Kim Dae Mun – Authentic Korean Food with Food Court Budget

During our quick getaway to Batam recently, Little Devil's (LD) aunty recommended that we tried authentic Korean food in a food court. Since LD is a Korean Food lover, we decided to arrange one weekend to try out his place.

Kim Dae Moon located in the air conditioned food court at Concorde Hotel in Orchard Road. It is easily spotted, basically its operation occupied 3 stalls. Headed by a Korean lady boss that take your order and control the food , the kitchen staff are mostly from Myanmar.

Instead of ordering my normal grill saba, I decided to go for something different. I ordered Steamed Saba Fish Set ($6.50). Knowing my dislike for kimchi, I did not realising that there will be some red bean paste in it. So when the food arrive, I have no choice but to eat it. The saba fish is very tender and juicy. No fishy smell and the gravy is quite subtle, a little sweet instead of spicy.

Steamed Saba Fish Set

Ichiban Sushi @ Changi City Point – Good Value Japanese Food

Ichiban Sushi is another concept of Major Japanese F&B group, RE&S Group. Ichiban Sushi concept is an attractive combination of price and quality of Japanese food. At Ichiban Sushi, you can experience casual and friendly atmosphere, comfortable for any occasions.

We actually stop by this place just after we came back from our R&R in Batam, straight from Tanah Merah ferry terminal, slightly tired but very hungry. While each one of us ordered some main dish, we also ordered some sushi roll, which normally come faster than the cooked food.

First to arrive is their Makimono (variety of roll), each plate price at $2.40. Golden Catch (Dory fish potato, tartar sauce, lettuce) & Spring Fever (salmon skin, spicy tuna mayonnaise, leek, seaweed and spring onion) arrived and went as fast as it come. The combination of salmon skin and tuna mayonnaise give a nice contrasting texture with a subtle spiciness to accompany the sushi rice. The same can be said about the crispy dory fish.

Golden Catch

Spring Fever

Salmon Sashimi ($9.50 - 7pcs), Kajiki Sashimi (($9.50 - 7pcs) and Aburi Kaisen Salad ($6.90) came next. The sashimi are fresh and the cuts are generous. While you can say that assorted sashimi salad use the left over sashimi cuts, you can actually get a good value for money. The vegetables and assorted raw fish are fresh, while the Japanese dressing is slightly tangy, light and refreshing.

Salmon Sashimi & Kajiki Sashimi 

Aburi Kaisen Salad

Cereal Tori Karaage ($6.90) came just in time to accompany our main dish Chasoba & Katsu Don Wazen ($13.90). The cereal added another dimension to the crispiness of the succulent fried chicken. Meanwhile the chasoba is cook nicely to al dente and the rice in katsu don a tad overcooked, so a little soft and mushy but the serving of the chicken is huge.

Chasoba & Katsu Don Wazen 

Chasoba & Katsu Don Wazen 

Cereal Tori Karaage

The restaurant is decorated fish theme, including the wall and the lightings. Service is average, as the restaurant is understaffed. When we were waiting to be seated, we saw the staff scrambling to clear the tables, taking order and delivering food. It also take them quite a while before they take our order and to catch their attention afterwards.

Overall, we find Ichiban Sushi delivered on their concept to provide attractive combination of quality Japanese food and pricing. The price here is value for money in relation to the quality served. The Makimono is a must try. Cheers!!

Food & Drink: 7/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 6/10

Ambiance: 7/10.

Ichiban Sushi @ Changi City Point
5 Changi Business Park Central 1
#B1-12/13. Changi City Point
Singapore 486038


Tel: 6636 1638
Website: http://www.ichibansushi.com.sg/
Op Hours: Daily 11.30 – 22.00

Swee Kee (Ka-Soh) Fishead Noodle House – Fishhead Noodle Institution

This restaurant has a humble beginning from a Cantonese Zi Char joint in the 1940s. In 1970, it moves to its current establishment in Amoy Street. Many generations of Singaporeans grew up tasting their famous snakehead fish noodle soup, pork chop and their generous condiments of fried pork lards. The most interesting part, this restaurant is popularly known as Ka-Soh instead of Swee Kee.

My first encounter with this place was in 2003, a good friend of my in-laws, Uncle E, who brought us here for lunch. Till today, I still vaguely remember the yummyness of their soup. Unlike many fish soup restaurant that add milk into their soup base, Swee Kee broth are made from lots of fresh snakehead bones and simmer over a long period creating the creamy milky colour in the robust soup.

This time around, we stop by for a unplanned quick lunch. For 2 person, we had Fish slices with noodle soup (Signature fish) ($7.50), Hor Fun with dark sauce ($7.50) and Hong Kong Kailan Beef ($8.50).

While waiting for our order to come, we were served some condiments to accompany our dishes such as Acar (Peranakan spicy pickled vegetables), red chilli, green chilli and pork lard.

Condiments: Acar, red chilli, green chilli and pork lard.

Yummy Pork Lard

The noodle soup is as good as I remembered. The soup is milky and robust. You can tell from the taste, it is due to long cooking process that extract the goodness from the bones of the fish. The thick bee hoon is springy in texture while the fish tasted very fresh. The best part, it goes well with the pork lard he..he..he..

Fish slices with noodle soup 

The presentation of the Hor Fun simple yet effective. Topped with raw egg on top, this will ensure the fried hor fun will be smooth for consumption. Stir-fried the traditional way, it might seems slightly oily but it is fragrant, delicious and strong wok-hei presence in the dish.

Hor Fun with dark sauce

Hong Kong Kailan Beef is supposed to be a combination of tender beef with crunchy Kailan. Although the beef already coated with flour, it is still slightly chewy. A simple complimentary dish.

 Hong Kong Kailan Beef

Simple and slightly ageing is the decoration of this place. Marble tables are the standard table during that time and still serve them well until today. Service staff is efficient. Cantonese is the main language here, but not to worry they understand Chinese and English as well.

Overall, Swee Kee or famously known as Ka-Soh serve a traditional cantonese cuisine. It is simple, unpretentious and follow the old ways of cooking. Price is very reasonable. So if you feel like traditional cantonese fish head soup or hor fun, do drop by at Ka-Soh. Cheers!!!

Food & Drink: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 6/10

Ambiance: 6/10

Swee Kee (Ka-Soh) Fishhead Noodle House
Alumni Medical Centre
2 College Road
Singapore 169850

T: +65 6473 6686

W: https://ka-soh.com.sg/ 

W: http://www.ka-soh.com.sg/ 
F:https://www.facebook.com/KaSohSG
IG: @Kasohsg

OH: 

Wed - Mon: 11.30 - 14.00; 17.30 - 21.00

Closed on Tuesday. 

Other Branches:
Ka-Soh (Greenwood)

22 Greenwood Ave

Singapore 289218

T: +65 8754 7481

OH: 

Tue - Sun: 11.30 - 14.00; 17.30 - 21.00

Closed on Monday. 

Previous Location:

96A Amoy Street
Singapore 069916

[CLOSED] First Love Patisserie – Hokkaido Mille Crepe from Jakarta

Following our recent visit to Melaka for work and encounter with Mille Crepe there (Check out the post here), I was kind of hooked and in search for a patisserie in Singapore that made this fantastic cake. In case you are wondering, Mille Crepe is a cake made from layers of crepes. In between it will normally have a fresh cream and coated with maple syrup or different variety of flavours.

First Love Patisserie surprisingly originated from Jakarta. The Chef supposedly trained in Japan, so this mille crepe has the same style as mille crepe made popular in Hokkaido. Although they have many branches in Jakarta and surroundings, the shop in Ion Orchard Singapore is their first overseas outlet.

As a reward for picking up my Little Devil and her BFF that can't catch a cab from Ion Orchard, I got three slices of mille crepe. The Original, Strawberry and Oreo ($6.50 per slice). At first glance, I did not find anything special about the packaging. Packed in very thin and flimsy plastic container, it no longer has the flair as the printed box shown in other food blogs before.

Original Mille Crepe

First bite of Original mille crepe, LD and I found something a little off. There is a solid texture in the cream, apparently it is not fully thawed yet. The result is of this is the crepes does not melts in your mouth. The next time around, I had a chance to tried the Original after it is properly thawed. It is soft and moist, however it still does not melts in your mouth.

The Oreo flavour is quite interesting. Coated with chocolate powder, it does actually taste like oreo cake. This slice is better than the original, however the chocolate powder can be quite overpowering and cover the taste of the cream. It is also cause the cake to be a bit harder to swallow.

Oreo Mille Crepe

The Strawberry is our favourite. Unfortunately the strawberry toppings did not survive the journey home and got smudged. The strawberry really combines well with the cream and the crepes just melts in your mouth. This slice is good. Yummyyy!!

Strawberry Mille Crepe

There is no comment on the service and ambiance as they do not have proper seating place for their customers. Overall, the mille crepe they serve here is just okay. However, after trying the amazing freshly made version from Melaka, we can say that First Love Patisserie mille crepe is okay but not great.

Food & Drink: 7/10

Value: 7/10

Service: n/a

Ambiance: n/a

First Love Patisserie
2 Orchard Turn
B4-63, ION Orchard
ION Orchard Food Hall
Singapore 238801

Tel: 6238 8006
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/firstlovecake (FB page for customer in Indonesia)
Op Hours: Daily 11.00 – 22.00

Price: $6.5 per slice. For whole cake order 2 days in advance

The Result - Kinsa Sushi Salmon Sashimi Voucher

Thank you very much for participating in the Kinsa Shushi Sashimi Voucher give away.


The winners of the give away are:

1. Ben Cho (3 Vouchers) – The most creative answer
   
2. Grace Yong (2 Vouchers)
   
3. Cora Seah (2 Vouchers)
   
4. Evelyn Toh (2 Vouchers)
   
5. Belinda Lim (2 Vouchers)
   
6. Marie D'Nacio (2 Vouchers)
   
7. Shirley Supangkat (2 Vouchers)
   

Chubby Botak Koala will get in touch with you on how to send the vouchers to you.
If I have not reach you by 17 August 2013, please drop me an email on chubbybotakkoala@gmail.com



Cheers & Enjoy!!!

[CLOSED] Privé Grill – Waterfront Dining at Private Island

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 follower 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.

Bread Basket

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.

Amuse-bouche of Ricotta Cheese Moose bruschetta

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.

Oxtail Tumeric Soup

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!!!!

U.S. Creekstone Angus Eye of the Ribeye 

NZ Savannah Angus Ribeye 

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.

Steak Sauces

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.

Duck Fat Fries served Truffle Mayonnaise

Grilled asparagus

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.

Basil Crepes with bananas

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!!!

Food & Drink: 8.5/10

Value: 9/10

Service: 10/10

Ambiance: 9/10

Privé Grill
Marina at Keppel Bay

2 Keppel Bay Vista
Singapore 098382


Tel: 6776 0777
Website: http://theprivegroup.com.sg/prive/
Op Hours:
Mon – Thu: 12.00 – 15.00 (LO14.30); 19.00 – 23.30 (LO 22.30)
Fri, Sat & Eve of PH: 18.30 – 23.30 (LO 22.30)

Closed on Sun & PH

[CLOSED] Arbite – Fresh, Simple and Creative

It has been a while since I noticed Arbite, located in Serangoon Garden-a place that I visit at least twice a week either for food or banking matters. To be exact, it is located on the second floor of Guardian pharmacy, beside Sushi Tei. Recently posting of positive food review online, make me decide to visit this bistro. This review is based on our observations (Little Devil and Chubby Botak Koala) from a few visits there.

The Beer Selections

Some simple facts about Arbite, “It all began with a simple belief shared by three secondary school buddies, that good food should be affordable and accessible. And so good food is at the heart of it all because the best reward for an honest day's work is a hearty meal.” (Quoted from Arbite.com.sg)

Our first visit was for a quick brunch during our wedding anniversary. We had Foie Gras ($14.90), Gardener French Toast ($13.90) and Squid Ink Seafood Spaghettini ($24.90). When the Spaghettini arrived, it looks so appetizing. The giant-size seafood cover the top part of the plates. The squid ink pasta was handmade, cooked to al dente, springy and soak up the fresh seafood flavour with tomato base. This dish get our two thumbs up, super Yummyyy!! And we were saying to ourself, we need to come back more often.

Squid Ink Seafood Spaghettini (front view)

Squid Ink Seafood Spaghettini (Back View)

Gardener French Toast & Foie Gras, shared a same basic ingredient, Brioche. The brioche has the perfect texture to pair with both dishes. For the French Toast, it is lightly coated with eggs and you can choose your dips of chocolate pot de crème, vanilla bean cream, berry compote and maple syrup. We like the cream berry compote and maple syrup. However the chocolate has a dense texture similar to nutella, I will like this dip if it is on melted chocolate form but LD being a nutella fan, simply loves the texture. The Foie Gras is pan fried to perfection, slightly crispy but melts in your mouth. It is a wonderful dish, although the generous apple & raisin compote can be a little to sweet for some people.

Gardener French Toast

Foie Gras

Our Second visit was for a quick desserts. Specials for the day. Sago Watermelon Creme Brulee ($8) and Chendol Panacotta ($8). These are the interpretations of modern desserts with Asian flavour. The brulee has a nice layer of crusted sugar on the top, the combination of sago, watermelon and crème, created a nice balance with the right sweetness and texture in this desserts.

Sago Watermelon Creme Brulee

Chendol Panacotta is a creative invention, but a little more difficult to palate. The panacotta is thick and has a good sweetness level in it. Texture is slightly condense but did not manage to hold the red bean and chendol in place. We have slight problem in accepting chendol flavour with cream and orange syrup, however have to give them brownie points for coming out with this desserts.

Chendol Panacotta

Third visit, Truffle Fries (S12.90), Pancakes ($14.90); and soup, salad, Braised Beef and Pork and Veal Sausage ($30 – UOB 1 for 1 promo). Truffle fries is house fries tossed with truffle sea salt, truffle oil and serve with truffle dip. The fries are nicely fried, crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. The truffle oil is fragrant but subtle, while the truffle dip accentuate the flavour in the fries. For the pancakes, the presentation is amazing however the sweetness is a little overwhelming. Although the pancake is fluffy, the caramelised banana actually make the texture quite dense and hard to swallow.

Truffle Fries

Pancakes

Pancakes (in between)

For UOB 1 for 1 promo set meal (Soup + Salad + Main Meal + Drinks), it come with mushroom soup is thick and flavourful. The salad with vinaigrette dressing, is simple yet refreshing. The braised beef is tender and well cook. Paired with their popular brioche to soak up the gravy from the beef is a nice comfort food. Meanwhile, Pork and Veal sausages dish quite disappointing. The pepper in the pork is to overpowering, the veal sausages are dry and the additional ingredients in the mash potatoes made it taste weird.

Mushroom Soup

Set Meal salad

Braised Beef

Pork & Veal Sausages

So far, we find the ice lemon tea ($4) and ice passion fruit tea ($5) are quite refreshing.

 ice lemon tea  and ice passion fruit tea 

Service has always been good. The service staff are friendly and knowledgeable. Decoration is simple. The wall on the staircase are decorated with lego bricks. The dining area is open and filled with natural lights during the day.

Overall, Arbite provide a good quality food using fresh ingredients. They refresh their menu quite regularly. For example, the squid ink pasta was off the menu on our recent visit, and replace with a Tagliatelle with prawns. However, based on the dishes served, we can be sure it will be top notch. Looking forward to our next visit there. Cheers!!

Food & Drink: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Ambiance: 7/10.

Arbite

66A Serangoon Garden Way

Singapore 555962

Tel: 6287 0430

Website: http://www.arbite.com.sg/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Arbite/109636322393480?fref=ts

Op Hours:
Tue – Fri: 11.30 – 15.00; 18.00 – 22.30
Sat – Sun: 09.00 – 22.30.
Last Order at 2.30 pm & 9.45 pm
Closed on Mondays