&Made is the brain child of Chef Bruno Ménard, a 3-star Michelin Star Chef with Olivier Bendel, founder and CEO of Deliciae Hospitality Management Pte Ltd. The hospitality group responsible for F&B concept such as L'Entrecôte, Forlino, Sabio and 83 Club Street. At &Made, you can see informal food such as salad and burger, however do expect Chef Bruno to pay special attention to the ingredients use and homemade condiments straight from Chef Bruno recipe book which are made daily. Our friend G has a sudden burger cravings. So after scouring the web for artisan burger in Singapore, &Made name keep popping up. To be honest, this is our second choice, however as the first choice establishment closes on Sunday, we move on next on the list. As &Made does not take reservation, we decided to come in early, just in case there are a queue. Luckily, there was no queue and we were seated immediately. G & I decided to order The 3 Little Pigs ($23), Little Devil ordered The Rossini ($28), G's hubby, 'H' ordered The 'B' Burger Lunch Set and Little C have Mini Beef Cheeseburger($10).

The 3 Little Pigs are made from combination of pork fillet, bacon and chorizo patty. Inspired by Japanese flavour, it is topped with spicy yuzu-kosho mayonnaise, shitake and cabbage. The patty is tender, juicy and quite generous in size. While the spicy yuzu mayonnaise give a subtle kick when you bite into the burger. The brioche bun has the nice texture and flavour to complement the burger. This pork burger is definitely comparable the beef counterpart. Each of the burger come with fries and homemade BBQ Sauce. LD's Rossini is actually in a different class compare to ours. The dry aged beef patties are topped with French pan seared foie gras. It might look very simple but when you bit into it, the perfectly cooked foie gras just melts in your mouth and become the delicious creamy sauce for the beef patties. A definite must try, Yummy!!! For the set lunch, it came with salad and sundae. The salad is quite a simple garden salad with a vinaigrette dressing. The comment from H about his burger is quite good, while little C enjoyed her Mini Cheeseburger. The sundaes are delicious, as both sundaes are polished clean by the father and daughter. While the burgers are delicious and a must try, there are consistency need to be address. We actually send back two of the fries as it were overcooked. Taste wise, it is quite ordinary and lose its crispiness before the end of our meal. The &made BBQ sauce does help on enhance the flavour though.

The drinks can be on the pricey side, however the taste is quite good especially on the &Made Lemonade ($8) and Iced Choco Coffee ($8).The service side needed some improvement. Although the service staff are polite, it seems they are out of their depth and inexperienced. When we want to change the drink in the set menu, different staff give different answer on the additional charge that we need to pay. When we asked for ketchup from one of the service staff that deliver the burger, he answered “we don't serve ketchup, we only have homemade tomato sauce!” A very informative answer but might lead to a misunderstanding such as putting down the customer.

Ambiance of the restaurant is French, bright, fun and playful. My first impression remind me of one of the scene from the Movie Moulin Rouge (starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor). There are the options of indoor and outdoor seating as well. Overall, we really enjoy our dining experience with Chef Bruno burgers creation. We just hope that it can be more consistent in its delivery and service. We look forward to our next visit here to try his other creation such as his waffle and desserts. Cheers!!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala dining experience, click / copy the below link to your browser:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/02/by-bruno-menard-every-day-food-gourmet.html

Ricciotti is a modern Italian Restaurant that brought the concept of 'cucina nostrana' (warmth of eating Italian) dining experience in metropolitan setting. Like many Italian Restaurants, they specialises in pizza, pasta and grill.

Frankly one of the reason that we visited this outlet in China Square Central are due to the most inviting offer of One for One on their selected pasta and pizza selection. This promotion is valid on Mon – Thu: 3pm – 21.30 and all day Saturday. This attractive promotion is actually on top of their already reasonably priced menu.

While we are waiting for the others to arrive, we ordered Caprese Salad ($14.50). This salad took a simple form of combination of Mozarella cheese slices with tomatoes and fresh basil, topped with olive oil and cracked black pepper. For this dish to work, it required that all the ingredients to be fresh, and Ricciotti deliver on this. It is a simple yet refreshing salad. Those who do not like strong flavour cheese, you should give this a try, as it has a similar texture to a tofu. When our group of food gobbles arrived, we decided to share the dishes. For Pizza, Al Crudo ($25.50), Salame ($22.50), Salmone ($27.90) and Pizzotto ($23.50). Based on the offer, we only have to paid the two highest value pizza, which is the Salmone and Alcrudo. All of the pizzas come with a consistent thin crust, with thick and generous fillings and toppings. Al Crudo simple combination Parma ham and Rucola is just simply delicious, it seems that nothing can goes wrong with Parma ham. Pizzotto can be consider a pizza version of breakfast, where you can find the familiar taste of egg and bacon. While Salame is traditional favourite, of spicy salami and cheese. The only pizza that not to my taste is the Salmone. It seems that my taste buds can't get along with capers. So this is the least favourite pizza for me.We also ordered the pasta to share. Starting from traditional Fettuccine Alla Bolognese ($19.50), Lingueti Pesto ($18.50) to more modern pasta like Fusilli Gorgonzola ($25.50) and Linguine Granchio ($22.50). Each of the pasta dish are cook to al dente. For those who prefer creamy and stronger cheese flavour you will like Fusilli Gorgonzola. It is creamy and the cheese flavour is very strong and pungent. Similar to blue cheese flavour. For crab lover, Linguine Granchi is like the italian creamy version of chilli crab, however you don't need to use your fingers as the crab meat has been picked for you. The sauce is creamy, with subtle level of spiciness from the chilli to accompany the fresh crab meat. Yum! This is actually the second time we try this dish. The Bolognese sauce is thick and nicely coated the fettuccine like it hanging on for its life. However, taste wise, it is missing the punch from the long time simmering process for my preference. The pesto sauce looks light, healthy however it is flavourful with a packed punches. We later found out was due to sundried tomato. No wonder we like it so much, one of our favourite ingredient is in it. I actually manage to get a taste of Grilled USDA Sirloin Steak, 250 gram ($23.50). The steak is plated on bed of mash potatoes, salads and serve on ceramic baking dish with Truffle with veal jus sauce. Cooked to medium rare, the sirloin is well seasoned, but it is tough and difficult to chew. The mash potatoes is thick and lumpy. You can say that this is the most disappointing dish of the day. The service is friendly and patience. On Saturday lunch time, there were only about 5 tables occupied. We do not have to wait long for our food and it came on regular interval. A good gap between the pizza and pasta.

The setting of the restaurant is quite modern, with open concept. There is no door / window separating the indoor and outdoor dining in one unit of the restaurant, while the other unit has a clear glass window separating the kitchen and desserts counter from outdoor dining. The walls are decorated with menu of the day, shelf of products that their use and desserts counter in another end. No table cloths are used, instead they use printed brown paper with Ricciotti logo.Overall, we find the food in Ricciotti is very enjoyable. The quality of the food are good and consistent. Best of all is the one for one promotion, it is just value for money. We hope they will continue this promotion for many months to come. Cheers!!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala experience, click / copy the link below to your browser.
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/01/ricciotti-china-square-central-best-one.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

Two Fat Men is a Gastro Bar located along East Coast Road. This little establishment open from 5pm to 1 in the morning. During the weekend it also serve Live Premier League matches for those football lovers in Singapore. For those with hungry stomachs, they serve Western Food and Thai Street Food to go along with their wide variety of beers, cocktails and mocktails.

We decided Bacon & Egg Burger ($11.20) and Portabello Burger ($13.90) from the Western Menu. The burgers are served in the simple and bare version. When the menu said burger, it basically mean burger with no side dish such as fries or salad at all. The patties are meaty and juicy. For the bacon and eggs, it is accompany by the crispy bacon, however it can be a bit salty. While the portabello mushroom is almost as the burger patties in size. It might looks plain, however it is full of flavour. Grilled Pork Neck ($9.90), Grill Squid ($11.90) and Tang Hoon Prawn ($9.90) were our choice from the Thai Street Food menu. The Grilled Pork Neck with Tamarind Spicy Sauce is the favourite item in the Two Fat Men. The pork neck has been marinated over a long period, the meat is tender and succulent with a nice grill burnt flavour The same can be said with the grill squid, tender and not chewy. The charred from the frill actually helps to accentuate the flavour the squid.Unlike the grilled pork neck and squid, the Tang Hoon Prawn is slightly disappointing. The tang hoon is slightly dry and they seems to be a bit shy about using the herbs, resulting the dish to taste on a bland side. In Thailand, they will normally use pork fat to oil the tang hoon, maybe they can use olive oil to compensate the health conscious Singaporean and kick up a notch on the spice level. The prawns are fresh and juicy. 'The service is friendly but minimum. The decoration is very simple. Customer has a choice of outdoor open air seating, or indoor with round marble tables like old kopitiam style instead of a bar. Overall, we find the serving of Western and Thai food are quite unique. The food are delicious, however Thai Street food has been tone down version from its original version. Combine with the drinks, live EPL, and late opening hours, this is definitely a good place for late night dining, hang out place or watch Manchester United Games!!!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala experience, click / copy the link below to your browser:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/01/two-fat-men-thai-or-western-food-you.html

Tuesday & Thursday Night buffet at The Line is one of the most salivating event in the Singaporean Buffet Lover diary. We frequented The Line a few times in the past, specially savour their popular generous servings of Harvest from the Sea, on special occasion such as friends' birthday, gathering or Christmas Party. However, we have not been here more more than 1.5 years.

As per normal, we started with the line-up for the fresh seafood. The main attraction is basically the huge oysters that are freshly shuck (open) in front of you, the lobsters, crabs and prawns. These crustaceans are fresh and solid, while the prawns are juicy and bouncy as well. The mussels and scallops come second in terms of freshness and size compare to the oyster and lobster. Confession, I went back 3 times for the oyster, lobster, lobster claw. Next come the sashimi section, in which we feast on the salmon, yellow tail, scallops, tuna and octopus. The sashimi is fresh, especially the scallops, however the tuna and salmon is quite small in size and not to the best quality. You can say that it is quite limited, I miss my swordfish and Little Devil ('LD') miss her sea urchin. For the antipasti and salads section, we were looking for our favourite dish of prosciutto with rock melon, to our disappointment, it was not available. Shaved beef with rock melon was on offer menu tonight. Sadly, the shaved beef did not pair well with the rock melon. Taste quite odd actually. Keeping up with the Marine Harvest Buffet theme, they have Seafood Bouillabaisse as the centre piece of the cook food section. (Normally they have roast beef or lamb, which I loved here) This seafood stew filled with fresh scallops, prawns, mussels and fish. Unfortunately not many people appreciate this dish that night, but it got my seal of approval. They provide bread on the side for you to soak up the rich broth with a distinctive saffron flavour, and although this dish was left outside quite long, the seafood was not overcooked. So two thumbs up for them. Moving on, I decided to sample some of their International, Asian and Local dishes. The pizza here normally has a good standard. Tonight they serve salami pizza, with they portion it to a very small slices so we can have more space for other food. The crust is thin, fillings are generous, salami and cheese is just delicious with a subtle spicy kick. The local dishes like the Tandoori Prawn, Tandoori Fish and Fried Kway Teow are very average. The prawn and fish is well seasoned but overcooked. Making it taste a bit though. While the Fried Kway Teow surprisingly has Wok Hei (breath of the wok) and flavourful, quite good for buffet standard.

At this point, Chubby Botak Koala food tank is 90% full, but the I just can resist the temptation of a good roast pork. So decided to check out the noodle and roast meat section. Ordered a plate of Roast pork and roast duck combination. Again, turns out to be average. The roast pork although it is not to fat, it lacks the crispiness bite into it. The roast duck is meat is slightly dry, but it is flavourful. A little disappointing. To end the meal, I was served a surprise (my first for the many to come) birthday cake, arrange by G&H with the complement of The Line. A very nice solid chocolate cake. I had a tiny slice of it, since it is my birthday cake, and at the end it is the best desserts for the night. To accompany this, I have the wonderful smooth, milky and airy Kopi Tarik from The Line Barista. It is impossible to try all the dishes in The Line, as their variety are in abundance. Located at Level 1 (Lobby is at Level 2), the place is always packed all year around weather it is with hotel guests or just people coming in for the food. The one thing I like the most here in terms of seating is the space between tables. They do not squeeze the seating until you need to bump to each other to get in and out of your table.

Service speed when clearing the dirty plates can be slow at time, especially when it is full house. However when you order your drinks or when you manage to get the service staff attention, they always serve with a smile.

Overall, it has been a while since our last visit to The Line more than a year ago, I personally feel the quality of the food is slipping. The desserts and Asian food is just average and let just say I expect them to be above average. I just wish that The Line team can look into this and make the necessary adjustment. Thank you very much to our best friends G&H for arranging the dinner and delicious birthday cake. 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-1-line-marine-harvest.html