Saveur - a French restaurant set up by Mr. Dylan Ong, Mr. Joshua Khoo and another business partner with the aim to offer quality yet affordable French cuisine to the masses. After the successful outlet of Savour in Purvis Street and Far East Plaza, these two young entrepreneurs just can't keep still and decided to set up a Italian sibbling for Saveur, thus Concetto was born.Little Devil ('LD') and I have tried Saveur, for the price we actually find it quite good. So when the opportunity arises, we decided to tried Concetto. Unlike Saveur that always packed with crowd, we manage to get a seat in Concetto on a Saturday afternoon without any problem.

We started our lunch with Buffalo Mozzarella ($8.90). The Mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, parmesan cheese are served on top of toasted rye bread. Drizzle with good balsamic vinegar, it was a good appetizer, light and refreshing. We wished that there were more of the mozzarella. Grilled Octopus Caesar Salad ($11.90). This salad is colourful and beautifully presented. Fresh salad, crispy bacon, shaved parmesan cheese binds well with the anchovies base dressing. The octopus are tender, although slightly limited. However the almost powdered eggs really captured our attention and palate. Yum Yum. For mains, we have Crab Risotto ($13.90) and Wagyu Tender ($26.90). The risotto is al-dente and creamy. You can feel the robust broth absorbs into the arborio rice. To add to the texture, they also use crispy rice, capsicums, cucumbers and brussel sprouts. The crab meat tartare tasted fresh, but it seems that the flavour of the crab in the risotto seems to be missing. Using the Wagyu shoulder, the meat is quite lean similar to filet mingon. Low in fat but tender and juicy. Cooked to medium rare and accompany with foie gras with shallots and portobello mushrooms. The beef jus that accompany the dish was just perfect. Delicious. Service is good and efficient. The décor of the restaurant is very minimal, however it is bright, spacious and cosy. Rather than charge you for decoration, they decided to pass the savings to the customers by keeping the price low. Overall, we really enjoy our meal here. Concetto interpertation of Italian food is more towards simple, modern, nice presentation and pack of punch. Kudos to them for bringing the food people. Cheers!!

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For the complete review, follow this link: http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2015/02/onya-sayang-paya-lebar-square.htmlOnya Sayang at Paya Lebar Square is the second sister restaurant from the Dulukala Peranakan Restaurant that made its name in Beauty World Centre Bukit Timah. While Dulukala Peranakan Restaurant is a family business that cooked all its food in its property, O'nya Sayang provide a more modern bistro casual dining atmosphere. This outlet, in the newly open Paya Lebar square is the second branch after the Tampines Mall outlet. O'nya Sayang is founded and helmed by Executive Chef Zhan Ho, a third generation Peranakan Chef. He basically grew up in the kitchen and learned how to cooked authentic Peranakan cuisine from his mother. Due to certain constrains in operation, O'nya Sayang incorporate modern F&B method such as central kitchen to control the quality and the consistency of its dishes. In line with the current trend, he also created new dishes using traditional ingredients.We started our tasting with Ayam Keluak Fried Rice Set ($14.90). The set come with fried rice, ayam buah keluak dish, achar, sambal and prawn crackers. This is an creative play on from the traditional Peranakan Dish of Ayam Buah Keluak. The rice is al-dente, tasty yet not overpowered by the cut fresh chilli in it. It has a good Wok Hei (breath of the wok) and the ayam buah keluak is tender and succulent. Bakwan Kepiting Soup ($12.90) and Lor Bak Noodles set ($12.90) follow soon. The bakwan kepiting balls are springy and flavourful. The broth is robust, however you can't really taste the crab meat. More like a pork ball instead. The Lor Bak Noodles provide a different option to the normal rice dishes in a Peranakan restaurant. Noodle is thin and springy, goes nicely with the lor bak sauce. The braising sauce was light and not overly sweet. The set also come with Otah, where it has a nice texture and you actually have a good bite of the fish in the otah. Babi Pongteh ($13.90), Chap Chye ($10.90), Assam Fish ($16.90) and Seafood Chilli Garam ($15.90) are typical Peranakan traditional dishes. Pork Belly are used in the Babi Ponteh Dish. Bean paste here is very subtle and not overpowering, while the fats from the pork belly is just lovely. The chap chye is all right, the vegetables complements each other and absorbed the braising liquid. Like most Peranakan dishes, it tasted better with fully white rice. Check out mine, decorated in Goat outlook by Little Miss Bento, who recently published her bento book. Seafood Chilli Garam looks like a Peranakan Seafood Combo Hot plate. The Chilli Garam is secret family recipe from Chef Zhan Ho. Looks slightly oily and it packs of spicy punch. You can find ingredients such as prawns, octopus and batang fish. One bite and I quickly reach for my water to put down the fire in my mouth. For Assam fish, red snapper was used. The assam is combination of sweetness and tanginess from the tamarind sauce. Similar taste to Gulai Ikan for Indonesian dish. Its good. Beef Rendang Bread Bowl set ($12.90), another new idea using traditional ingredients. The beef rendang stuffed into bread bowl produced by a traditional bakery. It is then baked to crisp, with a unique rough texture. The rendang is sweet and tender. It will be better if the chuck of beef contain more fats, so the meat does not look dry. There is a additional curry on the side if you want to dip your bread into it. I like the presentation. Of course the meal won't be completed without the peranakan desserts such as Chendol ($4.90), Chendol Ice Cream ($5.90), Sago Gula Melaka Ice Cream ($5.90) and Ondeh Ondeh 5 pcs ($5.90). The ice cream in the desserts are actually coconut ice cream, sourced by Chef Zhan Ho, which use Thai coconut. The ice cream is creamy like coconut cream but with a well balance sweetness. Meanwhile the Gula Melaka used is the Indonesia version that give more intense flavour but reduced in sweetness. It is nicely complement Chendol and Sago Gula Melaka. Kudos to the Chef that willing to look outside of the box to keep improving its dishes. We actually made a mistake in tasting the ice cream version of the Chendol first. When we get to the traditional version of the chendol, it was just blown away by the ice cream version. For the onde, a warning must be given here. Don't cut it, just pop the whole onde in your mouth. Make sure you close your mouth before you bite it, as it just explode in your mouth. The skin is slightly dry, probably it was displayed all day. Overall, I really enjoyed our meal here. The traditional and modern Peranakan Cuisine is good, and the ice cream desserts are a must try dish. There is not much different in quality between the dishes we ate here with those cooked in the kitchen premises. I hope Chef Zhan Ho keep pushing the boundaries of Peranakan Cuisine and come out with more modern Peranakan dishes. So if you are in Paya Lebar Square, give this place a try. Cheers!!

Thank you very much to Hannah Chia Food Trail and O'nya Sayang team for the invitation.

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Squash, a healthy joint located in the basement of The Central Clarke Quay. To be exact, beside Watson. If you might think Squash is a juice bar, you are not wrong. Squash offered a complete healthy lifestyle which include cold press juice, salads and wraps.Squash juice are fresh Cold Press juice and crafted by the mixologist to create a functional and nutritional juice. Cold press is a way to extract the best liquid, pulp and nutrient from fruits and vegetables without exposing it with heat from the blender. With the rave of liquid detox recently, you can do the same with the juice here and create you personalise detox program. Price started from $6.90 to $9.90, they are reflective base on the fresh ingredients use. I tried Hydrate (Coconut water, Cucumber, Watermelon and Kalamansi), Berrylicious Antioxidant (Apple, Pear, Mix Berries and Promegranate) and Tropical Sunrise (Banana, Orange and Strawberry). Hydrate is refreshing and packed with liquid. It is not sweet and easy on the palate. Berrylicious and Tropical Sunrise are thicker in texture, and you can feel the fibre from the banana, orange and berries. Delicious and it does feel healthy. To accompany the juice, Squash also offer a salad bar which contains more than 30+ toppings and healthy version of the dressings. The salad base starts at $5.90 with a choice of 2 standard toppings and 1 dressing. Our first try of salad is Salad pasta. Using spiral pasta as a base, the berries dressing is just wonderful. Something unique and not commonly found. Next come the Ultimate Rojak Salad. It is a modern interpretation by Squash for Singapore Favourite Rojak. The key ingredients here are the caramelised pineapple and dried cuttle fish. Squash even throw in the mini cut You Tiao to add to the authenticity. It is nice, light and not spicy. The dried cuttle fish also has a more refine, not overpowering stinky taste. For more exotic toppings (add $2), you can have prawns, smoked salmon, pork bulgogi or buratta cheese. We tried the Spicy Thai Prawn Salad and Pork Bulgogi. The prawns are fresh but not as spicy as Thai version of raw salad. The pork bulgogi are delicious, although slightly chewy because of the cut of the meat. One thing I like to mention here, there is no fix mixture of the salad. You are welcome to mix and match and come out with your creation.

If salad is not your thing, maybe you can consider wraps. We tried smoked Salmon and Roast Beef. Using whole wheat wrap, remind me of eating Souvlaki or Turkish Wrap. It tasted crisp, fresh and tasty. Of course the ingredients here are more refine, yet compare to Turkish wrap. My preference is the beef rather than the salmon. With Chinese New Year around the corner and you are looking for a different version of Yu Sheng, you can order from Squash. They used healthy nuts, dried fruits and mix berries dressing as the toppings. Price starting from $28. I personally like the unique mix berries dressing. Overall, Squash is not just a salad bar. It is a complete healthy lifestyle, which provide healthy and delicious meal. In case you are looking for Liquid Cleanse Detox program, you can consult the staff of Squash on their programs. Cheers!!

Thank you very much to Jason, Ian and Squash team member for the tasting invitation.

For the complete review, click / copy the link below:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2015/02/Squash-TheCentral.html

Poulet, a French word for Chicken. It is a French theme bistro offering French classic dishes, especially their signature dish of Poulet Roti (Roast Chicken), Poulet also served array of classical French cuisine from Appetizers to desserts.Apparently, Poulet is operated by Minor Food Group Singapore (MFGS), global operator of other popular brands such as ThaiExpress, Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe and Kiseki. We dropped by at Poulet Raffles City for a quick bite before we completing our Christmas Shopping. We were lucky to grab a seat before the dinner crowd begun to swarm the place and were seated near the back of the restaurant. Our dinner started with Salad De Canard Fume ($12.90). The unique thing that we notice about the salad, is that the greens are chopped. It is refreshing, especially with the tomato and orange wedges. The smoked duck has a very subtle salty flavours and the raspberry dressing provided a sweet touch to the salad. Simple and Refreshing. For Poulet Roti, LD ordered the original Poulet Roti with Mushroom Chardonay Sauce ($15.90 - half) and I had their Christmas special Poulet Roti with Caramelised Apple Sauce ($17.90 – half). We both shared a side of mashed potatoes ($4.90). We noticed that both the roast chicken has the same basic seasoning. The amazing part is they manage to roast it to an even consistency on the white and dark meat. It is common for the thigh to be tender and succulent, however the same can be said with their breast meat. Yum Yum. Typical French dish, sauces are the important component of the dish. I preferred the Caramelised Apple sauce, as the apple and cinnamon provide a little acidity to the sauce and balance the dish. We feel that the Mushroom Chardonnay sauce was too rich and overwhelming your taste buds after a few bites. The mashed potatoes are just smooth, velvety and creamy. With a texture of those bottled baby food, but taste just superb. It is good with the apple sauce, but not with the Mushroom Chardonnay sauce. For desserts, we ordered the Rustic French Pear and Apple Tart ($8.90) from the Christmas Menu. The presentation are beautiful. The puff pastry are light, crispy and fully, sits on the bottom and top of the vanilla ice cream. The apple and pear bits are nicely caramelised and intensified their taste. The ice cream added a perfect sweetness to it together with the berries sauce, it just bind all the components together. This desserts will give most of desserts from fine dining restaurant a run for their money. The service is attentive and friendly. Although the bistro is packed, the service staff attend to our request and speed up our order. The bistro is furnished with dark colour wooden tables and chairs. With a Parisian theme décor as well, you will be able to spot this place from a distance. As they try to maximise the place, I just find the table and chair a little cramp for my size. Overall, although it has been two years since its opening in Singapore, we did not really had a chance to try it until now and we truly enjoy our meal here. The food is just delicious, accompanied by good service, good atmosphere and reasonably priced. We'll definitely be back for more. Cheers!!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala experience, click / copy the link below:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2015/02/poulet-raffles-city.html

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Hello Truffle Lovers, The Black Truffle promotion has arrived at Oscar's Cafe & Terrace ('Oscar'). One of the must try ingredient for foodies is making its appearance in Oscar. Black Truffle is also known as Winter Truffle. Compare to white truffle, which normally harvested during summer in Europe, black truffle has a more subtle aromatic flesh. Black Truffle can be used as it own or can be incorporated with different ingredients to draw out the flavour. In Oscar, Executive Chef Michele Mingozze will be using the Black Truffle in different cuisines. From appetizers, Japanese, Local, Western and of course desserts. This tasting session really made me feel that I am at one of guest judges in the Iron Chef competitions, with the privilege of tasting how the chef uses and presents of the main ingredient black truffle in each dish. We started this Truffle Gastronomic Journey from the appetizers. Poached Quail Egg with Black Truffle Espuma; and Seafood Salad with Sliced Braised Black Truffle. The aromatic and subtle truffle paired with smooth and velvety poached quail egg is refreshing. Although the foam has dissipate, the truffle aroma still there. The seafood salad are fresh, but the truffle here is more refined. It was a good wake up call for our palate. Next Chef Mingozze brought us to Japan, represented with Miso Soup infused with Black Truffle; and Spicy Tuna Maki with Black Truffle. Personally, I feel that the truffle flavours are overwhelmed by the flavours of the miso and the spiciness of in the maki. For Western Cuisine, it is more of an Italian Affair and showcasing the strength of Chef Mingozze. White Asparagus, Parma Ham Chips and Black Truffle; Risotto with Black Truffle; and White Noodle with Black Truffle and Olive Oil Sauce. The aroma of the truffle just lingered in the air when the white asparagus are served. All the ingredients here comes together nicely and my favourite is the crispy parma ham. Tasted like bacon without the oil. Only one word to describe the Risotto, Fantastico! It is creamy, cheesy, flavourful, and the risotto rice is al-dente. It seems the risotto and the mushroom really accentuate the scent and flavour of black truffle in the dish. On the buffet line, the risotto will be cooked upon order. Similarly with the fettucine, the simplicity of this dish allowed us to taste the real flavour of the black truffle. A touch of crispy parmesan, just complete this dish. From the Local Section, we have Slow-roasted Pork Belly in Truffle Gratin; and Wok-Fried Slipper Lobster in Oyster Sauce with Truffle Oil. The pork belly is tender, succulent with a crispy crackling. You can feel the subtle flavour of the truffle in the sauce and the gratin on the pork. For the lobster dish, the flavour truffle very subdued. But I enjoy the well-cooked lobster. Finally for the sweet ending with truffles, there are 4 types of desserts you can savour: Chocolate Mousse and Black Truffle in Mini Cone; Strawberries and Black Truffle Fruits Porpourri; Pineapple Capaccio with Black Truffle and Coconut Foam; and Avocado Parfait with Black Truffle Confit. The strawberries and pineapple desserts are thinly sliced and infused with truffle scented liquid. The combination of fresh fruits and liquid infused truffle is just nice for those who like their desserts light. My personal choice of desserts are the Chocolate Moose. The chocolate made cone filled with chocolate moose, truffle and berry below is just how you say chocolategasm. It has the fragrances of the truffle, the richness of dark chocolate and the acidity of the berry to balance it. It is served on a bed of chocolate granules that you should enjoy slowly with the cone. Coming second is Avocado Parfait. It is smooth and creamy. The Black Truffle Confit, Chocolate granules and berries provided complementing flavours to the dish. While it might be an Unearthing Black Truffle Events at Oscars, you can still enjoy the famous buffet line-up that Oscars are renowned for. The special for the current seasons are the three type of oysters to choose from: American, Irish and Canadian; fresh seafood such as Yabbies, Slipper Lobster (looks like crayfish), crabs, and awesomely slow-roasted Wagyu beef brisket that just melts in your mouth. For this special tasting, we were served Virgin Cucumber with Lychee Mojito, which was just refreshing. This mocktails really got my two thumbs up.

Overall, I am truly impressed with Chef Mingozzi and his team effort to bring us their interpretation and creativity in presenting black Truffle influenced dishes. The appetizers, Western (Italian) and desserts are just amazing. What a memorable Iron Chef esque experience.

Please note that this OSCAR'S Truffe promotion is only for a limited time only.
Dates: 29 – 31 January, 1 February; 5 – 8 February 2015.
Time: For Dinner only 18.00 – 22.00
Price: Thu & Sun, $78++ per person; Fri & Sat, 88++ per person
Complimentary shooter glass of Grapa, a uniquely grape-based Italian drink which paves the way for an indulgent evening of truffles.

Thank you to Chef Michele Mingozzi, Oscar's F&B Team and Conrad Centennial Singapore for the wonderful evening. 

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