La Ventana by Chef Charles Gaig, is the first expansion to Asia by Michelin Star Chef Charles Gaig. Open in June 2015, La Ventana ('LV') set to resurrect traditional Catalan recipes, bringing a taste of home to Catalans overseas and also introducing to the multicultural population in Singapore an authentic and long standing taste of Catalan. LV Singapore concept will be tapas-centric restaurant featuring his famous take on classic Catalan market fare. The duo entrusted to maintain the stringent standard required by Chef Gaig are Chef Gaig's daughter Miss Nuria Gibert who is the LV's restaurant manager and Chef Eduard Castellarnau who has worked for Chef Gaig for more than 10 years at Restaurant Gaig in Barcelona. Set in the beautiful and lush greenery of Dempsey Hill, LV has indoor and outdoor seating arrangement. Up to 40 pax indoor, 60 pax outdoor and 10 pax at the bar. There is also an private section at the back where you can cater for small function.Our tasting menu is a combination of “GRAN ÀPAT” tasting menu with the signature dishes recommended by our host for the night. While waiting for the kitchen to prepare the meal, we nibble on baguette with olive oil. Oyster “Escabeche” (mild pickled Gillardeau oysters with baby vegetables and herbs) and Jamón Ibérico “de Bellota” (100% acorn fed Ibérico ham on Catalan crystal bread with tomato). The oyster is fresh, juicy and mild. The baby vegetables provided the contrasting texture to the dish, and a good teaser to for the next to come. Jamón Ibérico is one of my perennial favourite ham. The reddish colour of the ham was so inviting. Although it was cured for more than 36 months, the texture of the ham is still succulent and melts in your mouth. It has the right saltiness and nicely complemented with tomato and crispy chewy Catalan crystal bread. Lobster “Coca” (fresh lobster meat on fine puff pastry with eggplant purée and roasted capsicums). A nice presentation especially alternating between eggplant and sliced roasted capsicums. Unfortunately the taste of the lobster is cover by the accentuated roasted capsicums flavour. Roasted Octopus (slow roasted octopus with infused potatoes and Spanish smoked paprika). The octopus was slow-cooked and served in square form like Chinese version of pig jelly. The octopus is tender and succulent, however there is a subtle hint of fishiness in the octopus. “Canelón” since 1869 (traditional cannelloni stuffed with foie gras, beef, pork and truffle cream. This is a traditional dish that enjoyed during Christmas by family in Catalan region. The cannelloni stuffed with foie gras, pork and beef. It is smooth, creamy and the truffle cream is just superb in binding all the ingredients together. Following its name, this dish was perfected in Chef Gaig family since 1869, and for four generation they have been doing in the same way. Yum Yum!! Black Cod & “Samfaina” (slow cooked black cod with Catalan style vegetable ragout). The buttery black cod texture just melts in your mouth. The vegetables ragout provided the acidity to fattiness in the cod fish. Pigeon “Paella” (carnaroli rice with porcini mushroom and pigeon). Yes, Pigeon. You see it correctly. Combining the Pigeon from France with traditional Catalan dish. The rice with mushroom are boiled using pigeon broth. It is robust and smoky at the same time. Meanwhile, the delicate pigeon are cooked separately. The pinkish breast meat tasted like medium rare wagyu fillet mignon. Definitely a must try dish. This dish is part of ala-carte menu instead of tasting menu. Crispy Suckling Pig (boneless suckling pig with strawberry salad). A melts in your mouth pork, with crispy paper thin skin is simply delicious. Porkgasm!! I was hoping for a bigger serving,but to no avail. The balsamic coated strawberry provided a good palate cleanser for me. Available in Tapas tasting menu but not in Gran Àpat. However you can order this in ala-carte. The finale is Catalan “Crème Brûlée” (espuma, ice cream toffee). This dessert is just light and melts in your mouth. It has sweet, tangy and a nice toffee flavour. Like digging into whipped cream hunting for the custard below. Due to the shape of the glass, it will be better if they give a sundae spoon instead of dessert spoon. To accompany your dinner here, don't forget to try their Sangria or Catalan Wine. Overall, I truly enjoy the Catalan cuisine served in La Ventana. You can see the efforts and execution that the chefs put in each dishes using the best and freshest ingredients available. My picks for the meal is the Jamón Ibérico “de Bellota”, Crispy Suckling Pig and Pigeon “Paella”. What will be your pick? Aclamacions!! Cheers!! Thank you very much for La Ventana Team and H3 Cube Team for the tasting invitation.

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DurianCanBoleh ('DCB'), seems like a rojak (mixed up) words that can only born in Singapore. DurianCanBoleh basically represent the brand for Durian Crème Brulee, invented by Chef Chung Deming a few years back. From the outside, it looks just like any other crème brulee, however once you savour it, you will noticed the infusion of the durian with smooth crème. Using what considered to be the best durian Mao Shan Wang, DCB packs the durian flavours in each bite. Following the success of of DCB, Chef Chung decided to open up The Quarters ('TQ'), which represent modern Singapore cuisine. Drawing the inspiration from Singapore humble beginnings, and evolution of our culture through food, it will be represented in each of the dishes in TQ. The principle behind TQ is fresh ingredients, home made with love. We started with Salted Egg Fries ($9) and Calamari ($13.80). Salted Egg Fries consist humble shoestring fries with salted egg aioli on the side. The stick-like fries are deep fried until crisp, readily to absorb the aioli which as pretty subtle in terms of taste. The squid in the calamari very tender and succulent. The curry aioli is bold and packs of punch. Personally, I prefer the curry aioli compare to the salted egg aioli to go with the fries and calamari, as the salted egg tasted too mild. Har Cheong Gai ($9.50) and Umami Babi ($10.80) complete the appetizers. Har Cheong Gai or also known as prawn paste chicken is a staple in every chi zhar place across the island. Each boneless chunks are well seasoned with prawn paste, deep fried and to be enjoyed with the belachan. Watch out for the spiciness of the belachan. Some of us like it until we ate it with the fries. Umami Babi was supposed to be a combination of slider and braised pork. Unfortunately, the pork was slightly too dry and turned out to taste like pork jerky slider. For healthy options, we sample Wafu Beef ($14.80) and Samsui Chicken ($12.80). The wafu beef salad provide a good non-carbo options. The medium rare beef ribeye works well with the soy vinaigrette dressing. While the samsui chicken salad, I like how TQ use chicken thigh with skin on for this salad, instead of lacklustre breast meat. The dressing tasted more like a sweet chilli sauce rather than normal chicken chilli sauce. For main meals, Satay Burger ($17) is a must try. A well marinated chicken thigh, in between the handmade rice patties. The meat is tender and succulent, while the handmade rice bun combined crisp and chewy. It is unique and gives you the different take on satay and ketupat. Meanwhile Ma Jie's Indulgence ($18) or known as chilli crab pasta kind of missing the WOW factor for me. Pasta was al-dente, well coated with the chilli sauce and crab meat, but the blend of the sauce with the paste just does not click for me. The Great Escape ($18.80) you can say its one of the textbook dishes for fish in a fine dining restaurant. The skin is crisp, while the meat is soft and flaky. I suggest you just dipped into the lemongrass and ginger flower subtly infused sauce instead of pouring it on the fish, as it will ruin the crispy skin. Not to miss for the dessert of course its Duriancanboleh ($8.50). I never tried it before, but I was expecting something like durian pengat style, instead a of yellowish smooth crème brulee. The caramelized thin layer of sugar on top nicely done. Wanderffle ($12.80) is decent. While the subtle homemade lemongrass and pandan ice cream is much appreciated, it is difficult not to compare the waffle texture with lots of cafes outside. The version here is more artistic and thick. The gula melaka glaze can be pretty sweet, so you need estimate it on your own. Bibik's Brownie ($10.80) served with Buah Keluak Ice Cream. Sorry to say, I am not a buah keluak fan. So after I tried the ice cream, my face made those funny looks that the other foodies said was Instagram worthy. Luckily no one capture it. Phewww!! After that, I so absent minded I forgot to taste the brownie. The coffee bean at TQ are sourced from Papa Palhetta. So I definitely must try their coffee and with a bonus we also tried their Affogato ($8.50). The combination of the homemade ice cream with nutty chocolaty espresso was a just awesome. Probably the best dessert here other than DCB. TQ also offer their special Cocktail of The Quarters ($16) combination of gin, vodka, lemon, mint and dill; or mocktails Quarterade ($6) – lemon, mint and dill without the alcohols. For beer and cider check out their attractive brands such as F***ing Hell, Dead Pony or Green Goblin. Decor of the place is a very open, casual with industrial warehouse feel. Elements such as wooden board, tin wall and black steel are part and parcel when you are dining here. Overall, I admire Chef Chung vision in opening The Quarters. Though I applaud him for introducing his take on modern Singapore dishes, however its uniqueness of the dishes might need the courage and curiosity of the current diners. Do give The Quarters a try if you are around Tanjong Pagar area and let me know how you think of the food. Cheers!! 

Thank you very much to The Quarters team for tasting invitation.

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GGB Bistro Bar & Cafe ('GGB'), is the F&B establishment owned by the same shareholder of Go Go Bambini. The idea is to provide a place for parents to relax while the kids having their activities in the kids playground next door and for children Birthday parties. We actually find this place by accident. Looking for something different for lunch, we found this quiet cafe in the middle of Dempsey. From the parking lot, you will not notice that it has any relations with the Go Go Bambini, until you step into the indoor dining area. From here you can see the connecting door to the indoor playground. Even if you need to use the restroom, you need to go through indoor playground section. For a quick meal, we both decided to go for burger. LD ordered the Mushroom Burger ($16.90), while I ordered Ultimate Pork Burger ($20.90).

While we are waiting for our burgers, we were served thick white bread, with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Hmm, this is a positive sign. The appetizer seems sophisticated. The bread is thick and dense in texture, and it works well as a sponge to absorb the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. A good appetizer and looking forward for more to come. It took about about 10 mins before the burger arrived. Served on a wooden plank, accompany with fries, it was jaw dropping awesome. Nice presentation, very tall and looks appetizing. The bread is crisp and not soggy. The portabello mushroom is thick and juicy. It has a nice flavour and the double fried fries is crispy, yet moist inside. The pork burger is really the ultimate. You got two stack, where the bottom stack consist of bacon, pork patties, pull pork and cheese. Of course it will be better if you have pork belly, but where can you fit all of it. Each different type of pork has its own unique flavour and the presentation is superb. The top stack consist of tomatoes and fresh greens. This burger is even taller compare to the mushroom burger and I had a hard time holding it and even finishing it. Its gigantic. Although it was a quiet afternoon, it was really hard to get the attention of the service staff. But not to worry, the design of the place allow you to do some self service. If you need anything, you can get it from the centre bench, including plates, napkins, ketchup, chilli sauce, water and others. Overall, GGB Bistro is really a surprise find. While it is common for similar establishment to neglect the food, GGB Bistro excel in this area. The owner really did a good job to hire a great chef to come out with the menu in the bistro. Their burger is comparable to any specialised burger joint in Singapore. Kudos to them and I hope they keep it up. Cheers!

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Located at Lim Tua Tow Road, this area can be consider one of the foodie cluster, especially those shop houses facing Upper Serangoon Road. Luckily Sunday Market is located in the next block, where it is easier to get car park and there is valet available during certain nights. Since our first visit, Little Devil and I went back there three times in the past two months and we just can't get enough of the place and it is so near our place.First impression, from the outside, it is quite funky. The signboard is a combination of red and white is more like a Chinese restaurant instead of cafe. Once you are in, the décor is unique, minimalistic but making you feel like you are dining outdoor. The crowd just make it feels lively. Not sure why, but it seems to be in trend that lots of cafe like to hang oldies stuff such as bicycle, chair, TV, etc. from their ceiling.So what are the must try items here:
Crispy Duck Leg Confit ($17.90). Move over French Bistro, most newbies cafe in Singapore has mastered this dish. The same can be said here, nicely executed. The skin is crispy, the meat is tender, flavourful and not too salty. While duck confit supposed to be soak in duck fat during the marinating process, you don't feel the oiliness here. The potato is crisp, goes well with the brown sauce and salad.Pulled Duck Sandwich ($13.90). Another well executed duck dish here, the use brioche bread packs more flavour to the dish. It was pan fried at first, so it is crispy, and you can feel the crunchiness of the duck in the sandwich as well. The creamy slaw and brown sauce bind the whole sandwich together. Good for light bite.French Toast with BBQ Chicken ($12.90). This is a modern fusion dish with Thai twist. The grilled chicken is sweet, tender and succulent. Using the same brioche bread for French toast is the right choice. The fried egg is good and the sriracha sauce give a unique twist to the dish.Bangkok Toast ($10.90). One of the best desserts here with awesome presentations. The brioche is flavoured with cinnamon (very light) and icing sugar. Green tea custard and Thai Milk tea ice cream are have a subtle hint of sweetness and very good to accompany the toast. Once the ice cream melts, it become a creamy milk shake.Waffle with Ice Cream ($9.50 – double scoop). The waffle is thick and crispy. We tried Belgium Chocolate and Thai Milk Tea ice cream. Both are creamy and delicious, best of all it is not overly sweet. Yum YumFor drinks, the caffeine is very average. Don't expect those artisan coffee, as it is not their focus here. (Hint to management, Can we get better coffee??). I personally like their Lemmy Lemonade ($5.90). This lemonade is just refreshingly tangy. Imported from New Zealand, this drink is organic (not that I really care) and it just tasted awesome. Thai Milk tea is also a favourite but it can be a bit sweet if you don’t have a sweet tooth.Service is fast and friendly. After they took your order, they will provide you with the cutlery and the anticipation of getting your grub soon. From the way it looks, the utensils and cutleries are from Thailand.Overall, Sunday Market is going to be our cafe of choice in 2014. The food is excellent and value for money. We really enjoy the comfortable atmosphere here and best of all you don't need to wait for long to get a seat. Well, you definitely see us more often here. Cheers!!

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Carnivore is one of the leading Brazilian Churrasco restaurants in Singapore just opened its latest outlet in Grandstand. Like the rest of its outlet, Carnivore is a buffet restaurant, so for meat lovers, this is a place you must try. We were there for lunch during Deepavali and apparently it was only open for seven days according to the service staff.If you never been to Carnivore before, it has a very interesting concept. After you are seated, order your drinks and proceed to the buffet counter for your side dishes and sauces. Once you are back to your seat, put the sign for SIM, Por Favour (Yes, Please). The knife wielding Passadors (meat waiters) will come to you individually and sever you with the rotisserie-roasted selection of meat. This will goes on and on until you turn the sign to NÃO, Obrigado (No, Thanks).Check out the following on what on offers for on the sauces, salads and side dishes. My suggestions are to stick with something light. Our favourites were the Tomato and Mozarella Cheese, Mash Potatoes and Mushrooms Salad. For sauces, make sure you try Chimichurri, Homemade BBQ Sauce and Capsicum Vinaigrette. Those tangy and acidic sauce will be good to break down the fats in the meat and allow you to eat more.We started on our Carnivore Gastronomic journey with Pork Sausage. It is thick, slightly salty and a bit dry. It will be good if the sausage has more fat in it. Lamb Shoulder, although the board says leg of lamb, I was told by the Passador it was lamb shoulder. It is juicy with slight pinkish in the middle. Expect the lamb to be a springy texture but delicious. Ham, similar taste to our day to day ham, except it is a bit drier due to the roasting.Chicken thigh was well seasoned, tender and succulent. In comparison the Chicken breast with bacon was on the drier side. If you get the Beef Rump on the first cut, it's the best. Nicely done with a good charred and well balance of fats and meat. The best cut of the day in my opinion.Pork belly was all right, with minimum fats but I find it missing the juiciness. Instead tasting like being grilled, it has a texture more like a smoked pork belly. The Beef tenderloin was also good, but it was not as tender and juicy compare to the rump. The fish thick and flavourful. They will need to use those big fishes so the meat does not break down easily.At the end the first cycle of meat, the Passador served the grilled pineapple. It is juicy with a nice caramelisation on the outer part. Good to cut through the jelakness and overwhelming sensation from too much meat. We actually have additional 2 servings of beef, lamb and pineapple before we turn the sign to NÃO, Obrigado (No, Thanks).For desserts, there is an ice kacang station. Yes, this might not be Brazilian, but I never hear anyone complain about ice kacang right Service was excellent, the service staff was very attentive and informative. He actually recommend the Brazilian Guarana. Tasted like red bull with more gas and less sugar. They also clear our plate regularly.The décor is very simple, nice and clean. There are lots of natural light, as they use glasses as wall for the section wall facing the outdoor.Overall, it has been ages since we had our last Brazilian Churrasco. If you have are a meat lover, you must give this place a try. The food here is good, and we find the buffet lunch is really value for money and enough time to digest those proteins. We actually had simple and light dinner that day, as we were stuffed from the lunch. Cheers!!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala dining exprience, click / copy the link below: http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/11/carnivore-grandstand.html