Lechon is a whole roasted pig dish originated from Spain. This dish was introduced to the people of Philippines during the colonial time and become one of their national dishes.

Though I never been to the Philippines and I am not sure how their food taste like, I just can't say no to whole roasted pig (thanks to Tony Johor Kaki website).

Iskana Cebu is located in the coffee shop across the Paya Lebar MRT Station, it occupied the right corner of the coffee shop. The meat (whole pig, pork belly or chicken) are slowly charcoal roasted on open fire in the premises. From the outside, the sight of whole roasted pig is just awesome. Lechon Pig normally need to be roasted between 4 to 5 hours depending on the weight.I reached the location at about 3pm and was only manage to get the last portion of the lechon.The set cost me $10. Looks a bit plain, but the meat portion is very generous. The meat look lean however it is juicy and succulent. To accompany the lechon, you can choose the creamy pig liver sauce (pig liver, spring onion and black pepper) or vinegar dipping sauce. I personally like the vinegar, as it offset the overwhelming oily feeling (jelak). The skin was suppose to be thin, shiny and crispy, however mine was slightly chewy, not as crispy. Chris (the owner) explain to me that I should come around 12.30pm on the weekend or 5.30pm on weekday, that's the time when the lechon just finished roasting and the skin will be heavenly.Not really satisfied with the lechon, I decided to order half Manok de Balamban (roasted chicken - $10). It is well roasted and the breast meat is just so succulent. The thigh and leg meat tasted slightly dry. The chicken is well marinated, resulting in a tasty chicken that you don't actually need any sauce.The service here is very friendly. When I ask if I can take photo, they invite me to get a closer look at the roasting process and even pose for the camera. Thanks guys!!Overall, it is definitely a memorable first time experience of Philippines food. The food here are very good and I'll look forward to come back to try their Liempo de Balamban (roast pork belly) or even the lechon when it hot from the oven. Cheers!!

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

Little Devil & I get to know about this place a few years back, when out of the blue my FIL keep coming back to this location to eat Kway Teow Mee. On one fine day, he just keep insisting that we must go and try. As we are staying in Hougang, it took us about 20 mins to get here. It was a Saturday morning and finding a parking spot was really a hassle. Alas, it also took us another 30 mins of wait before we get our order. Hungry and annoyed, my first impression here was less memorable.

This time around, after sending someone to the airport, we decided to give this place a try again. As it has received many endorsements from the media and food bloggers, there must be something good about this place. Best part, it was a weekday morning, so we don't expect it to be packed with people.Occupying two shops, Jalan Tua Kong Lau Lim ('JTK') stall can be quite big. One shop sell the fishball noodle, drinks and toast while the other location, also have Yong Tau Fu. For a bright sunny day, the al-fresco can be considered quite warm, there is an option for indoors in the second shop. You must order at the cashier, make payment and get your queue number to put on your table.

We ordered 2 dry Mee Pok ($4 each) and a bowl of Fish Ball Soup ($5). We waited about 15 minutes before the food was served.

The portion size is above average. Each bowl you get 3 fish balls, few slices of fish cakes, bak chor and lean meat and ... Wow, I see prawns!! Yup, 3 pieces of prawns and they are deshelled. I have to admit, now you know where the $$$ goes to.The noodle is cook to al-dente, not sticky and with a bite of crunchiness in it. Covered under the ingredients are the generous serving of pork lard and pork oil that basked the noodle. Wow, no wonder the noodle is yummy. The fish ball is bouncy but soft, while the rest of the ingredients are fresh, especially the prawns.

As I ate my noodle without chilli, I can tell you it is very flavourful. LD's like her noodle as well, and she approved of the chilli version of the mee pok.

The Fish Ball Soup has around 10 fishballs in it. The soup looks a bit cloudy, covered with excess of the fishball which add to the taste of the soup. Again the fishball is soft and springy. Very Q.Service here is very minimum, as you need to go to the cashier to order before they deliver your food.

Overall, based on our second experience here JTK fishball noodle is one of the good fishball noodle around. Price definitely higher, however you are paying for the quality here. Waiting time will be the minus point here, but at least you can seat, have a drink and chit chat while you wait. Cheers!!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala experience, click on the link below:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/06/Jalan-Tua-Kong-Lau-Lim.html

Beer Butt Chicken! What an eye catching name for a roast chicken. If you never heard of this before, it is a roast chicken stuffed with a can of beer together with other seasoning. The idea behind this is to infused the chicken with beer flavour and maintain the juiciness of the meat. If it is done properly, you can expect to taste a super crispy paper thin chicken skin.One of the locations in Singapore where you can find this dish is Southwest Tavern ('ST'). This cowboy theme restaurant is located in business hub on the west side of Singapore. It is an open air setting and they use portable aircon and fans to cool down the place. The furniture is very rustic giving you an authentic American tavern feeling. They even have a pool table for you to pass your time there.Other than the Beer Butt Chicken, ST also served many authentic American tavern dishes such as never frozen steak, humongous burgers, baby back ribs and suicide wings (also known as buffalo wings). Not forgetting, they have extensive list of beers.We kick off the dinner with Chilli Cheese Fries ($12). One of my favourite fries dish. The fries has a crispy outer texture while soft and moist in the inside. The cheese are very subtle, more like mozzarella and well paired with the chilli. A very good finger food, but it can be quite filling for a starter.For steak, we ordered Australian Marbled Sirloin 300 grams ($30). This steak is supposed to be comparable to Wagyu grade of steak. Cooked to medium rare, the steak is very flavourful, juicy and succulent. It has a nice balance between the marbling and the meat. For the price, it is value for money. For the sides, they serve potato wedges, salad with vinaigrette dressing and brown sauce.Now for the Beer Butt Chicken ($32). Be prepare to wait for 45 minutes(that is where the pool table come in handy), as the chef only prepare it upon order and smoked it. To serve this dish perfectly, ST custom made the serving plank. It has two mini pole to hold the chicken in the upright position, sitting on a solid tin filled with beer.The skin of the chicken is paper thin and crispy. The meat is tender, succulent and well seasoned. It can be a challenge to carve the chicken yourself, but it's worth the effort. Although the flavour of the beer is very subtle in the chicken, you can use the balance of the beer in the tin and treat it as Au jus for the chicken. To accompany this dish is butter rice with raisin and grilled capsicum. The portion will be just nice for 2 person. Yum Yum!!

Overall, ST served a very good tavern food or gastropub food if you want a more trendy name. It is simple, unpretentious and just delicious. Thank you very much to Southwest Tavern for the tasting invitation. There is one more reason for us to take a trip to the west of Singapore. Cheers!!!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala dining experience, click here:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/06/Southwest-Tavern.html

Brotzeit Katong is the 5th outlet of Brotzeit in Singapore. Brotzeit is a leading German franchised concept casual dining restaurant offering Bavarian Cuisines and popular German Beer originated from Singapore (Yup, Singapore!!!). Currently, they can be found in Singapore (6 Outlets), Malaysia (2), China (3), Hong Kong (1), Phillipines (1), Vietnam (1), and Thailand (1); and on the way to grow their presence in China, Indonesia and Australia.This outlet in Katong has been in our mind for the past few times. Every time we passed by East Coast Road or Joo Chiat Road, always remind ourself that we need to try this place. So finally, we made it. Located in the junction of Joo Chiat Road and East Coast Road, this place sure attracts a lot of human traffic. The only draw back is that there is no parking available on the premises, so you need to park at the surroundings, that can be a challenge during the weekend.There are two main seating area, the bar or the high chairs section with live sports shown on TV or a more proper dining area. The atmosphere is very relax and casual. The design are modern, while incorporating the wood elements into it.For this dinner, we decided to drag S (Little Devil's BFF) along as she need to get away from home. Anyway, the more the merrier. Since we order to share, we ask them serve the food together. From the appetizer section we have: Schupfnudeln / Warm Spinach Salad with Bavarian Potato Dumpling ($14.50). A good salad to start. It is lightly seasoned and has a clean taste to it. It incorporated some stronger flavour such as sun dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar. The potato dumpling is unique, which not to my preference.Two signatures of Bavarian dishes: Schweinshaxn / Oven Roasted Pork Knuckle ($36.00) and Pork Sausage, with a twist of curry sauce / Currywurst ($17.50). The Pork Knuckle is excellent, served with potato salad, sauerkraut, gherkin and homemade sauce on the side. The crackling is light and crispy, and the meat is tender and juicy. Sauerkraut and gherkin works provide the acidity that balance the fattiness in the knuckle, while the fried onion on top of the potato salad is simply delicious. The gravy is tasty and thick. Yummy !!For the Currywurst, I need to rename it Curryworst. The worst dish of the day. The pork sausage is good, but spoiled by the curry. Although it is suppose to be the number one German Fast food, we find the curry powder and mustard on the dish simply does not work. This is comparable to the disastrous Singapore Fried Bee Hoon that you can find any Asian food court in Australia.Schweinemedaillons / Pork Medallions ($29.50) is a dish that you must try. As the medallion does not have much fats, they wrapped the sides with bacon to ensure the tenderness remain. Perfectly executed and served with shoe string fries and sautéed mixed vegetables. How I wish they are more medallions.Service is good when you can get their attention, but it can be frustrating trying to get their attention. You can see that they are short staffed, and having problems attending to the customers.

Overall, Brotzeit got our vote. The food are good, with the exception of the Curryworst (@ Currywurst). Unfortunately we are a group of non-alcoholic drinkers, so we can't comment on the beer. We'll sure be back for more. Prost!!! Cheers!!!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala dining experience, click / copy the link below:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/06/brotzeit-katong.html

So far we have visited two locations of Peperoni Pizzeria: Greenwood and Frankel. So this time around Little Devil and I are on baby sitting duties, and we brought our niece and nephew to Suntec City. Our little naughty niece decided she wanted chips for lunch, so we decided to go for Peperoni.Located in eating area around the Fountain of Wealth, this branch will see a lot of human traffic. Like other establishment three main colour of Italian flag were used to light up this place. The pizza oven are located in the front of the shop with open kitchen concept. This will definitely pique the interest of passer by to dine in Peperoni.Based on our previous two visits at other Peperoni outlets, we know the standard of food to expect. Since I was not very hungry, LD & I decided to share an entrée and one pizza. The little one got her chips, with condition she need to finish the fish as well.

Entree was Calamari Fritti ($14), fried calamari served with lemon, mayo and arrabiata sauce. The calamari is lightly coated with seasoned flour, has an moist and tender texture. Slightly resilient but not rubbery. The lemon add a bit of twang, and combine well with either mayo or arrabiata sauce.We ordered half/half Diavola (pepperoni) and Margherita (buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, basil & oregano) - $24 for large. The toppings on top of the thin crisp pizza are simple generous. Half meat and half cheese are just perfecto.The little one had Fish & Chips kids meal ($14), however the portion given is just too generous. Served with salad, the size of this meal can filled a stomach of one adult. She managed to wallop all the chips and half of the fish. LD polish off the rest of the fish. The kids meal come with drinks as well.Although the food is good, it was not all a pleasing dining experience. LD and the kids were greeted by the grumpy receptionist. When I arrived, and try to keep my nephew stroller, she was rude and giving orders in the commanding tone. Although no service tax was charge, I am sure this is not the proper way of service. A few of the customers with kids that came after us also face the same problem. To be fair, the rest of the service staff were very professional except for the grumpy reception staff.

Overall, we found that Les Amis group really did a great job in maintaining the food standard across its establishment. The pizza was good and the food here are value for money. Service really need improvement, as this is not the first outlet of Peperoni that I found inconsistent service standard. Cheers!!

For the complete chubby botak koala experience, click / copy the link below to your browser:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/06/peperoni-pizzeria-suntec-city.html