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http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2016/04/lin-rooftop-bar.htmlLin is a contemporary Asian Alfresco Rooftop bar located in the heart of Tiong Bahru. From the top of the Link Hotel rooftop, you will have a very good view one of the oldest estates in Singapore. A neighbourhood with its own characters while the rest of the area has given way to the modern developments. The name Lin <林> short for 'Shu Lin' which means forest in Mandarin. Align with the name, the bar is decorated in forest theme like. Surrounded with trees, complementing the Asian theme seating and statues. The standout item on the menu are Authentic Asian infused cocktails, delicious Asian bar snacks on top of the range of whiskeys and other drinks. My pre-dinner drink started with Mocktail, off the menu. Tea infused with pandan leaves and lemongrass. Served with a dash of gula melaka and mint leaves. The sweetness is very subtle allowing the Asian flavours of pandan leave and lemongrass to shine. The refreshing mint leaves really give you a wow feel to the drink. Kudos to Roy (LIN's Manager).For Cocktail, my dinner companion for the night Ai Ling Rustic Sky ($18) – Rum, Sour Plum and Lime Juice. Quoting her, “I like sour plum, so quite liked the Rustic Sky Cocktails... Not strong on the onset, but gradually hits you when it was almost towards the end of the glass”. Following the drinks are the Asian inspired Tapas. Lin"林" Dynasty ($10.80) & Wu Xiang Pop ($9.80). Lin Dynasty is Luncheon meat covered with cheese and coated with beer batter. The result is irresistible and leaving spam fries in the dust. Crispy batter, chewy cheese and neutralised the salty flavour of the spam is truly a must try tapas here. Wu Xiang Pop is Lin version of pop corn chicken. Seasoned with wu xiang (five spice powder) and fried to point of crispiness. It was left a bit too long in the fryer, resulting a darker texture. The siracha sauce provided a spicy kick to the dish. The staple food in a bar, burger. Juicy Lucy Beef Burger ($18.80). The size of the homemade burger is very decent. Served with a plate full coleslaw and fries spiced with five spice powder. The burger size is pretty decent, the meat is juicy and well-combined with caramelized onions and streaky bacon. Unfortunately, I find the burger missing the meaty and beefy taste due to too much salt, while the fries is crispy, I can hardly detect the five spice powder seasoning. It can easily be mistaken for cajun fries instead. Asian Smoked Duck Pasta ($14.80). An Asian style pasta that can be mistaken for fried noodle. The spaghetti is al-dente, coated with black pepper and mushrooms. The sliced smoked duck proportion is very generous, however I do not feel the marriage between the duck and the pasta. There was an interesting dish on the menu called “Babe”. Unfortunately, this marinated pork belly has gone “POOF” for the day, so hopefully I get to taste when I am here next time. Overall, Lin provide a unique chill out experience. The tapas and drinks are the highlights here, especially those with Asian Inspired theme. Definitely a good place to hang out. My pick for the food here is the Lin"林" Dynasty and their Asian tea mocktails. So if you around Tiong Bahru, drop by at LIN. Cheers!!

Thanks to the team at Insurgence and Lin"林" Rooftop Bar for the tasting invitation.

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http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2016/04/morganfields-suntec-city.htmlMorganfield's, the popular American food chain originated from America Midwest that are renowned for their soul-food. In particular, their slow-cooked prime pork ribs. At Morganfield's, these pork ribs are also known as 'Sticky Bones', which are slow-cooked and smoked at the same time to achieve the mouthwatering perfections.

The atmosphere at Morganfield's represent the era of the 1950 in US. The wall is decorated with red brick theme, blues music are playing in the background, of course not forgetting the yellow colour old style light bulps that light up the place.

Our visit to this place was due to my winning of the Morganfield's contest from fellow writer FB contest Camemberu. So the full slab of Hickory BBQ Spare Ribs ($41.90 for full slab) that we had for the night is FOC. The size of the ribs are pretty big, covered about half of their American size plate. The ribs is glistening from the sugar content in their bbq. Each of the ribs is about 20 cm in length. The meat easily peeled off from the bone, complete with smokey aroma covered with tangy bbq sauce. As they use a bigger part of the ribs, the meat has two parts. The one closer to the bone is the juicy, succulent part of the ribs, which we totally love. Meanwhile, the one closer to the soft-bone is dry and chewy almost like pulled pork meat. This part is not to our liking. So at the end, we only finished all the meat closer to the bones.

The Sausage Platter ($25.90) got our seal of approval. It consist of four different type of sausages, all made from pork. Each have a different characteristic such as smoky, spicy, cheese and regular. All of them are soft, springy and meaty which complemented the chewy casing. Appetizer Platter ($25.90), consist of Spicy Chicken Wings, Russet Potato Skins & Corn Tortilla Chips served with Crab and Spinach Dip. The wings are coated in buffalo wings sauce, slightly spicy and tangy. The potato skins are delicious, well covered with cheese and diced bacon as toppings. The corn tortilla chips is plain on its own, but definitely well complement the creamy and refreshing Crab and Spinach Dip. For non-alcohol consumer, you should try the Virgin Mojito ($23.90 per pitch). A refreshing combination of soda water infused with fresh mint leaves and lime while chopped lychee provided the sweetness to the drink. The service was friendly and prompt. During the night, all the indoor seat was occupied, so we are allocated the high seating outdoor. The temperature is manageable, however it will be better with more fans or air circulator.

Overall, for those who liked smoked pork ribs, Morganfield's is definitely a must try. The taste of the ribs is unique and it is a perfect place for gathering and those special occasions. I personally recommend the sausage platter and virgin mojito as well. Cheers!!

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http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2016/04/aryaa-restaurant-lounge.htmlAryaa, which means “Noble” in Sansikrit is the first restaurant in Singapore that offer the culinary experience based on the journey of Alexander the Great. His expedition started from Mediterranean, Middle East and all the way into Indian Sub Continents. Enter into the kitchen of Aryaa, you will be welcomed with two uniquely cuisine under one roof. They have the Mediterranean cuisine and the North Indian Cuisine. Each kitchen are helmed by a Master Chef. Starter was The Aryaa Meze Platter ($18), consist of the most popular Greek dips such as Tzatziki, Tirokafferi, Fava and Tiropitakia served with pita bread. Our pick for the starter is the Tiropitakia. The filo pastry is light and crisp, while the blended feta cheese with egg is creamy and well infused with parsley. The pita bread is light and almost pillow like, provided a good base for tzatziki and tirokafferi. Tzatziki has a touch of tanginess due to the yoghurt base, while those who like spicy, will prefer tirokafferi as it is made from spicy cheese. From the North Indian kitchen we have Chicken Tikka ($16). All right, you might say that you can get this at any Indian restaurant, however what set this dish apart is the finishing touch. From my past dining experience, you will normally get a dry lumpy marinated chicken for chicken tikka. However in Aryaa, you get tender succulent boneless chicken, where the juice of the chicken still dripping on the plate. It has a bit more spicy kick to it, although the mint sauce helps in lowering the spiciness level together with the dash of lime juice. Since Mediterranean is known for its closeness to the sea, we were recommended Grilled Sea Bream ($35). Whole fish, grilled with olive oil, served with a side salad of tomato, cucumber, onion, fresh spearmint, feta cheese and red wine vinegar-oregano dressing. The fish was fresh, absent of any fishiness though it was not grilled with salt. The meat is firm, with a nice charred from the grill. The lemon and vegetables provided a clean taste to the dish. Surprisingly, we found the grapes actually enhanced the flavour of the fish and it can be a palate cleanser at the same time. Totally love this dish. Kudos to the chef. For red meat, we tried Stifado ($32). Cut of lamb leg slowly cooked in its own juice and served in a traditional Tagine on a bed of creamy mashed potato. A beautifully cooked leg of lamb, the meat is lean, tender and succulent and you can peal it with your fork. The meat is well infused with the flavours of onion and tomatoes. The mashed potatoes is solid, smooth and creamy. Desserts was Galaktoboureko ($15). Home made creamy custard wrapped in golden brown crispy filo pastry, drizzled with melted butter, bathed in scented syrup with a sprinkle of cinnamon. The crispy filo pastry provided a good skin to the thick cream custard. The melted butter, scented syrup and icing sugar added the fragrantness to the desserts. If you never try Greek desserts before, watch out for the overpowering sweetness in the dish. When you arrived at the doorstep of Aryaa, you will be welcome by the war helmet by Alexander the Great. Once inside, you will be transported to a mediterranean theme dining room. I particularly like the beautiful tiled dining tables. In the evening, the restaurant transform bar and lounge, though still serving the full item on the menu. Overall, it was an interesting experience dining in Aryaa. The chicken tikka, grilled fish and tiropitakia is a must try here. Definitely a good place to chill out after hard day at work. Check out their Lunch special at $9++, which is a bargain. Cheers!!

Thanks to the team at Insurgence and Aryaa for the tasting invitation.

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http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2016/04/spring-court.htmlSpring Court is the oldest Chinese Restaurant in Singapore. This iconic restaurant opened in 1929, has seen many Grand occasions, tribulations, World war and Economic crisis, however it remains open until today. In 2011, a movie Great World was released and it captures Spring Court (known as Wing Choon Yuen at that time) memorable years in Great World. In itself, Spring Court ('SC') is truly part of Singapore history.Currently, SC has made its home in Upper Cross Street, opposite Chinatown Point. It is not difficult to miss, as the blue colour facade and gigantic banners are just eye catching. It occupy four-storey heritage shop house, it has plenty of space for everyone though getting a seat over the weekend can be a challenge. Spring Court Traditional Popiah ($7.50) is a must try here. You might go HUH!! $7.50, but this is not your ordinary popiah. The 'lioa' (fillings) here is in a class of its own. Prawns, fried fish, dried prawns and eggs. The popiah skin is moist and light, made it a good appetizer here. Lamb Brisket in claypot ($24 small, $48 large). We ordered the small one and we are glad we did. Though the lamb brisket is tender with almost melt in your mouth texture, it is a little bland for my liking. I like my lamb brisket with more favour if it is served on a small stove to continuous boiling. Yam Ring with Prawns ($32), one of the signature  dish of SC. A thin layer of crispy coating surrounded the basket, provided a good protection for the smooth velvety yam. The crunchy stir fry vegetables that filled the basket, provided a good companion to the fried yam. Roasted Chicken with Mince Prawn ($22 small, $38 large). If there is ever a dish had too much prawn, this will be it. The generous servings of mince prawn in this dish, made the flavour of the chicken diluted. The mince prawn was springy and tasty and the chicken is juicy and succulent. Lala Bee Hoon. Off the menu item and this dish only available when there is a supply of good lala. It has a good wok hei, accompanied with robust seafood broth. The bee hoon is crunchy, not mushy at all after staying in the bowl over a period of time. Watch out for the spicy chilli cake when you slurp the broth.Chinese Cabbage with dried scallops ($28 small, $42 large). Unfortunately they run out of the cabbage and they suggest to replace the vegetables with Nai Bai. The result is not as expected, the nai bai is over cooked, mushy and did not manage to absorb the solid gravy from the dried scallops. Must be better with the Chinese Cabbage. I suggest you order a bowl of rice to polish gravy and dried scallops. Finally, Roasted Sucklin g Pig ($98 for Half, $198 for Whole). At the start of our meal, we saw a whole sucking pig delivered to our neighbouring table. It was so irresistible, we decided to order half. A beautiful crispy skin with crunchy sound in every bite. The meat is also succulent, we also clean up the meat of the suckling pig. If you want me to be picky, some part of the pig was a bit burnt. However, the smokey aroma does contributed to the nostalgic feelings of traditional roast meat. Dessert was Or Nee, served in individual portion. It was thick and smooth, however it missing the aroma of spring onion oil. For the sweetener, they used clear sugar syrup. As it was my belated birthday celebration, of course a birthday cake is a must. The plate that it served is just beautiful. Art on a plate. We find the atmosphere really feels like traditional Chinese restaurant. The lightings are yellow and very dim. While the chocolate colour table cloth did not help with brightening up the room. The service is good, considering they are under staffed. Imagine this, 6 medium size tables (between 6 to 8 pax each), with only 1 captain and 1 service staff. My hats off to them.

Overall, We finally ticked Spring Court off our list, the oldest Chinese Restaurant in Singapore. While the food can not be describe as superb, it is the nostalgic feeling that you get when dining here. If you want to make you elders happy, bring them for a meal here.
You will see they smile from ear to ear, just like lots of the diners we saw during that evening. Cheers!!

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http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2016/03/burp-kitchen-bar.htmlBurp Kitchen & Bar ('Burp'), a little cosy gastropub located at corner of Block 740 Bedok Reservoir Road. When you are seated inside Burp, you can enjoy the scenic view of Bedok Reservoir Park. Opened up by three buddies, Sarah and Ronald are the culinary team in charge to serve you the American with Asian fusion inspired meal at Burp. Following the recent salted egg craze in Singapore F&B scene, Burp offer 3 version of its own salted egg dishes. Salted Egg Tofu Fries ($8); Salted Egg Wings ($14) and Crabby Patty Burger ($18).

Rather than using the commonly available French Fries, Burp created their healthy version of fries using tofu. A quick glance it can be mistaken for luncheon meat. After a quick bite tasted like the pipa tofu served in Chinese restaurants. For the chicken wings, it was well fried with crispy skin and succulent meat. The two bases that I mention above is actually pretty good and can be eaten without the salted egg sauce. However as soon as thick salted egg sauce (loaded with chopped curry leaves and chilli padi) are added on top of the tofu fries / wings, it just go haywire. They just do not mixed, like oil and water. The salted egg did not absorb into the wings / tofu, feels like you are eating two different dishes. I feel it will be better, if Burp made the sauce thinner, tossed the salted egg sauce together with wings / tofu when they just come out from the deep fryer. Just like how the Korean do their KFC. It might not look pretty, but it gives consistency to the dishes. Crabby Patty Burger, an unique creation by Burp. Squid ink bun, lettuce, battered soft shell crab, salted egg sauce, curry leaves, chilli padi. Unlike the two dishes above, this crab burger is actually pretty decent. Soft and crisp bun, juicy soft shell crab patties with salted egg sauce. The pores in the batter and crab, allow the sauce to sip into the patties and you get all the ingredients in each bite. Instead of fries, you actually get their homemade potato salad, which was very comforting. Cheese lovers will like the Chicken Quesadilla ($9). The chicken and duo cheese fillings (cheddar and mozzarella) in the tortilla. Tasted like crispy pocket pizza. The tanginess from the tomato salsa verde on the side helps to balance the richness from the combo of duo cheese here. Burp's Beef Burger ($16). A solid beef burger with thick, juicy and meaty beef patties. The crisp brioche bun and spicy mayo really holds the ingredients well together. I personally like their touch of using pea sprouts (aka Dou Miao). A burp signature unique twist that provide the crunchy and healthy taste to the burger. It can do with more caramelized onions and fries (not the potato salad) but overall it was a darn good burger for me. Burp Kitchen Wings ($10), fried wings with special Adobo sauce. Specially created by Sarah, who has Philippines and Chinese blood as a taste that really resonate with her. The sweet and garlic combo in the sauce reminds me of garlic and soy sauce version in Korean FC. I will pick this anytime over the salted egg version. For a truly taste of Taco Tex-Mex, we sampled their Pork Carnitas Taco ($12) and Baja Fish Taco ($12). Two servings of 6” tacos with corn chips in each. The Pork Carnitas uses slow cooked BBQ pulled pork, where you can see each strand of the meat well coated in the BBQ sauce. A squeeze of lime add freshness and tanginess to the delicious dish. Baja Fish Taco is my favourite. I actually went back to try this dish for the second time after the tasting session. Nicely fried crunchy battered fish fillet, wrapped with spicy mayo and salsa fresca. When you bite into it, you will experience multiple texture (crispy, moist, juicy) and flavour (spicy, creamy, fresh, tangy) dancing in your mouth. Definitely a dish that worth to get your finger dirty. On the second visit, I also tried their Blueberry Pancakes ($8). A medium size pancakes, served with blueberry compote and maple syrup. Pancakes was fluffy, airy however there is a bit of stickiness to it making it hard to swallow after the second piece. The serving of blueberry compote is generous. A touch whipped cream or a mini cubes of butter will make the pancake so much better. I have to admit, when I saw Lemon Lime Bitters ($4) on the menu, Burp directly got extra marks from me. My favourite drink from my Uni days down under but not so common in Singapore. The other mocktail, Frozen Willy ($5.50) which has blended mango juice, orange juice and Grenadine is pretty awesome as well. The settings of Burp is simple, rustic, cosy with an industrial touch. Burp is surrounded by glass windows which allow patrons to see the natural view of Bedok Reservoir Park and also attract passer-by to peek into Burp. Overall, I find Burp is a terrific cosy Gastropub located in the heartland and best it's open till midnight. There are little fine tunings that can be made on the food item, but you can see the potential of this place. Good Food, Good Drinks, Reasonable Price, and friendly atmosphere are the ingredients of a successful place. So if you are around Bedok or east of Singapore, give Burp a try. Cheers!!

Thank you very much for to OpenRice Singapore and Burp Kitchen & Bar team for the tasting invitation. Chubby Botak Koala paid for the food and drink consumed during the second visit.