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

This little stall is simply the best udon in Ngee Ann City. Tsuru-Koshi name is inspired from the Japanese words, Tsuru means silky and smooth while literally means going down the throat well or deliciously chewy (not soggy). So from this, we can expect smooth and silky udon, and of course deliciously chewy.Most of the time, this place is always packed with people. But not to worry, they turn the table quite fast. Firstly, you need to place an order at the counter (menu is available on the wall or at the counter), after you made payment and received your queue number, the service staff will arrange a table for you. Anyway, just remember to move your butts as soon as you finished with your meal.My Little Devil ('LD') ordered the original yet delicious Kitsune Udon ($7.50 + upsize $2). A simple udon dish, with clear shoyu broth and sweet beancurd. The broth is clear but tasty. The udon is really the star here, it is chewy, springy, but silky smooth. Just like as described in the menu. Delicious!!I personally ordered Niku Shiru Udon ($10.50 + upsize $2). The udon is served cold, accompany with warm soup and stewed Pork. This is on special offering during the period, not on regular menu. The cold udon taste more chewy and springy. You can dip in in the pork broth before eating it or eat the udon first then drink the pork broth. Whichever way you choose, they are just as nice, especially with slices of pork belly in the broth.We also tried their Mini Soboro Don ($5). Sonboro don is a minced chicken on rice. This dish is actually quite disappointing. The mince chicken serving is just measly, not even covered half of the bowl.Overall, if you are looking for something quick and delicious after your shopping in Takashimaya, Tsuru Koshi is a must place to try. I called Japanese Fast Food Udon. Cheers!!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala experience, click / copy the link below to your browser:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/03/tsuru-koshi-japanese-fast-food-udon.html

A month before my Birthday, Little Devil ('LD') asked me what type of cake do I want for my birthday. I replied “Mille Crepe”. I even forwarded to her the article of which shop I wanted to get the Mille Crepe from. Alas, things always don't go according to your plan, but who knows it might turn out for the best such as this case.

As we are having our Birthday Lunch at Paulaner at Millenia Walk, LD insisted that I stopped her at Marina Square and she will get the cake and walk over to Millenia Square. Not knowing that Lady M is located at the end of Marina Square facing the esplanade. So she actually has to walk from one end of Marina Square to the other end of Millenia Walk. He..he..he.. I'm feeling quite bad about this. The cake ordered for the size of 9 inch cake ($75++). Due to the cream in between of each layer of the crepe, it turn out to be close to 3kg of cake. The cake is nicely caramelized on top. When I first cut through the cake, the plastic knife smoothly go through it without much resistant. Each layer of the crepe has a consistent paper thin thickness. On the first bite, the crepe just melts in your mouth and you can taste the light subtle sweetness cream. Delicious !!!Overall, we all agree that it is one of the best Mille Crepe we ever tried in Singapore. Although I was full after the lunch, I felt I can go for another slice. The best part is that you won't feel overwhelmed even if you have too much of it. Cheers!!

For the complete Chubby Botak Koala experience, click / copy the link below to your browser:
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2014/01/2013-bday-episode-25-lady-m-mille-crepe.html

Privé Grill is part of Privé Group multi-concept F&B lifestyle venue located on the only Singapore private island – Keppel Island. This venue consist of Privé Cafe, Privé Waterfront Bar and Privé Grill. Each of the establishment cater for different dining and entertainment experience.

For the followers of Chubbybotakkoala.com, you might know that it has been a tradition for us to celebrate our special occasion in a restaurant renowned for their steak. This time around, Privé Grill gets our pick.

Driving in to Keppel Island created a unique experience by itself, especially when you pass Keppel Bay Vista, with a stunning view of Singapore waterfront. The Privé F&B venue is located in the Marina at Keppel Bay main drop off point. Just let the service staff beside the Privé cafe know that you are going to the Privé Grill, they will lead the way. The dining area is set in a modern fine dining setting. White table clothes, clean setting, dimmed lights with romantic candle on the tables. A excellent environment to dine for those special or romantic occasions.At the beginning, we were served sweet potato chips, followed by bread basket after the service staff took our order. A plus point about this place, they have our favourite drinks, Lemon Lime and Bitters ($8) which really liven up our mood.

Prior our appetizer, we were served Amuse-bouche of Ricotta Cheese Moose bruschetta. This single bit size appetizer really opens up our palate before the actual appetizer came. No wonder, Amuse-bouche is also known as mouth amuser. Next come the Oxtail Turmeric Soup ($14). Cooked with celery and coriander, the taste is slightly subtle, clean infused with the oxtail flavour. Maybe we are used to the Indonesian version, also known as Sup Buntut, which have strong presence of spices we find this version a little bland. For the steak, we have NZ Savannah Angus Ribeye 340g($58) and U.S. Creekstone Angus Eye of the Ribeye ($58). Both cuts suppose to be renowned for its tenderness, marbling and rich texture. Both cooked to medium rare. We both share half of each steak equally and our verdict, the NZ Savannah Angus Ribeye gets our vote. The NZ steak is more tender, juicy and succulent compare to its US counterpart. The consistency across the steak is just amazing, it almost melts in your mouth. Yummyyyy!!!! We were not sure what sauce to choose from, luckily Privé Grill is generous enough to let us try all the four sauces. Our vote goes to Privé signature steak sauce. We find that it is best sauce to accompanied the steak, according to our taste buds.

For the sides, we had Duck Fat Fries ($12) served Truffle Mayonnaise and Grilled asparagus ($8) with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The fries is thick but has a nice crispiness into it. Rich in flavour and goes well with truffle mayonnaise. It will be better if they coated the fries with truffle oil though. The asparagus is fresh, crunchy with smoky flavour from the grill. Trying something different for desserts, Basil Crepes with bananas ($12) got our pick. Served with honeycomb, caramel sauce and vanilla Bean Ice Cream. The dessert is very creative and well thought off, all ingredients combined well together and has a nice sweetness to it. Unfortunately we find the basil crepe is too thick and we are unable to taste any basil in the crepe. So we end up finishing the rest except for the crepes. The service here is excellent. The service staff is friendly and very accommodating. Worthy of a fine dining experience. Another plus point, after you settle your bill, they even send you home with a slice of fruit cake FOC for your snack at home.

Overall, we are truly impressed with the overall dining experience in this restaurant. Beautiful atmosphere and service, without filling much pinch on your pocket. We really look forward for our next visit. Cheers!

For full review and more photos, please visit
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2013/08/prive-grill-waterfront-dining-at.html

Sky on 57 is gastronomic dining experience opened by Singaporean French trained Chef Justin Quek. Located on the 57th floor of Tower 1 Marina Bay Sands ('MBS'), this restaurant provide the awesome view of Singapore skyline to accompany your dining experience. According to the MBS website written by those tongue twisting PR people, Sky on 57 showcase a modern interpretation of Franco Asian Cuisine. Chubby Botak Koala's simple interpretation, fusion between Asian & French cuisine. So it is normal to see Chicken Rice, Laksa or Xiao Long Bao serve side by side with Foie Gras, Wild Mushroom Risotto and Champagne on the same table.

Before we proceed further, let us be clear that this review is based on our visit to the Sky on 57 Terrance Bar, not the main restaurant. We visited the sky bar for drinks on one Wednesday night. Luckily without reservation, we manage to get a seat. As we were then ushered to our seat, I can feel my jaw dropped. The Terrance Bar has a first class view of Singapore CBD skyline, including the Fullerton Hotel and Esplanade. The view can be only described as breathtaking and magnificent! Amazing!

This section is open air, with luxurious outdoor lazy sofas and cushioned stools. Basically the environment persuade you to sit down, chill out, enjoy the comfortable background music, have a little nibble and drinks & at the same time soaking up the beautiful atmosphere. Definitely a good place to bring someone special or clients from overseas. A place to proposed to your loved ones, is also not out of the question.The menu has a good selection of alcoholic beverages, however as we were on non alcohol diet at this moment, we ended up with mocktails. Our mocktails are mixed with strawberry, mango & pineapples and lime & mint; priced around $10.For finger foods, we had Fried “Sakura” Chicken ($18) and Wok fried Australian beef short ribs in salt and pepper ($25). Fried “Sakura” Chicken is crispy on the outside but juicy and succulent on the inside. The marinate is quite subtle, and it is served with lemon mayonnaise and chilli sauce. The beef short ribs is tender and juicy, covered with fragrant fried garlic and chilli. Unlike the Korean sweet version of short beef marinated, JQ's (Justin Quek) style of marination is more on the salty side. It was well marinated, but expect to get your fingers dirty as you need to deal with the bones of the short ribs. The service here was first class. The service staff are friendly, well trained and very accommodating. They are always on their toes but you won't feel their presence intruding your evening. We totally enjoy our visit here.

Overall, Sky on 57 Terrance Bar is a must place to visit. The beautiful Singapore skyline at night is just magnificent. The food and beverages are priced reasonably and it is value for money considering the location. Cheers!

For full review and more photos, please visit
http://www.chubbybotakkoala.com/2013/07/sky-on-57-terrance-bar-perfect-view.html