The Hungry Bunny

There are pockets of (relatively) cheap and hawker-level good stalls littered across Orchard Road. A safe bet is to check out those drab-looking, depressingly dated shopping malls. Yes, those ones that look dodgy AF. Because the rents are comparatively cheaper at these old malls than at the brand-spanking-new ones, the food in these malls is consequently cheaper, and generally of a higher standard. Just look at the treasure trove of eateries tucked away at 2 of Singapore's most mature malls, Far East Plaza and Lucky Plaza. Orchard Yong Tau Fu, or Cuppage Yong Tau Foo as it's more commonly known, is one such hidden gem. It's a hole-in-the-wall in the aged Cuppage Plaza, a cramped and tiny shop space with limited seating. It's a full-house most parts of the day, but turnover is fast so you won't have to wait very long for seats to be freed up. Be sure to go by mid-afternoon though, because they start running out of stuff, and sell out by late-afternoon, even if the

101 is the late-night dining option of the One & Only The Palm . Perched over water at the furthest end of the jetty, the restaurant-bar offers stunning views of the Dubai skyline and an expansive appreciation for the Middle Eastern sunset. The hotspot du jour is chic, hip and teeming with gorgeous statuesque types. So dress up and bling out, as this is a place to see and be seen. I liked the selection of Spanish-centric small bites, these were yummy and great for soaking up all that alcohol imbibed during happy hour. The main ala carte menu, which primarily offers grilled seafood and meats, isn't too shabby either. The use of a josper grill definitely went a distance maximising succulence and sealing in flavours. The Tiger Prawns (185AED = S$68) schmeared with a lively basil butter and orange paste, was wonderfully balanced and lip-smackingly good.  The Baby Chicken (145AED = S$53), tender and juicy, was paired with an onion confit and Taggiasca olives. From

Remember the original Iron Chef series? The one entirely in Japanese and dubbed over by some super animated commentator? That was one of my favourite shows growing up. I was obsessed, watching the 3 chefs, all masters in their own right, battle it out in that massively cavernous industrial kitchen against some poor overreaching sod. In just 1.5 hours, the chefs were able to create three-four masterpieces, putting their own spin on whatever "secret ingredient" theme highlighted in that episode. One of the chefs was the ever imposing, cleaver-wielding Chen Kenichi, a Japanese-born, ethnic Chinese chef also known as Iron Chef Chinese. Affectionately called the grandfather of Sichuan cooking in Japan, he went on to set up a restaurant empire, one of which is now in Singapore, Shisen Hanten . The name itself is already a mouthful (I just realised I've been mis-pronouncing it "Shinsen Hanten"), and really, I was initially hesitant about Japanese-Sichuan cuisine. I m

We were mostly cocooned in our hotel, the One & Only The Palm , when we were in Dubai over cny. We caught up on our reading, took in the beach views, and whiled our time away by the pool. Of course, there was a lot of ordering of room service to facilitate the holing up in our villa. The room service menu looked like any other, save for the extended Middle Eastern selections. We mostly ordered those, but the one thing that stood out, was how the Dubaians cook their basmati rice. Unlike the ghee-soaked versions we get in Indian cuisine here in Singapore, the basmati rice in Dubai was amazing. It was impossibly fluffy, and while flavourful, not heavily bogged with oil. It was so so light, almost wispy, that you don't get stricken by any pangs of carb-guilt thereafter. The Chicken Biryani (120AED = S$44), saffron and curry-flavoured basmati rice studded with succulent chicken chunks, fried shallots and nuts, was fantastic. A must-try, the Shish Tawook (70AED = S$25) comp

Every once a while, a revisit pursuant to an invited tasting turns out much better than the tasting. We were invited by the good people of FoodNews PR to a tasting of the newly launched brunch offerings at Salt Tapas , and had a middling, choppy virgin experience at the Raffles City offshoot of the celebrity Australian chef's restaurant. We gave our feedback on the spot, and were pleasantly surprised to find, at the revisit, that the feedback was taken to heart and menu tweaked to better suit the local palate. Evidently, the invited tasting served as a testbed or soft launch of sorts. We now have a worthwhile alternative to brunch heavyweight Wild Honey . At the tasting, the heavily touted Eggs Berendine with Bonito Flakes was a lackluster case of one-ingredient-too-many. The fishy countenance of the bonito flakes clashed with the creamy Hollandaise, and threw the whole dish off-kilter. At the revisit, the Eggs Berendine ($14) was assembled sans bonito flakes, so while this

I'm gonna take a break from my NZ travelogue to get through the backlog of short-haul travel posts. We were in Dubai over the CNY long weekend. Why Dubai, as many have asked? Well, we wanted a place that'll be open through the Chinese New Year, and Dubai, arguably the hub of the Middle East, is as far removed from any Lunar New Year festivities as it gets. Besides, I've always wanted to see what Dubai was like, and how the Arabs "manufactured" a city, just as our forefathers "manufactured" Singapore into a "legoland" of sorts. I figured the long weekend would suffice as a short-but-deep-enough look-see trip to the bustling metropolis. We stayed at the One & Only the Palm, one of my favourite hotel chains for its consistent standard of luxury. The hotel's restaurants are all curated by 3-Michelin starred chef Yannick Alleno, the premier, and most distinguished, of which is Stay by Yannick Alleno . The quintessentially French rest

Chili's is one of my favourite places for Tex-Mex cuisine. And ribs! It may be considered peasant food or cheapo diner fare in the US, but here, in this part of Southeast Asia, the lipsmackingly good ribs are one of the best around. We regularly hit up the original branch at Tanglin Mall , but we thought we'd dine at its sister outlet at The Central, so we can pop by Meidi-Ya at Liang Court thereafter for groceries. The customer demographic between the Tanglin Mall and Clarke Quay outposts is immediately apparent; the former an expat enclave, and the latter more local-centric. Service also differs, the Tanglin Mall one being better staffed, with more efficient service, whereas the staff at Clarke Quay were a little more frazzled and bumbling. Food, too, was a little lackluster at Clarke Quay compared to the commendable grub at Tanglin Mall . Clearly, the standards between the branches are inconsistent; methinks I'll stick to the Tanglin Mall branch from now on. The