Chubby Botak Koala - Singapore Food Blog, Travel and Lifestyle: August 2024

Thursday, 22 August 2024

Permata Singapore – National Days Celebration [MEDIA INVITE]

This August, Permata Singapore celebrate the National Days of Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia with 1-FOR-1 Halal Buffet, bringing together the best culinary menu of the three nations.

National Month 1-for-1 Buffet

Highlights of this feast are:

Punten + Sambal Ijo. Punten origin from Java, it is a rice cooked with coconut milk, crushed and mould into desired shape. It is rich, creamy and together with Chef Mel Dean’s sambal ijo, it has a kick to our palate and a good start to the meal.

Punten + Sambal Ijo

Pulut Kuning + Beef Rendang + Javanese Sambal Goreng. The yellow glutinous rice is packed with turmeric. The beef rendang is rich and fork tender and goes well with the sambal goreng made with potatoes and long beans.

Pulut Kuning + Beef Rendang + Javanese Sambal Goreng

Nasi Goreng Rawon + Ayam Goreng Rempah + Sambal Quail Eggs. This flavourful fried rice is made with beef and candlenut soup. It paired well with the tasty fried chicken and the rich quail eggs chilli.

Nasi Goreng Rawon + Ayam Goreng Rempah + Sambal Quail Eggs

Gado Gado. My favourite Indonesian salad. A combination of rice cake, fried tofu, bean sprout, fried tempeh, cabbage and keropok bind by thick, tasty and rich peanut sauce. I will usually drizzle peanut sauce until it covers the whole plate.

Gado Gado

Mee Siam Mamak. LD like the version here because of the bold flavours. It is sweet and tangy, plus the chilli is also power. Yummy!!

Mee Siam Mamak

Seafood Lemak Casserole + Rawon Risotto. I called this combination as Surf and Turf. The seafood lemak casserole is rich, creamy, infused with fish and prawns plus the flavour bomb from the Lemak Api Chilli.

Seafood Lemak Casserole + Rawon Risotto

Meanwhile, the Rawon Risotto has a closer texture to a fried porridge. It is tasty and it is great to eat with a keropok.

Soto Lamongan. Indonesian chicken consommé, flavoured with turmeric, coriander, candlenut, galangal and kaffir lime. A comforting bowl of soup.

Chargrilled Striploin with Sambal Geprek, Lemak Cili Api Sauce & Sambal Ijo. I always like the chargrilled striploin here. The beef is lean, yet tender. For me the Lemak Cili Api is the perfect companion for this dish.

Chargrilled Striploin with Sambal Geprek,
Lemak Cili Api Sauce & Sambal Ijo.

Botok Botok Barramundi. Chef Mel Dean version of Barramundi Otah. The fish is silky and the spices paired well with the fish. One of our favourite dish of the night!!.

Botok Botok Barramundi

Bubur Som Som + Kolak Pisang + Kole Kole Temasek. A sweet ending to the evening. Three traditional dessert that are full of flavours. I wanted to go for second round, but there was just too much food.

Bubur Som Som + Kolak Pisang + Kole Kole Temasek

By the way, I just found out there is a DIY Chendol Corner. So if you are in Permata, keep a look out for this.

Overall, it was another gastronomic journey at Permata, curated by Chef Mel Dean and his team. My picks are Seafood Lemak Casserole, Botok Botok Barramundi, Nasi Goreng Rawon, Beef Rendang and Bubur Som Som + Kolak Pisang + Kole Kole Temasek. Cheers!!

National Day Month Special (1-FOR-1 HALAL BUFFET)

When: 1st Aug to 31 Aug 2024

Time: Lunch, Daily, 12.00 – 14.30

Dinner, Mon – Fri, 18.00 – 21.30

Dinner, Sat – Sun, 1st Seating 17.00 – 19.00

Dinner, Sat – Sun, 2nd Seating 19.30 – 21.30

Price: Lunch, Daily, $88++ Adult - $15++ Children 6 yrs - 10 yrs

Dinner, $98++ Adult - $15++ Children 6 yrs - 10yrs

(1-FOR-1 Buffet Promotion)

For Reservation:

Call 9082 9941 or Email: reservation@gedungkining.sg / event@gedungkuning.sg

https://www.sevenrooms.com/reservations/permata/chef-mel-dean

Thank you very much to Chef Mel Dean and Permata team for hosting us.

Food & Drink: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 8/10

Budget per Person: $51 - $80

Permata Singapore

73 Sultan Gate

Singapore 198497

T: +65 9082 9941

W: https://www.gedungkuning.sg/permata

F: https://www.facebook.com/permata.restaurant

IG: @Permata.singapore

OH:

Lunch, Daily, 12.00 – 14.30

Dinner, Mon – Fri, 18.00 – 21.30

Dinner, Sat – Sun, 1st Seating 17.00 – 19.00

Dinner, Sat – Sun, 2nd Seating 19.30 – 21.30

Monday, 12 August 2024

Paradise Pizza – 48-Hour Fermented Sourdough Pizza [MEDIA INVITE]

Paradise Pizza is excited to announce its official debut, under the same roof as Elixir Coffee and Wine. Paradise Pizza will feature its revamped lineup of pizzas, using 48-hours fermented sourdough crust made daily in-house plus the diverse flavours of comfort food from around the world.

Paradise Pizza

The tasting started with Deep Fried Burrata (V) [$24] – Pomodoro, Arugula, Balsamic. Paradise Pizza (‘PP’) uses high-quality burrata from Puglia, Italy. It is breaded, deep-fried to golden and served on the bed of pomodoro sauce, topped with seaweed balls pickled with balsamic vinegar and arugula. A lovely combination of crispy and creamy burrata, with sweet and tangy pomodoro sauce. The crunchy and bitter arugula salad compliments the fried burrata nicely and the balsamic vinegar seaweed balls balance the richness of the burrata. An awesome start to the meal.

Deep Fried Burrata

Mentaiko Lemon Butter [$22]. The first thing that captures my eyes is the uneven size of the mafaldine pasta. The pasta is al-dente and cooked with super zesty lemon butter. The mentaiko and tobiko provided different textures and umami flavours. Unfortunately, those umami flavours are overpowered by the zesty lemon.

Mentaiko Lemon Butter

Bismark Blanc Pizza [$26]. The 48-hours fermented sourdough base has a crispy exterior, followed by a lovely pillowy and chewy interior. The topping of the pizza includes white sauce, Fior di latte (cow’s milk mozzarella), crispy Parma ham and sous-vide egg. The overall pizza is rich and creamy, with a surprise heat coming from the cracked pepper. A Must Order here!

Bismark Blanc Pizza

Burrata Pomodoro [$24]. Impressed with the combination of burrata and pomodoro, we decided to order this pasta. The rigatoni is cooked to al-dente. It is chewy and crunchy, complementing the pomodoro sauce and burrata nicely. Simplicity at its best. Yummy.

Burrata Pomodoro

Darn Good Tiramisu [$14]. Well true to its name, it is DARN GOOD!!. Solid espresso, light, creamy and I easily finish the whole serving on my own, as LD is allergic to coffee.

Darn Good Tiramisu

To accompany the meal, I had the Yuzu Cooler [$6], while LD had Sparkling Piccini 1882 Vino Spumante [$14].

Yuzu Cooler

Sparkling Piccini 1882 Vino Spumante

Sharing the same space as Elixir Coffee and Wine, the décor of Paradise Pizza is modern, industrial and edgy. From the outside, the glasses are lightly tinted, giving the place a cool vibe. Most of the seating areas cater to smaller diners such as 2 to 4 pax, while there is a huge sharing table in the middle that can seat up to 10 pax.

Espresso Bar & Kitchen

Part of Dining Area

Overall, we enjoy the food at Paradise Pizza. The sourdough base pizza is very good, as demonstrated in the Bismark Blanc pizza and not forgetting anything with burrata or pomodoro sauce is a must-order as well. Cheers!!

Menu

Thank you very much Protegie Consultancy and Team Paradise Pizza for the invitation.

Food & Drink: 8.5/10

Value: 8/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 8/10

Budget per Person: $26 - $50

Paradise Pizza

24 Holland Grove

#01-18, Parksuites

Singapore 278803

T: +65 6908 5547

W: https://www.paradisepizza.com.sg/

IG: @Paradisepizza_sg

OH: Wed – Sun (11.00 – 21.00)

Sunday, 11 August 2024

Market Bistro – Wall Street Style Bistro at MBFC [MEDIA INVITE]

Market Bistro is a Wall Street-style bistro, inspired by the bustling food scene in New York’s CBD has opened its doors in the heart of Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC). It is run by Eleven Seventeen, the same group that brought you the awesome steakhouses, Meadesmoore and Fat Belly.

Market Bistro

The décor is a blend of simplicity and sophistication, combining the theme of black and white with the timeless classic of wood. Market Bistro (“MB”) will serve NEW All-day dine-in menu, pasta set lunch and even cater to lunch takeaway that will include salads and proteins. MB also offers coffee from the award-winning Blacklist Coffee Roaster in Perth.

The Coffee Bar

Part of Dining Area

We started our tasting with Sharing Items. Fried Baby Squid [$15]. They are crispy, tender and bouncy. The homemade aioli is creamy, with a touch of spice, like an XO sauce. When you squeeze the lemon, it adds a zesty spark to the dish.

Fried Baby Squid

Deep Fried Camembert (V) [$16] – Truffle Honey & Pickles. LD and I like the crumbly crust of the cubes of camembert and creamy cheese that followed. The truffle in the honey dip is too overpowering for our liking. Maybe they might consider a stronger honey like Leatherwood. The pickles jalapeno is perfect for balancing the creaminess in the cheese.

Deep Fried Camembert

For the mains, we ordered 200g Grass Fed Ribeye [$34] - Blistered Tomatoes, Mojo Verde & Fries; and Tiger Prawn Bisque [$28] – Fusilli Lunghi, Prawn Bisque, Grilled Tiger Prawns & Chervil.

200g Grass Fed Ribeye

The Ribeye is cooked perfectly to medium-rare. It is juicy, succulent and not overly fat. The fries are crisp externally and fluffy internally. The blistered tomatoes are bursting with sweetness combined with a lovely charred, while the mojo verde on top of the steak spice up the dish together with the brown sauce.

200g Grass Fed Ribeye

Tiger Prawn Bisque pasta is a “Flavour Bomb”. The ramen-looking fusilli lunghi pasta is crunchy and chewy like a Korean ramen, soaks up the essence of the robust prawn bisque. The prawns are pan-seared with butter, resulting in a crispy exterior and crunchy meat. The roe inside the super crispy prawn heads, are the key umami to this dish. Yummy!!

Tiger Prawn Bisque

We complete the meal here with the delightful Baked Alaska [$12] – Swiss Meringue, Red Berries, Vanilla Ice Cream & Genoise Cake. The Baked Alaska has a nice charred and sweet. Internally, it is filled with red berries, vanilla ice cream and genoise cake. The refreshing and zesty passion sauce is perfect complement to the sweetness of the Swiss meringue and vanilla ice cream.

Baked Alaska

To accompany our meal, LD had a nice Cabernet Sauvignon house wine and I had homemade Iced Lemon Tea without sugar.

Cabernet Sauvignon & Iced Lemon Tea

Overall, the food is delicious and packed with flavours. While the plating is simple, bistro style, the menu has been meticulously curated. Definitely, a place to visit in the MBFC area. Cheers!!