The Hungry Bunny

Chijmes, like Boat Quay and Clarke Quay, are enclaves which go through cyclical periods of hip popularity, passe ghost-town-ness, and revamping facelifts. I've seen Chijmes undergo just about five different overhauls, since it was converted from a convent school to a lifestyle hub, just so to keep the heritage complex vibrant and the crowds over-flowing. After the recent reconditioning, Chijmes is in vogue again, with a slew of unique restaurant and bar options launched over the past year. Where it was a depressing desert on a Friday night just 2 years ago, it's now a trendy, exciting destination to toast TGIF. The most happening restaurants are alfresco, facing the astro-turf lawn, where live gigs lend to Chijmes' convivial atmosphere. Note that it tends to get a little deafening at times, so sit a little further away if you actually want to hear what your party is saying. El Mero Mero is a Mexican restaurant is smack-dab front-and-center where the action is. Great

Another quick stir-fry that's a cinch to make and so quick. Although I've used ground pork here, feel free to switch that out with beef or chicken instead.  Ingredients (makes 4 cups): 300 gm minced pork 1 small yellow onion, minced 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp pine nuts 1 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tbsp hoisin sauce 3 tsp miso paste 1 tbsp sake 2 dashes white ground pepper 1 tsp chilli pepper flakes 1 tbsp canola oil 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tsp fried garlic for garnishing 4 baby lettuce cups Directions: 1) Fry onion in canola and sesame oil, until translucent, about 2 minutes on medium-high heat. 2) Add garlic and toss through, about 1 minute. 3) Add pork, breaking up the mound while frying. 4) Add oyster sauce, hoisin, miso, sake, pepper, chilli flakes, which have been pre-mixed separately in a bowl. 5) Add pinenuts and toss through before serving.

I love gingko nuts, it's just that I can never seem to get through a packet of them. Huh, you may ask? Well, apparently, gingko nuts, for all of their health benefits (hello gingko biloba supplements!), are actually poisonous in large doses. Sounds like an old wives' tale, but it's medically proven, so the general consensus is to eat no more than 8 nuts a day. So I incorporate them into my stir fries, a little each time, to get through the smallest packet I could find at the supermarket. I find gingko nuts add a chestnutty flavour to a vegetable stir-fry.   Ingredients (feeds 4): 1 large head lettuce, cut/torn roughly to 2" squares 2 small carrots, shredded 300 gm chicken fillet, sliced to strips and marinated with recipe below 20 gingko nuts 5 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp canola oil 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp guk kanjang (Chinese light soy will do too) 1 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tbsp mirin 3 dashes white ground pepper Chicken Marinade (for at least 1 hour)

Whoever said that the central region of Singapore has no worthwhile cafe has obviously never been to Pacamara Boutique Coffee Roasters . A Melbourne-styled cafe serving modern Australian cuisine and one of the best coffees on the island, Pacamara is casual and buzzy. While Pacamara is notably more crowded and service inevitably choppy on weekend afternoons, night-time will find this place a bit less frenzied and ambience relaxed. We'd seen Pacamara on our way to the club many times, but never ventured in. Partly because we always saw the cafe packed to the gills, and in part put off by the nightmare of a carpark shortage. But, at the recommendation of Beck, we popped by one night for dinner after hitting the club. She swears by their coffee, which she buys by the truckload, and tells us to park at Sin Ming Plaza across the road: "there's always parking lots, and fees are so low". Beck knows her food, and she's bang on about the food at Pacamara . The dishes

La Ristrettos is the very epitome of a hidden gem. It's squared away deep in the bowels of the Novena Medical Centre, and thus so secluded, that you'd have to be looking for it to actually find it. Or else, happen to be a patient of the few medical outfits abutting the cafe. Very possibly the best eat in the Novena Square vicinity, La Ristrettos serves up brunch like fare with aplomb. The icing on the cake is the price-points, which, at about $15 a dish, are akin to the prices in the brunch capital of the world, Melbourne. For those who aren't familiar with Melbourne's brunch, that makes La Ristrettos one of the cheapest purveyors of brunch foods in SG. The low prices may be due to the low rent tagged to the isolated shop space (there is like zero foot traffic here), OR it may be due to the fact that air-conditioning is, for all intents and purposes, non-existent here. It was so stuffy and muggy indoors, that sitting alfresco in the little garden nook, braving th

So, Joo Chiat Teochew Porridge (aka/fka Teck Teochew Porridge ) has moved premises, again ! This is like their 4th location since their original location at Joo Chiat. Seriously, the stall has to find a more permanent home. Because it was quite the roller-coaster of emotions to have to hit up their last site at East Coast Road and be terribly disappointed, and then elatedly discover that they'd hauled ass further east to Frankel Ave. Anyways, I love love love Teck Teochew Porridge . We think it's the best Teochew porridge in Singapore. The seafood is swimmingly fresh, and because everything is cooked only upon order (save for the braised dishes), you get food piping hot off the fire. There's an ice counter flush with an array of fish, prawns, clams, crayfish, scallops and the occasional lobster, for the picking and the kitchen will steam them, Teochew-style, or fry them up with black beans and chilli. Don't be shy to ask the staff to explain what's available for

I finally get the big deal that is PS Cafe . The fanfare lies with their pizzas, only available at their "petit" branches, which are one of the best in SG. [Aside: did you know that there was a PS Cafe in Tiong Bahru??!?? Coz I sure didn't!! I frequent that enclave, and I've actually walked past the outlet several times, but I never realised it was a P.S. Cafe!!] So anyways, at the recommendation of a colleague who's a big big fan of PS Cafe, a bunch of us from work trooped down to Tiong Bahru on a languid Friday (because, TGIF!!), to chill at PS Cafe Petit . The cafe, a chic spot bedecked in black with a pretty little greenhouse-like nook, is wonderfully cool to hang out in the blazing heat of the afternoon sun. The staffing is purposely kept lean, so the bistro works like a self-serviced fast-food joint. You find your own seating, order and pay at the counter, and collect your food when your buzzer rings. And when you're done, there's the one staff

Steeples Deli is one of the oldest tenants of the dinosaur-like Tanglin Shopping Centre. The old-school mall is sometimes forgotten as a relic of the constantly evolving Orchard Road, but it's a trove of medical outfits, art galleries, and specialist tailors. And tucked away in a corner on the second level, the country deli, with a warm homely feel and an easy languid vibe, welcomes regulars like a second home. Sandwiches and milkshakes are the main draw here, with a smattering of breakfast classics, pastas, and burgers. Bestsellers are indexed with a mark, so it's a safe bet to stick to those recommendations. The food is hearty and comforting, but I wouldn't venture that it's tops for sandwiches. Credit goes to Park Bench Deli for that. The Philly Steak Sandwich ($19.90), loaded with red peppers, shallot crescents, a medium-well steak, melty cheddar, and cheese curds, on a garlic buttered ciabatta. I liked the garlic butter treatment to the bread, that lent a wo