry were served. The prawns are fresh, sweet and juicy. It is good to have a sip of the gravy while eating the prawns. The sweetness from the wolfberry and wine, is just delicious. Fried Ee Fu Noodle with XO Sauce means the banquet almost reach the finish line. This is the first time I saw Ee Fu mee paired with XO Sauce. The XO sauce is very tasty and “got kick”. The Chef seems to know the customers well. Unlike those banquet where you need to add cut chilli and soya sauce, Gim Tim version of Ee Fu Mee has all the condiments needed. For desserts, Sweetened Osmanthus with Glutinous Rice Ball signifies the end of the meal. The Osmanthus provide a healthy feel to the desserts, its roughness in texture causing it to stuck to your teeth. The combination with peanut filled rice ball, it is a dish that might takes time for one to get used to .Service is fast, friendly and efficient. Most of the service staff seems to have a good mileage working in Gim Tim, so the service is just smooth. Some of the service staff even keep checking with me if I want to take picture or not. What a nice lady

Overall, I really like the taste, presentation and creativity of the food in Gim Tim. It seems the combination of Hokkien and Cantonese cuisine created many well-balanced dishes that are perfectly executed. I really enjoy the food here and I can't wait for the next visit to use the lucky draw voucher that I won. Cheers and Huat Ah!!!!!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala dining experience, click / copy the link below to your browser:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/02/gim-tim-pte-ltd-great-taste-dining.html

Sunday Roast originated from the British and Irish, with the main purpose to gather family members or friends on Sunday and to share a good meal. Main ingredients that you can normally find on a traditional Sunday Roast are Roasted Meat, Potatoes (Roasted or mashed), Yorkshire pudding, vegetables and gravy.

During my time in the Kangaroo land, my Australian family always have a beautiful Sunday Roast regularly to celebrate the family member birthdays. It is one of the special occasions that I really look forward to. The meal are similar to the Brits, but with more Aussie swagger. Such as the use of roast leg lamb and pavlova for desserts. Yum!! So when I heard that Round House have a Sunday Roast and I immediately check out the menu online, I just can't resist to give this place a try. Prime Angus Roast Rib Eye and Bread & Butter pudding, I'm sold. Of course, as a restaurant, you expect a different standard of Sunday Roast. Such as Roasted potato with duck fat, beautifully done Cauliflower Au Gratin and of course not forgetting the delicious gravy on top of your Yorkshire pudding and the meat. Yum Yum!!Basically the Sunday Roast @ Round House is more of a buffet style. I skipped the salads and go straight to the main meal. The Rib Eye are roasted to medium rare with the centre part of the rack is pink. If you prefer your meat to be more done, ask for the meat near the side. The Chef sliced the meat to your preference. The Rib Eye is tender and juicy accompanied with a slightly thicken gravy made from the au jus from the meat. (I am actually drooling when I am writing this blog). The potatoes roasted with duck fat is quite crispy but delicious. A little over crispy to my liking. The mash potatoes are smooth, creamy and flavourful. Yorkshire pudding is crispy and a great vessel to fill the gravy in it. There are salads and soup available, which we skip. For vegetables such as carrots, peas and mushrooms are nicely done with a touch of butter to bring out the richness in the taste. The Cauliflower au gratin is crunchy and coated beautifully with melted white cheese sauce. Little Devil preferred the one done by Aussie family Dad as it is thicker and richer. But Round House version is just fine by me. We both actually went for solid two rounds of serving, so it is very satisfying. For desserts, it is nothing better than Bread and Butter pudding. It is nicely baked chunks of bread, with crispy texture on the outside, while moist on the inside. The Cream Anglaise has a nice light texture and sweetness, instead of thick and heavy. Two thumbs up!!The seating inside the restaurant is more of Pub style, where they have a huge bar in the centre. You can seat at the bar, or for an indoor proper meal you can be seated on the high tables and high chairs. Regular size table and chairs are available at the outdoor dining options, however these area are not air-conditioned. Service is very courteous, friendly and efficient. As it was raining quite heavily outside, the place is not as very crowded. Price for the Sunday Roast is $49++ with free flow of soft drink. $99++ for free flow of beer and wine.

Overall, the meal here got our seal of approval. The roast meat is beautiful and most of the sides are perfectly executed. It really bring back the nostalgic feeling in us. We will definitely comeback for more. Cheers!!!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala dining experience, click / copy the link below to your browser:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/01/2013-bday-episode-4-round-house-sunday.html

Enticed by their lunch menu, we decided to visit the first / oldest microbrewery in Singapore. This is actually my second visit here, the first was way back in 2004.During the month of November and December, Paulaner has lunch special price at $14.90++, including free flow of soft drinks. Of course the best offer is 2 glasses of 0.3L freshly brewed Paulaner Beers @ 12++ to complement the lunch special. Well, a couple of sip of this golden liquid won't do you any harm for afternoon lunch isn't it. The first floor of the microbrewery is allocated for brewery and bar, the second floor is for the restaurant / dining hall, while the third floor is for the storage of the beer / dining area of needed. There is outdoor seating on the first floor for those who preferred Singapore fresh air. The centre piece of the dining area is the 2 storey totem that was erected from the second floor to the third floor. Quite amazing indeed. The natural light that filled the room during the day brings a warm but cooling atmosphere to the dining hall. As a typical foodies, we did not limit ourself to just the set lunch menu, we also ordered from the main menu as well. For appetizer, we were served slices of rye-wheat (Roggenmischbrot) and whole-grain (Vollkornbrot). The bread texture is dark brown and more condense compare to the french bread. The crust is thick but the inner part is soft. To accompany the bread are butter and pate. The food came in no particular order and we (5 adult and 1 child) just share the food as it comes. Grilled Bavarian meatloaf with fried egg and potato salad ($16.80) and Deep fried crumbed Camembert Cheese, with toast, mixed salad and cranberry cream (Lunch Menu – 'LM'). The meatloaf has a similar texture to ham, but nicely grilled. It is nicely seasoned and not salty, and goes well with the mustard sauce. The Camembert cheese is coated with bread crumbs before frying. The cranberry cream combination has a nice fruity taste remind us of the upcoming holiday season. Combining the toast, cheese and the sauce is just delicious. Braised Leg of Australian Lamb, on mashed potatoes and mixed seasonal vegetables (LM). Interesting part of the lamb to be braised. The meat is just tender and flavourful without the strong gamey smell. The mash potatoes is smooth and fried onion on mash just give a different texture to the dish. Grilled lamb chops with blue cheese garnish on mashed potatoes and green beans with garlic ($29). The lamb chop is well seasoned and created a crust between the meat and the grill. The chops, placed on the mash potatoes bed, are just tender and juicy. Green beans is fresh and crunchy. The dish look very simple and it can be better with a gravy Potato rösti with dry smoked ham and Gruyére cheese au gratin ($13.80). One of the popular dish in the Alps (including Swiss and surrounding area). To my surprise, the cheese and rosti is light in seasoning. The potato is most with buttery richness. The saltiness actually come from the dry smoked ham. The melted Gruyére just bind the dish together. Yummyyy!!Of course the visit to German Restaurant won't be complete without the Crispy Pork Knuckle ($29.80). The crispy pork knuckle were cut to smaller pieces, served with mash potatoes, sauerkraut, bread dumpling and gravy. It has a superb crackling but the meat remain tender. Some outer part of the meat without the skin are also pretty crispy. Sauerkraut helps to maintain the balance of the dish so it does not become overwhelming, and the gravy to accompany this dish is just wonderful. The bread dumpling is dense and solid, something that we are not used to. The service during our lunch is good. The service staff are very friendly and attentive. The food came at a regular interval which was very good that we can complete a dish without overcrowding the table. When serving my birthday cake (Check out Lady M review), they generously provide utensils for it.

Overall, we really enjoy our dining experience at Paulaner. The lunch menu is just value for money, even for the item from regular menu. It has a very well balance taste and easy on the palate. I really look forward to my next visit, hopefully I don't need to wait for another 8 years . Cheers!!!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala Dining experience, click / copy the link below to your browser:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2013/12/2013-bday-episode-2-paulaner-brauhaus.html

A for Arbite is the second restaurant / bistro opened by Chef Marc Wee and his team. A for Arbite featured a Western-Asian fusion menu which will be rotated every quarter to introduce new ingredients and showcase the creativity of the team in Arbite. Located in Aliwal Arts Centre in Aliwal Street, this bistro provide a very casual atmosphere dining environment. Diners will have a choice of communal table for group dining or couple table for intimate setting with the special someone.

For the dinner menu, A for Arbite introduce a new concept. Each dish is designed in a small bites (or entrée) size portions. Diners are encourage try different variety of dishes in the menu paired with their unusual Belgian Craft Beers, on the tap or by the bottles. On the menu, every dish has a suggested pairing of beer, cocktails or tea. However like any other food pairing, everyone taste buds is different, so feel free to decide on your own. Based on my judgement, 4 to 5 small bites is equivalent in size to a 3-course meal.

As Chubby Botak Koala is abstaining from alcohol due to medical reasons, he brought his friend M as the beer tester. From 10 small bites that we tried, our top picks are:

Jar of Duck (duck rillettes, black truffle, foie gras, smoked duck breast, roasted grapes and crackers) – $19.50. The most of expensive dish on the menu, however the most yummyy dish in the menu. Explosion of flavour in your mouth, purely on taste base on the wonderful ingredients especially the truffle and foie gras. The most amazing thing is when you add the grape into the bite, it just turn to something different and sweet. Two thumbs up !!!Tri Pepper Spaghettini (Green, pink, and black pepper pasta with swimmer crab meat, chilli, spring onion and tempura battered soft shell crab) - $10.50. A tasty, springy and chewy pasta. The pepper is very subtle. If you want me compare, the texture is similar to Kolo Mee noodle. The batter on the crab is thin and light, so it is crunchy and juicy. Watch out for the shuddered chilli that gave the kick in the dish. Delicious!!Beef Onglet Tataki (Beef Onglet or Hanger Steak, shoyu, sesame oil, onion soil and shiso) - $6. Using the not so popular cut of the beef, it is grilled to rare. The beef is tender, well seasoned but light. The mushroom flavour is quite strong, however combines well with the beef. Lobster Thermidor (Maine lobster, crabmeat, mushrooms, cream, mustard, brandy and parmesan cheese) - $12. The closest thing that you can get to a soup here. It is robust, think, creamy and you can feel the dash of brandy. A couple of crispy bread to give a contrasting texture to the dish. During the tasting, M had Palm ($12 / glass) at the start and Steenbrugge Triple ($14/glass). Palm is a light version of a beer and easy to drink. Good with something light tasting small bites. Steenbrugge Triple has a stronger flavour, it has a dark gold colour and tasted similar to stout. Goes well with more meaty small bites or those with strong flavour. Moving on to the sweet stuff, Cookies and Cream Cheese Cake is our pick. To put it nicely, it is a de-constructed or blended version of the cake. The cream cheese mascapone and milk espuma mix is quite light, it is the opposite of the normally condensed cheese cake. The dark chocolate on it create a contrasting flavour to the mix. Seriously, you can finish up the desserts without feeling guilty. Another dessert that I need to mention specially is the Ginseng Panna Cotta (cooked cream pudding, ginseng, wolf berries, chrysanthemum sorbet) - $7. This is either you love it or you hate it desserts. For me, it fall under the weird categories. I just can't get used to the ginseng with Panna Cotta flavour. However, I applaud their creativity.

The beer of choice for the desserts are Lindemans Pecheresse (Peach) Beer. It is sweet and light. When we first heard of the name Lindemans, we thought it was brewed by the renowned Lindemans winery in Australia. After doing a little research, apparently this come from a Belgium brewery named Lindemans. Wow, this really surprised me. The beer itself is suitable for desserts, as it is light at 2.5% alcohol and fresh and sweet. Totally compatible for desserts or someone that like a sweet beer.

The service here is good. The service staff are attentive and knowledgeable, and don't hesitate to ask them if you are not sure what beer you want to order.

Overall, we personally like the new dining concept by A for Arbite. The modern presentation of the food is just refreshing and we definitely enjoy the different variety of small bites they served. The price is very attractive, as it is really a value for money. We'll definitely be back for more. Cheers!!

Thank you to Chef Marc Wee and A for Arbite team for the invitation to this food tasting.

For full review and more photos, please visit:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2013/10/a-for-arbite-small-bites-and-unusual.html