Gurame Indonesian Restaurant ('Gurame') is located in Changi Coast Park, or to be exact it is located in NSRCC Sea Sport Centre. The location is quite secluded and can be difficult to reach without your own set of wheels. Once you are there, you will be rewarded with the clear view of Changi Beach, if you don't mind the tankers or carriers cruising by or the noise of planes landing and taking off.Gurame has indoor and outdoor seating. I suggest that you seat indoor in the afternoon and outdoor in the evening. As there was some team building activities on that day, all the indoor seating was taken.We were in a group of 9 and we were so hungry so we decided to order quite a few dishes. For appetizer, we were served emping (belinjo crackers) with sambal.First batch of the food served was Udang Bakar ($30), Tauge Ikan Asin ($8) and Sambal Terong ($8). The Udang Bakar or Grilled Prawns are fresh. For $30, you get ten big size prawns, butterfly and grilled with sweet sauce. It was grilled perfectly, in low fire and sealed the juiciness of the prawn inside.Tauge Ikan Asin is fried bean sprout with salted fish. The bean sprout was crunchy, but the salted fish seems to have escape and difficult to find. Sambal Terong or Fried EggPlant with Sweet Chilli Sauce looks good, but since me and LD are not eggplants lover we did not touch it. Those who ate it says it was good.Next come Ayam Bakar ($10), Sop Buntut ($8) and Gulai Kepala Ikan ($30). Ayam Bakar is Grilled Chicken with Special Sauce. The chicken is tender for the thigh and drumstick, however it is dry for the breast meat. It is well seasoned and goes well with the sweet sambal. Sop Buntut or Ox Tail Soup has a clear yet robust broth. The meat is tender and fall of the bone.Gulai Kepala Ikan is Gurame version of Curry Fish Head. Served on a claypot, the curry has a thick creamy texture, with average spicy level. The curry tasted a bit sweet and tangy, like the normal gulai in Indonesia. Fish head was fresh.Tahu Telor ($8), Soto Ayam ($7), Cumi Goreng Tepung ($18) and Rendang Sapi ($12) are the last dishes to be served. The Tahu Telor here is slightly different from other Indonesian restaurant version. Looks like giant egg are made from diced beancurd, not the silken tofu. The texture is more rough and harder while we prefer the smooth velvety texture for our beancurd. Soto Ayam is good and robust with the coconut milk add to the richness of the dish, which is different from the Malay version here.Cumi Goreng Tepung / fried battered squid rights, we find that you can't go wrong if you order this dish anywhere in Indonesia or Malaysia. They sure know to handle their squid, it was just crispy, tasty and a little springy.The best dish and the die die must order when you are at Gurame is the Rendang Sapi or Beef Rendang. It is so tasty, tender and the beef just melts in your mouth. The meat absorbs the gravy and the portion is very good.In case you are wondering, we did not order the Fried Gurame (Talipa) because the supplier has not show up to deliver the fish when we place our order. So next time then.

For desserts, I do not recommend their Es Alpokat ($8) – Avocado Juice / Smoothie. They do not served the authentic Indonesian version, using chocolate condensed milk, instead they use brown sugar and it is extremely sweet.The service is friendly but it can be difficult to get their attention at times as they are overwhelm with the other customers in the indoor seating. Overall, the food are delicious and the price of the food is value for money. We look forward to go back to try their fried Gurame. Cheers!!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala dining experience, click / copy the link below:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/11/gurame-indonesian-restaurant.html

Thank you very much to OpenRice and 2The Pot team for the food tasting invitation.2The Pot is the first restaurant in Singapore that serve Mookata and Chicken Pot under one roof. As both current dishes are very popular to diners in Singapore, 2The Pot is trying to capitalise on this and help diners avoid making the difficult choice so everyone can have the best taste of both world. FYI, this is the first time Chubby Botak Koala ever had Chicken Pot, as LD don't like her pot of food full black sauce. The two storey shop is located along Joo Chiat Road after the junction of Dunman food centre towards the direction of I12. There is a big public car park behind the establishment, so parking won't be a problem if you are driving there. Decor is very casual, with white painted wall, more like a cafe than a restaurant.For appetizer we were served papadum. Yup, your eyes did not fool you. They server Indian crackers for appetizer. Nice idea but it is tasted a little stale. For drink, their Thai ice milk tea is a must try. Although the tea flavour is not as strong as the one in Thai, the overall taste is quite authentic and it helps to cool you down from the upcoming heat from the food.We started with Spicy Chicken Pot – 1/2 chicken ($26.80). Serve on a black pot with dark gravy, the the ingredients is inconspicuous. From the top the chillies look prominent and quite scary. The chicken here is tender and succulent, with a hint of wine marinate. It absorbs the gravy nicely and the spiciness is quite subtle. I rate the spiciness about 3/5, as I did not run looking for my drinks. If we are not here for the tasting session, I will probably ask for white rice to go with the chicken pot.While we start putting stuff on the Mookata and waiting for it to cooked, we were served the Laksa Chicken Pot – 1/2 chicken ($28.80), Thai Fish Cake ($8.90 - 5pcs) and Fried Mini Buns ($3 – 5pcs). The Thai Fish Cake slightly chewy, bouncy and surprisingly not spicy. It can be a good starter.For the Laksa pot, I say it is the best dish for the night. It is thick and rich of coconut milk (very lemak). The chicken meat are tender and succulent, and you can taste the hint of rice wine seasoning used on the meat. This is where the fried buns are important, where you basically break it and dunk it in the laksa gravy, and it will soak up all the goodness in it. Another options probably Tao Pok, Tau Kee, rice or noodle to absorb this delicious curry. Yum Yum.Just as we finished with the Laksa, the grilled meat from the mookata are ready. The Mookata Set Meal ($38.80) actually come with combination of different type of meats and seafood (chicken frank, meat balls, marinated chicken thigh, marinated pork and pork belly, squids, prawns, etc) eggs and a huge basket of vegetables.Because of the limited space on the grill, the meat are cut too small. The time it took to be ready, made the meat turn dry. For the steamboat part, we have chicken soup base and tom yum soup base. The broth is robust and flavourful. Although I did not manage to try the tom yum, from the feedback that I gathered it just have the twist of spiciness and tanginess into it.To add to the grill, we were introduce to 2the pot Marinated Beef ($10) & Korean Spice Pork Belly ($9.50). Hmmm, Korean marinate grilled on the Mookata grill, a fusion of Thai and Korean is pretty interesting. Both the beef and pork are tender, while the marinate are quite subtle and did not cover the flavour of the meat.Assam Chicken Pot – 1/2 Chicken ($28.80). The Assam Pot is actually looks identical to the Laksa Pot. Although it has a more sour and tanginess to it, I find they can do without this dish and stick with the laksa. The chicken are tender and succulent, but unlike the laksa, the flavour did not go into the chicken.While we have a splendid time enjoying the meal here, we kind of wonder if the owners / chefs are trying to do too much to please the customers. I personally feel that it is better for them to perfect the mookata and Chicken Pot. Since the Laksa pot is the best dish, they should keep serving this dish and forget about the assam. Value wise, I hope they can increase the meat serving size by 25% on the mookata, and for the chicken pot, just increase the price a little but give a whole chicken instead of half.Overall, it is a good place for folks who enjoy mookata and chicken pot. Be warned, as there is no exhaust system, expect coming out of the place smells like grilled pork. My camera bag is a living proof of this. For first timer like myself, its a must try. Cheers!!

For the complete review, click / copy the link below to your browser: http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/10/2The-pot.html

For those that passed by Simon Road regularly, Lola's cafe need no introduction. The same can be said for the cafe hoppers, this place is definitely in the list of the must try cafes. However, before you made up you mind to visit this place, the waiting time to get a seat here is also legendary.I can't remember how many times we have said to each other when we drive home passing by Simon Road, we need to give this place a try. We were given a chance to try it out when we are not working on a Friday morning. Thinking that we might be able to get a table because it is still early, but after asking for a table, we informed that we might have to wait for 45mins. On a positive note, you don't need to stand there and wait, instead you can register your name and contact number in ticktok machine and they will call you when its ready.While we were waiting, we decided to share a quick bite of wanton mee at the corner coffeeshop, ;pOnce we get the call, we were seated table for four and we have to share with another couple. We both decided to order Lola's Full Monty Breakfast ($15) and Honey Paprika Crispy Wings ($10).The Full Monty Breakfast come with brioche bread, pork sausage, honey bacons, ham, scrambled eggs, garden salad and balsamic dressing. Sausage is moist covered with a crisp and springy skin. Eggs are creamy, with melted cheese on top. The bacon is crispy and coated with honey, which is good to cover the saltiness in the bacon. The ham also tasted sweet, as the honey coated bacon was placed on top of it. Salads with balsamic dressing provide a good balance to heavy and only proteins. We only hope that they give us more of the nice brioche. One is not enough, two should be the minimum.Honey Paprika Crispy Wings, voted one of the best chicken wings by The Smart Local. It is crispy, but moist and succulent on the inside. However it tasted sweet as it is coated with honey. The paprika supposed to give the heat to the wings, but to minimum effect. We think it is all right, but nothing to rave about according to our taste buds. LD says that she really do not understand why others are so wowing so much about it.For the drinks, we ordered Latte ($5), Sparkling Strawberry Fruit Tea ($5.5) and Mango Tango Green Tea ($5.5). For the latte, they used the beans from Dutch Colony. The Latte is subtle, smooth, with a mild acidity at the end. Its good. The fruit infused tea is slightly disappointing. Sparking strawberry tasted flat, missing the sparkling park. While the mango tango can be better if the tea is stronger.Service is very good. The service staff are friendly and upfront. They manage our expectations properly, like informing us the estimated waiting time to get a seat. As the cafe are packed, it can be difficult to get their attention at times. However, once you get their attention, they attend to your needs promptly.

Overall, we find the food at Lola is good although the chicken wings are not to our preference as we are more of salty type of foodies. If the chance arises, we will come back to try other items on that menu. Cheers and Keep up the good work guys !!!

For the complete review, click here:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/10/lolas-cafe.html

As part of the celebration of Rebranding Traders Hotel Singapore to Hotel Jen Singapore, Little Devil and I got invited for Super Brunch by Hotel Jen Singapore. Cafebiz is the main dining area at the lobby that cater for the gastronomic satisfaction for the guests in Hotel Jen. Cafebiz served ala-carte menu and buffet ranges from exotic Asian, International and local cuisines.As today is a special occasions for the Hotel Jen, the spread was just superb and it is impossible to cover everything. However, we did try our best and the following are our recommendations.Appetizer (Smoked Salmon, Prosciutto with Rock Melon, Foie Gras & Apple Terrine and Sun Dried Tomatoes). These dishes basically our wake up call and kick start our appetite that was still in sleeping mode. Smoked salmon is good and fresh. The thinly sliced prosciutto perfectly matched with rock melon. While the apple provide the sweet touch to balance the smooth and velvety terrine foie grass. LD enjoys the sundried tomatoes so much, she went back for second round.Roast Selection (Roast Beef and French Lamb Rack). Weekend Roast always have a special place in my heart and my tummy. The roast beef were between medium rare to medium and thinly sliced upon serving. Mine was still pinkish and slightly bloody in the middle. Just like the way I like it. The meat is just tender and succulent, and goes well with the yorkshire pudding (kudos from LD on the yorkshire pudding as it is baked to perfection) and the gravy. The same apply to the lamb rack, tender and pink in the middle not over roasted. The potato gratin can be better with more cheese in between the potatoes. Yum Yum.Cantonese Roast Selection – Suckling Pig Only. Where there are many options like roast pork, roast duck, char siew and suckling pig, our recommendation that you just stick with the suckling pig and forget about the rest. Paying ode to the little piggy, it has minimum fat, crispy skin and tender and succulent meat. Together with the sweet sauce, it is just a foodgasm.Desserts (Lemon Meringue Pie & Custard Puff). The taste of the lemon curd and meringue has a nice balance between the sweetness of the sugar and tanginess of the lemon curd. The curd is light and smooth, sitting nicely on golden brown crust. The custard puff is just light, smooth and not overly sweet. The apple strudel and pear tart tartin are quite ordinary.Finale (Wild Mushroom Risotto) cooked by the GM of Hotel Jen, Mr. Clifford Weiner. Well you can consider this as the start of the attraction. It was supposed to be ready by 12.45 pm, however due to his other commitments, the risotto was only ready by 1.15pm. Although we were slightly in food comma and minimum stomach space available; The wait was indeed worth it. The risotto cooked to al-dente, infused with flavourful broth. The wild mushrooms were sautéed separately and only added upon servings. LD just wished that it has more cheese in it but she still loves it as it is her favourite Italian dish While they are quite a few a selections for sushi, sashimi and cold seafood on offer, we find that it does not really give us the WOW feeling. I have to say our tummy prefer something warm and hearty for brunch, cold seafood dish are at odds with us that day.Notable mention, for cheese lovers, they have this special Cheese Counter, supplied by The Cheese Ark and according to LD, the cheese spread is superb.Overall, it is indeed a Super Brunch. The buffet spread was extensive with a few items that we mentioned are so much better compare to the rest. We consider this one of the heaviest brunch we ever had.

Thank you very much for the Hotel Jen Team for the invitation and asking us to come earlier so we can take gorgeous pictures of the Super Brunch Spread. For the complete Chubby Botak Koala experience and more food photos, check out the following link: http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/10/cafebiz-hotel-jen-singapore.html

Thanks to the Hogs Bar Restaurant Team for the invitation.

Hogs Bar Restaurant ('Hogs Bar') is located on the eye catching Colonial design building in Joo Chiat Road. To be exact, it is just opposite the Joo Chiat Community Center. While many F&B establishments trying to make their mark here, it was to no avail. However, this location seems to be tailored-made for Hogs Bar.Once your enter the Hogs Bar ground, you will be greeted with their beer garden, with large LED TV tune in the sports channel or live EPL matches. If you prefer air-conditioned room, go inside the building which have huge projected screens, pool table and bar to keep you occupied. It is also suitable for you to host an event here.For this tasting, I brought my Chef friend M, as my Little Devil is on Vegetarian Detox for this couple of weeks. We started with Deep Fried Chicken Wings ($13). Each serving consist of three pairs of mid-wings and drumlets. The wings are well seasoned and well coated with bread crumbs. Crispy on the outside, yet juicy and succulent inside. In comparison, it is similar to McWings, but bigger in size.Hogs Beef Burger ($18.50) follow next. The burger was served with thick cut fries and salad. The beef patty was tasty, flavourful and cooked to medium, where it's still pink in the middle. The melted cheese and caramelised onions covered the patty nicely and the bread holds the burger nicely and soak up the meat jus. The fries are crispy and good, while the lightly-dressed salad provide a nice balance to the meal.It seems to be the trend nowadays to serve something on wooden plank. Spanish Iberico Ham Flat Bread ($16) is served this way here. Other than the ham, the toppings consist of cheese, olive, cherry tomatoes, salad, and shallots. The texture is crispy, fresh and very flavourful. It will be better if the size is slightly bigger or more iberico ham though (just my wish).Beer Lovers will love this place. Hogs Bar carry more than 30 brands of beers and they offer a very competitive price. For more details on this, check out their Facebook Page.Overall, Hogs Bar Restaurant new menu provide a good gastropub meal. It is delicious and unpretentious. I dropped by for one of the EPL match on weekend, the big screen and sound system are excellent. Give this place a try and let me know what you think. Cheers!!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala dining exprience, click / copy the link below: http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/10/Hogs-Bar-Restaurant.html