Thank you very much to Jeff Koh the Owner / Chef of Moc Quan for the invitation.

Jeff is a self-taught Chef who believe that the best way to experience Vietnam is through their street food. Each of the dedicated Street Food Chefs, spend their whole life mastering / perfecting their craft in delivering their own version of their dish. Over the past three years Jeff has explore Vietnam and learnt from these Chefs their secret recipe and found love and passion for Vietnamese street food along the way. After several years of learning, he finally feels that he is ready to bring back the flavours of Ho Chi Minh for us to savour in Singapore.Located near Robertson Quay, Moc Quan look to capitalise on the office lunch crowd and popular after work masses in Robertson Quay area.The decoration of the restaurant is heavily influenced by traditional Vietnamese elements with many antiques décor that the owner took much effort in sourcing and importing from Vietnam. The many interesting décors are the Vietnamese Trishaws outside the restaurant, Vietnamese Traditional umbrellas, utensils, bamboo food covers on each tables and even traditional milkmaid's yoke (a.k.a. Carrying pole) on display. To serenade you during your dining here, Vietnamese's oldies music are played in the background. The atmosphere kind of remind me of one Anthony Bourdan Travel Series Episode when they visited the last Vietnamese Emperor Villa in Vietnam.While waiting for LD to come, I started with Ca Phe Sua Da (Vietnamese Coffee with Condensed Milk (Ice) - $3.50). The coffee is thick and smooth. It really perked me up.For starters, we had Goi Cuon and Bo La Lot. Both are fresh Vietnamese spring roll filled with herbs and rice, with different fillings. Goi Cuon has Prawn and Pork fillings and served with homemade black bean sauce, while Bo La Lot with beef and pork served with special homemade sauce. ($8 for 4 pcs each). The fresh spring roll (also known as rice paper roll) has a slightly springy texture, but the freshness of the ingredients really shines here, especially with each of their unique dipping sauce.Next on the menu is Banh Canh Cua (Thai Rice Noodle in Crab and Pork Broth served with Crab Meat - $9.90). We are really glad that Chef Jeff serve this dish. The broth is rich and sweet, with similar taste profile as Singapore Prawn Noodle Soup. The rice noodle is springy, and the condiments of crab meat, fried bean curd, pork and bean spout gave a good mix of texture. Watch out for the chilli, which will give you a slow after burn according to LD.Banh Mi Thit (Baguette with Vietnamese Sausage and Ham, homemade pork pate - $6.50). To make this baguette, they brought the oven and flour from Vietnam. The result, the amazing crisp and light texture of the baguette. Unlike the French version, the baguette is not dense in the middle. The homemade pate is good, with a meat loaf texture. We only find that the pickle vegetables is slightly timid, as not to overwhelm the Singapore palate. We hope they can be bolder with the pickle.From the seafood selection, we had Tom Nuong (BBQ King Prawns Marinated in a special homemade Sauce - $16.00). The prawns are fresh and huge. It is cut through the middle and the intestinal track are removed. The marinate is just right and the grilled perfectly. Delicious, but presentation is too simple. Salads or pickled vegetables on the side will help to improve the presentation of this dish.Of course the tasting in a Vietnamese Restaurant won't be complete without trying the Pho. We tried Pho Bo (Fresh Vietnamese Rice Noodle – Mixed – $9.50). The ingredients looks good and generous, but the broth is on the sweet side (a bit too sweet to LD's liking). It is unfortunate the broth is not steaming hot enough when its poured to the rice noodle, resulting the sliced beef took quite a while to cook and turns chewy. The brisket is slightly tender, but it can use some more cooking time. We find the Pho can be improved.Overall, we are very happy with some of the dishes we tried, especially the Banh Canh Cua and Banh Mi Thit. With a little bit more of fine tuning, the rest of the dishes will be equally good. So if you are looking to experience Ho Chi Minh food, give this place a try. Cheers!!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala dining experience, click / copy the link below to your browser:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/08/moc-quan.html

Basilico is an award winning Italian Restaurant located in The Regent Hotel Singapore. Basilico means (sweet) basil in English, always emphasises on using the fresh, seasonal in presenting their authentic Italian Cuisine.

Basilico served two dining option: À la carte and semi-buffet. The semi-buffet option mean that you choose one main dish, to accompany the buffet of antipasti and desserts. No doubt you will be able to guess which option that we go for Once you are seated, you will be served bread sticks appetizer with mince olive dip. The bread sticks is freshly baked and crunchy. However, as we are not the people who fancy olives, we did not really appreciate it as much.We started our entrée with the antipasti and begun with something light. Seared Tuna, smoked salmon, Boccocino, Mozzarella Cheese and tomatoes. The Boccocino, Mozzarella Cheese and tomatoes are our favourite. We always order this as entree when we go to any Italian restaurant. It is a simple dish and just allow the ingredients to speak for itself. The same can be said here, the ingredients are fresh and the cheeses are lovely. The same can be said about the sear tuna, while smoked salmon was not overly salty, can be consider quite subtle good to pair with the cheeses.For the cured meat selections the selections are Pancetta, Prosciutto di Parma, Salami and Ham. Unlike other buffet, which they control the output of the parma ham, you can really satisfy yourself with the servings here. Served with slices of rock melon, I have to limit myself, remembering that there is still the main dishes to come.For the mains, I had the Crispy Pork Belly with Oven-Baked Apple. “Agretti” Salad and a Honey Cinnamon Reduction. The crackling is light and crispy, with similar texture to Cantonese roast pork belly. The meat tasted clean and not gamey, while the Oven-Baked apple and honey cinnamon reduction really balance the fattiness of the roast pork belly. Yummyy!!!Little Devil ('LD') ordered Tender Wagyu Rump with Oven-baked Potatoes and Braised Spring Onions. Although using only the Rump cut, the meat is tender and succulent. Cooked to her order of medium rare. The potatoes is slightly crispy on the skin and soft on the inside. The Au Jus is just flavourful.Meanwhile, Tracy's BFF, Lady Baker ('LB') satisfying her cravings for lamb. She had Grilled Spring Lamb Chops with Rhubarb and Ricotta Goat Cheese Cream, Green Asparagus. The lamb chops are small in size, I would say more towards a lady's portion. Consider LB asked it to be cooked to Well Done, it was well executed and the meat remain tender. Asparagus were sweet and crunchy, good with the Ricotta.For desserts, the selections are also impressive. Our picks are: The Bread and Butter Pudding which was very rustic and good. I paired it with a scoop of chocolate sorbet. Bonet (Chocolate Pudding with Amaretti Biscuits provide a good velvety chocolate flavour, while the Crema ai Lamponi (Raspberry cream) will give you a good sour perk up after the meal. For the rest of the desserts, just stick to those with chocolate, as the one without chocolates are quite ordinary.Although the Italian are renowned for the coffee, I was left disappointed with the coffee on offer here. I ordered a cappuccino, not only the coffee feels watery, it was burnt as well. I should have stick with black coffee with milk on the side. On the upside, I need to praise the bartender for coming up a good Lemon Lime and Bitters which I ordered in the beginning of the meal.The atmosphere here is just amazing. The dining section is dimly lid, which provide a very good atmosphere for romantic dinner. The space between table is sufficient to give you a slight sense of privacy. Meanwhile, round central section, is the centre stage for the food. It is brightly lid, with beautiful chandelier and semi open kitchen concepts on the East and West section of the circle. The service is very personalized and professional. One of the best service we ever experience. Big Thumbs up for the service.Overall, Basilico is definitely a place to go for Italian. The Semi Buffet is a must try and the ingredients are always at the freshest and authentic Italian. Kudos to the team for maintaining the consistency all these year. Cincin!! Cheers!!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala exprience, click / copy the link below:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/07/Basilico-The-Regent.html

Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King ('RKTK') originated from Tokyo, the birth place of Tonkotsu Ramen. The innovator of this delicious ramen is Celebrity Chef Keisuke Takeda whose culinary background not only in Japanese Cuisine but also in French Cuisine. With the idea to introduce Ramen to the world, he expanded his Ramen shop concept to Singapore.

RKTK in Orchid Hotel is the second outlet in Singapore. It can easily be identified with people queueing to get into this tiny shop which can only cater about 30 pax. Be prepare to wait, as their normal waiting time for this tiny shop is about 30 minutes. The dining concept here is very simple, come – queue – order – eat & drink – pay – out. You can do your socialising when you are queueing or after you exit the shop.As this is my first time here, I decided to order Tonkotsu Ramen Special (All Toppings) - $14.80. For flavour, I decided to go with the Original Japanese taste, meaning NORMAL for taste of soup, chicken oil and noodle texture.While waiting for the ramen to be serve, you can make yourself busy by pounding the black and white sesame that you can incorporate to your soup. You can help yourself to unlimited helpings of hard boil eggs and pickled bean sprouts. For Chubby Botak Koala, the first thing he start is always snapping away with his Nikon.The serving of the ramen is just a sight to behold. Size is huge, but the presentation simple yet appetizing. I like the enormous size of the seaweed, kind of giving you a screen to cover our greedy faces when you go on your ramen slurping rampage. I took a quick snap of of the whole bowl and lift up the ramen and started my 'ME & Ramen' only time. I can imagine that I put Do Not Disturb sign on my forehead.The ramen has a nice thickness to it, noodle is cooked to al-dente. Each slurp of the ramen is well coated with addictive robust, milky and collagen filled broth. Some people will find it slightly salty, but it is agreeable to my tastebud. The meat is lean, but it is tender and flavourful. Although I would prefer it to be pork belly, I have to agree it might just too overwhelming here. I was bedazzled, and finished my bowl of ramen, almost to the last drop. Yum Yum, Two Thumbs Up!!Service is warm, friendly and laud. You can consider them to be efficient and decisive when they try to turn the table for other customers in the queue.Overall, this is definitely one of the best ramen in Singapore. I really enjoy my dining experience here. After my first visit to Japan recently, I believe Ramen is best enjoy in a confined space, where you are shoulder to shoulder with the other customers. Once you slurp the broth, you won't realise that there is someone beside you until you accidentally elbow the one sitting next to you. Cheers!!!

Word of caution: If you prefer a light soup base ramen, this is not the place for you. To offset the richness of the broth (jelakness), it will be good to order some Oolong tea.

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala experience, click / copy the link below to your browser:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/07/RK-Tonkotsu-King.html

Definition of Cafe Crema (Caffè crema) was first coined by Gaggia in 1948 to describe the light brown foam on espresso. (source from wikipedia). Also known as the old name of espresso, which become out of favour.Cafe Crema in Singapore, is a Cafe that served handcrafted coffee & sandwiches. In line with the current trend of 3rd wave coffee movement in Singapore, Cafe Crema source it beans from the local roaster Highlander. This information does not come voluntarily, but continuous gentle probing and tongue twisting by Chubby Botak Koala, finally able to 'fish' it out.Taking a break from my first shift guiding our guests through Cloud Forest, I decided that I need a cuppa. It seems the name and greenish background of this Cafe just attract me. I decided to order a latte ($6) and Chocolate Croissant.The décor of this place is very au natural. Surrounded by the lavish greenery of Gardens by The Bay, cool air-conditioning and some relaxing couch, this is a definitely the place to take a break and enjoy the cuppa. I have to compliment Cafe Crema on their effort in providing the information from the origin of their coffee beans to the black liquid gold full of caffeine in the cup. Do check out their website for more information on their coffee beans.The latte presented with a four layer of Rosetta latte art. First sip, it has a beautiful consistent creamy texture to it. I am not a coffee expert, but I always enjoy the well balance roast from Highlander. What a good way to perk me up. Although the coffee here is good, it is missing the OMPH factor, in comparison to other Cafe that use the same bean.The chocolate croissant is just average. It has a good thin buttery layers to it, but the central part was slightly soggy.Service is all right, but you probably need to be on self service type. They deliver the coffee and the croissant, but you need to get you own cutlery, serviette, etc.

Overall, this is definitely a good place to recharge before / after your visit to Gardens By The Bay. On top of the handcrafted coffee, they also serve breakfast, soup & salad, sandwich and other lunch menu (check out their website for the menu). I even see some teenagers using this place to hang out and study. Thanks for serving the good coffee guys. Cheers!!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala experience, click / copy the link below:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/07/cafe-crema.html

Thank you very much to Conrad Centennial Singapore Team for the invitation to sample such wonderful dishes of Davao and to enjoy a night of cultural performances.

Davao city in Mindanao Phillipines is the largest city in the island and also one of the largest city in the world. With such a large area, Davao region is a melting pot of different culture especially different tribes in the area. Davao is also famous for its local produce such as pamelos, mangosteens & durians and fresh seafoods including tuna. From 15th to 20th July 2014, Conrad Centennial Singapore and Philippine Department of Tourism, presents to you Davao Cultural and Food Festival.During Davao Cultural and Food Festival, Chef Eduardo Tuazon and his team from Marco Polo Hotel Davao in Phillipines will be showcasing the Ten Tribes of Davao Philippine Cuisine in Oscar's Restaurant.We started our dinner with a combo of Davao appetisers: Tuna Kinilaw; Squid & Shrimp Salad; Eggplant with Salted Egg; and Green Mango with Shrimp Paste and Pork Crackers.Tuna Kinilaw is Davao version of cured raw fish salad. Surprisingly, it is more subtle than what I expected. The same can be said with the Squid & Shrimp Salad. Fresh, but very subtle taste to entice your appetite. The eggplant with salted egg has a slightly more bold taste. For the Green Mango with shrimp paste, shrimp paste seems to be similar to the rojak paste that we have but with a bit of chocolaty taste and it actually pretty salty if not for the green mango. The crispy Pork Crackers (light and crunchy) can be very addictive when you dip it with shrimp paste.In between the appetizers and the main meal, I went to explore the other dishes Davao dish on offer. I spotted Lechon (yes, the whole roasted suckling pig) and Manok Pianggang (braised chicken with lemon grass and coconut milk). The Lechon is just a beauty, the meat is tender, succulent and with a nice balance between the fat and lean meat, while the crackling is thin and crispy. The chicken is tender, juicy and flavourful, especially on the drumstick.Back to the tasting menu, we were served the traditional Davao cuisine that are normally cooked in a bamboo or banana leaf. We have the selection from Spiced Roasted Chicken with Bamboo Rice, Beef & Scallops, cooked in Bamboo, Shrimp & Tuna cooked in Banana Leaf. With the exception of the chicken, the rest of the dishes that were cooked in bamboo or banana leaf, produce dishes that has rich and creamy gravy. These dishes are just best to enjoy with flavourful yellow rice. Each of the proteins are very tender and for the seafood it was fresh and not overcooked.Of course tasting Philippine dish won't be complete without Chicken Adobo and Braised Ox Tail in Peanut Sauce (Kare Kare). I personally find the chicken adobo lack of punch, it seems that it is missing the bold flavour of the Philippine cuisine. However, the ox tail is basically tender and melts in your mouth. The peanut sauce with oxtail, is just something that you need to get used to. Although it is a combination of savory and sweet, the taste leaning towards the sweet side.For the sweet ending of the meal, we tasted Durian Panna Cotta; Mangosteen Crème Custard; Coconut Cream Yam Porridge, Pomelo Crème Brulee; and Jack Fruit Sponge Cake. Each of these desserts represent the tropical flavour fruits that can be found in Davao. The Durian Panna Cotta has a smooth velvety texture. Pomelo Crème Brulee has a nice balance between the sweetness of the crème and the citrus flavour from the pomelo. The coconut cream yam porridge is Davao version of bobo cha cha.The presentation of Mangosteen Creme Custard got my two thumbs up. They extract the meat of the mangosteen, turn it to crème custard and serve it back like in its original version. While the sponge cake is light, the crème jack fruit is served on what looks like part of the branch of the jack fruit tree.While some people end the meal there, I just can't get stop myself from trying Sisig (Broiled Pork Mask and Liver with lemon and chilli). The taste is just deliciously intense. While the Lemon and Chilli suppose to cut through this intense flavour, I find that it is slightly tone down to adjust to everyone's taste buds.Overall, I really enjoy this opportunity to experience the Davao & Philippine cuisine. To ensure a memorable dining experience, you will be serenaded with Davao traditional songs, performed by Kalumon Dance Troupe when you dined in Oscar during this food festival.So if you never been to Davao or Philippine, do stop by Oscar's @ Conrad Centennial Singapore between 15th - 20th July 2014 to experience Davao Cultural and Food Festival, on top of delicious food served in Oscar's. Who knows, you might be the winner of 3D2N Holiday Accomodation for 2 person in Marco Polo Hotel Davao Philipine inclusive of round trip tickets by SilkAir. Cheers!!!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala experience, click / copy the following link:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/07/Oscars-Conrad-Davao-Food-Festival.html