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

Necessary Provisions ('NP') are only a handful of cafes that are located in the west part of Singapore. Opened by the group of like minded people behind Smitten Coffee, it offers a unique open cafe experience to its diners.

To say its location is pretty accessible is an understatement, as it is located in the middle of housing estate. If you don't have your own set of wheels, you will have to depend on bus or taxi. However, once you are at the place (the relaxed and most open concept cafe I've ever seen) will encourage you to stay back and have a few more drinks or chow before you hit the road again. You have the choice of indoor or outdoor seating as well.For coffee lovers like myself, you can have Espresso Based Coffees (one price for all sizes), Black ($4.5 for 1.5 oz or 5 oz.) and White ($5 for 4 oz., 6 oz. or 8 oz.). This is truly value for money. I ordered the 4oz latte. It has a nice, simple Rosetta latte art. The coffee is smooth however the fruity acidic after taste is more than what I prefer in my coffee. So not my type of beans.We ordered the Buta Don ($8) which is NP version of wok-fried pork with Japanese sweet sauce. The pork are tender with a slight wok hei taste in it. The onions and sweet sauce provide a natural sweet flavour to the dish, while the bean sprout provide the crunch. The rice is slightly undercooked and it can be better if it use a short grain rice that have more starch.Fresh Crisps ($6) is a must try here. Basically it is homemade fried artisan sprouts (combination of potatos and sweet potatoes). It is crispy and lightly salted. Who can say no to this.Meanwhile, our fried A ordered the Pork Burger with Apple Sauce ($16). Our lady friend that love porky to the bone, only gave one thumb up, instead of two thumbs up. Not porky enough, as the arugula kind of mess up the flavour of the burger. For the price, the portion does not delivery on value.Service is friendly but minimum. You place your order at the counter, make payment and they delivery the order. You can help yourself with cold orange infused water.

Overall, NP provide you with a unique cafe experience, starting with their out of the box price for coffee and Asian inspired food. Although the food and coffee are not agreeable with my taste buds, others might beg to differ. However, I have to say, the environment is just so 'cosy' that LD need to drag me out. (Another cafe that listed as a must-try list but does not deliver 'wow' feeling except for the coffee) Cheers!!

For the complete review, click / copy the link below:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/10/necessary-provisions.html

Thank you very much to OpenRice and The King Louis Team for the invitation to the tasting of Halloween Feast.

King Louis Bar and Grill ('King Louis') is the first medieval theme restaurant in Singapore. Located on the third floor of Vivocity at the Golden Village section. The third floor of Vivocity is a combination of indoor and outdoor area, therefore able to put up this prominent sign on the outdoor, together with ancient castle decorations complete with armoured guards.When you enter the restaurant, the first half of the restaurant is furnished with wooden tables and bench according to the medieval theme. Alas, closer to the 2nd half of the restaurant is decorated more like a corporate meeting room rather than medieval castle theme, a bit of loss of identity halfway through. To incorporate Halloween theme this month, the King Louis has added a touch of Halloween theme with pumpkins and black-orange décor to create the atmosphere.The Halloween feast started with Highlandar Pumpkin Soup. The soup is thick, smooth and creamy. It is slightly on the sweet side and garlic bread is there to offset the sweetness. Portion is quite generous for a starter and it feels a bit heavy for an appetiser.English style Bacon Caesar Salad & The King Louis Platter. The salad is quite ordinary, consist of lettuce, croutons, sliced hard boiled egg and bacon. The dressing is creamy with a twist of tanginess to it.The King Louis platter is basically 3/4 fried stuff and 1/4 veggies served with sweet chilli sauce. It has two pieces of fried sausages, fried wedges and fried onion rings. The sausages are hard and salty, but the dish are saved by the crispy yet moist onion rings and the wedges. If fried stuff is not your thing, stick with the veggies.Next up is the Queen Isabelle Platter. The platter has stacks of Roast Beef with Black Pepper Sauce, Premium Baby Back Ribs, Roast English Style Queen Pullet and Lamb Steak with Rosemary Herbs. Covered by all the proteins are sautéed vegetables, roast potatoes, salads and fruits (Orange, apple and pineapple) on skewers.We ordered our roast beef cooked to medium rare. The meat is not from best cut, but kudos to the chef to make sure that it is tender. According to the insider info, it was well marinated before it was seared, roasted, sliced and put on the grill for the final touch. It is cooked to between medium rare to medium, tender with pinkish colour in the middle.

The baby back ribs is sweet and fall of the bone. Kind of remind you of the Tony Romas or Cafe Cartel style. I preferred a little bit more bites to my ribs, but this is individual preference. A quick check with cptslowyeo (another openricer), who just came back from the Uncle Sam land, the one that I like is more to the Northern style while the one served here is more to the southern style.The lamb chop is gamey, hard and chewy. Maybe a little meat tenderiser will help though. The chicken, is dry and not succulent for the breast part, while it was slightly better on the thigh and drumstick. Very inconsistent in the cooking and personally I won't actually recommend these two items. The best part of the sides is the pineapple. You should have a few slices with the proteins, as it helps to cut through the fats and stop you from being overwhelm by meat.

For desserts, we had coconut ice cream with almond shavings. Surprisingly it is quite good, not very sweet and the shaved almond provide the crunchy texture. I only manage to have a few bites because I was in food comma after all the proteins intake.Overall, I find that dining in King Louis is more like dining in one of the restaurant in a theme park where a big group will come together and have a great time. You might have to lower down your gastronomic expectation. The Halloween feast that we had was priced at $149.90 and it is easy can feed a group of 6 and can be consider value for money. With a little tweak and more attention to the cooking time, the food has the potential to be better. Cheers and Happy Halloween !!!

For the complete revew, click here:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/10/the-king-louis.html

Medan Town is the authentic Medan Restaurant in Singapore. It is a family restaurant, opened by Medanese family that has settled down in Singapore.After our unplanned trip to Medan last year, we kind of miss the taste of Medan food. Although we have noticed this place for about 9 months, we only had a chance to visit it recently.The Medan Town restaurant is more like a cafe / eating house. It is simply furnished, but the best part it is air conditioned. The owners put up old Medan photos on the wall, kind of flash back to Medan in the old days.I ordered the Bihun Bebek Soup (Duck Vermicelli Soup - $6.80), Soto Medan Chicken ($5.80) and Hokkian Bihun (Hokkien Style Vermicelli - $5.80).

If you have been to Medan, you will probably tried Bihun Bebek Kumango, which is one of the most popular shop in Medan that sells extremely delicious duck vermicelli soup. For Medanese standard, the price is extremely steep, about 50,000 Rupiah (S$6). As the benchmark was already set, it is difficult not to compare the dish in Medan Town to the original in Medan. While the original has very tender duck meat and robust soup, the one in Singapore has a slightly tougher meat, while the soup is clear, less robust, but with more herbal taste. The vermicelli here tasted smoother compare to Kumango. A decent alternative.One of LD's favourite noodle dish in Indonesia is the Chinese style of Bakmi, where they used mince pork in the dry noodle. Here, she had Hokkien Style Vermicelli. The dry vermicelli here served with mince pork prawn fritter, egg with fried shallots and spring onion. It is very tasty and has the flavour that she yawn for.We shared the Soto Medan Chicken. The broth is very robust, rich and lemak due to the coconut milk added to the soup. Although the fillings is quite sparse, the soup would be nice with the rice.To quench our thirst we had Kietna (Medanese Tangy Orange Drink - $2.80) and Liang Teh Medan Style ($1.80). The Kietna is a combination of tangy, sour and sweet flavour all in one, serve chilled it is actually very refreshing. Meanwhile, the Liang Teh is less herbal and more sweet compare to those sold in medical hall here. Tasted like the Jia Jia Liang Teh.Service is minimum but friendly. We did not have to wait long for our food to be served.

Overall, although the duck vermicelli is different from the one that we had in Medan, the food here is pretty decent. We feel like we are dining in Medanese family home rather than a restaurant. We look forward to try their other dishes on offer. Cheers!!

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