Conveniently located at 126 Sims Avenue, this old-style Cantonese restaurant is just a few minutes walk away from Kallang MRT. One of my favourite makan places in Geylang, with more than 70 quality yet affordable dim-sum dishes to choose from, 126 Eating House is a must-try for all dim-sum lovers.

You must try their signature King Siew Mai (S$4.20), four steaming hot mega-dumplings, exploding with succulent prawn, pork and mushrooms. They also comes in smaller bites. Food orgasm, period.Prawn Dumplings (S$3.20), better known as Har Gau is also a must-try when it comes to dim-sum. A good Har Gau's wrapping must be thin and translucent, yet be sturdy enough not to break when picked up nor stick to the paper. Wrapped together with the right amount of fillings, this dish clearly demonstrates the chef's skills. Pretty impressive.Pork Ribs (S$2.50), another one of their classics tasted so good. The meat is well-marinated and tender.The only dish that gave me a slight disappointment was the Fried Seafood Rolls (S$4.00). It is excessively oily and I have expected the skin to be crispier. The filling was okay though.Every visit, my father will surely order the Chicken Feet (S$2.50). The sauce which comes with the item achieved a perfect balance of thickness and sweetness and complemented the chicken feet well.We had their Char Siew Cheong Fun (S$3.50), roasted pork wrapped in rice noodle roll, which came in both steam and fried styles. However, the sauce on the steamed version was a little too salty for my taste.We ordered some assorted porridge to go with those savoury treats. Their signature Claypot Frog Porridge (S$5.00) is my favourite among the three. The generous amount of frog meat is soft and tender, yet preserving it's springy texture.Try out their Honey Lemon (S$2.50) with jelly bits too. One drinks it out from a big "take-away" container instead of the usual cups, definitely one of the must tries as well.

Opened 24 hours daily, 126 Eating House is a place not to be missed for your dim-sum fixes.

Ask any Ang Mo Kio residents on where to find a place which serves good western food, and the answer is simply "Rasa Sayang" (no, it's not a folk song) at the central's S-11. Nestled within a short 5 minutes walk away from AMK station, Rasa Sayang is a choice for many students and diners who are looking for a quality, yet affordable western meal. Look at what the people are eating at this particular S-11 branch, I dare say that at any time when Rasa Sayang is open for business, at least 60% are having their food.

Recommended by Girlfriend Peiyi, we were there on a certain weekday, a little later than 7pm and the seats were over-occupied already. Therefore, please do expect long waiting times if you come during peak hours on weekends.

One of their bestsellers, Chicken Chop w/ Black Pepper Sauce (S$5.60) is also a favourite of mine. More often or not, chicken chops topped with either black pepper sauce or mushroom sauce are my choices when I visited Rasa Sayang (although the latter is my favourite.) Marinated, succulent chicken steaks paired with fries, baked beans, coleslaw and garlic bread.Another speciality of theirs, Fish & Chips (S$5.00) which is Peiyi's favourite, was nicely crisp with a nice golden colour on the exterior, yet soft and juicy inside. This dish is served with the same sides as above.Although slightly pricier than the usual hawker fare, Rasa Sayang is well worth it as it serves not only quality, but also of good quantity as well.

Comfortably nestled in a corner of ION Orchard, Paradise Dynasty’s layout was chic – a fusion between a traditional Chinese theme and contemporary styles. Their outdoor seating area also gives those willing to brave the Singapore weather a pleasant view of orchard road.

During our meal there, I tried the Braised Pork La Mian in Signature Pork Bone Soup and it was delightable. The La Mian, vegetables, pork and other ingredients came in adequate proportions and the broth complemented the dish well. The pork, especially, was delectable and was a fine balance between fat and meat. On the other hand, Thomas had the Sliced Pork La Mian while Douglas ordered the La Mian with Deep Fried Chicken Cutlet. The noodles we had were basically the same La Mian, made fresh on ordering, which were silky and finely cut. Douglas’ chicken cutlet came on a separate plate which ensured that the crispy pieces were not soaked in the broth and did not lose its texture. The chicken, though a little oily for my taste, stood out because of its flavour. Though I’m not too sure what sauces or marinades they used, the flavour evoked a sort of home-cooked feeling which I rarely experienced at restaurants. Last but not least, we also tried Paradise Dynasty’s famous “multi-coloured” Signature Dynasty Xiao Long Baos (S$13.80). Apparently, there was an order we were supposed to follow while eating the Xiao Long Baos but since it was our first time trying their signature dish, our inexperience caused us to overlook the order and our zeal in trying out the different coloured Baos resulted in us simply randomly eating those whose colours looked most appealing. Needless to say, the Xiao Long Baos’ special flavours were not apparent to our palates and resulted in a huge anti-climax. Hence, as a warning to future diners, please be reminded to follow the order.Ultimately, what makes Paradise Dynasty a recommendable place to eat is not just their sumptuous food, but also their prices. Located on the top floor of ION Orchard, one would easily mistake the prices in Paradise Dynasty to rival those of the other posh restaurants in its vicinity. However, our meal this time cost us no more than $20 each - a reasonable price for the quality of food and ambience provided. So if you are looking for good food at a more conservative price in Orchard, why not give Paradise Dynasty a try?

This British-influenced pub surely has an unique name - queen and mangosteen, you might ponder what is the link between those two. There is a rumour that the mangosteen was reputedly Queen Victoria's favourite fruit, and apparently she allegedly offered a reward to anyone who can bring this purple fruit to her. Hence, the clever name, but do not be mistaken for they do not sell any mangosteens (or queens) here.

Located within Vivocity with a spectacular paronomic view of the scenic waterfront and Sentosa, Queen & Mangosteen has one of the best ambience among the lesser atas restaurants. Upon entering, you'll be greeted by huge chalkboards with today's specials and promotions, plush couches, high tables and bench seatings which creates the contemporary British pub setting. It is half air-conditioned and half al-fresco, completed with an ornate island bar that overlooks the beautiful waterfront.

Without futhur ado, we ordered their signature Fresh Mesclun Salad (S$12.00), paired with roasted Roma tomatoes, pear and walnuts, Stilton Blue Cheese and drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. I thought that this refreshing appetizer was texture-rich, the sweet crunch of pear and walnuts, the bright crisp of the greens, the sour chewiness from the tomato and cheese, and not to mention that the elements complemented each other as a whole.Next up, I had Sirloin Steak (S$32.00) completed with thick cut chips, Yorkshire pudding, garden vegetables and served with mushroom pepper sauce. Like always, I had my steak's doneness at medium. It was firm and chewy, but I was disappointed as the meat was drier than expected. (I had to eat with lots of mushroom sauce.) The pudding was slightly crispy with a tad of grease on the exterior and soft inside, it tasted so good.Peiyi had one of their most acclaimed pub grub, Fish & Chips (S$16.00) served with homemade curry tartare sauce. The fish fillets used were fresh and coated in a light crispy batter, however their tartare sauce was of mediocre standard only. The potato chips were thicker than the usual and has a nice crunch to it.Queen & Mangosteen also serve quite an extensive menu of alcoholic beverages here, one might want to order some pub grubs to go along with your drink. Perfect for drink buddies.

Overall, the food standard is above average, thumbs-down for value wise, but it definitely scores big on it's picturesque ambience.

Yet another venture by CreativEATeries, Bangkok Jam serves a wide array of contemporary dishes in a modern bistro-styled restaurant, completed with interesting props, such as wires and cables, road signs scribbled in Thai and even a signal head of a traffic light.

Their dishes are inspired from none other than Thailand (otherwise known as the "city of angels") itself, combining the usage of Thai classic spices and herbs with a Western twist, take for example the unique creation of Prawn Spaghetti with Coconut Base and of course not leaving out Thailand's famous street food, like Deep Fried Spring Rolls and their specialty - Fried Chicken Wing marinated with fish sauce.

Bangkok Jam's signature Beef Noodle Soup (S$13.50), or known as sen lek neua has the right aroma in its thick, flavoured broth, served with beef balls and slices of tender, succulent beef, which proved to be a great hit for beef lovers like myself.Okay, before that we had a plate of Thai Fish Cakes (S$9.50) for appetisers, which the waitress kindly recommended to us. Flavour-wise, it is nice, but nothing much to rave about. The thing is, S$9.50 for five standard fish cakes, which divides to S$2.23 for one piece, including service and GST. Isn't that like a bit.. overpriced?Spaghetti tom kha goong, or Prawns with Spaghetti served with a base sauce made of coconut (S$11.90) is an interesting fusion of Western pasta and Thai ingredients, like cilantro, coconut and lemongrass. The result was soft and light, yet surprisingly pleasing to the palate. Portion-wise, it was a tad disappointing, but I won't blame it much for the price given.In a nutshell, Bangkok Jam serves decent Thai food, nothing extraordinary but surprisingly overpriced. Prior to the visit, I've heard quite a number of negative comments complaining about the poor service and small portions. I begged to differ for the former, service was nothing less than satisfactory, whereas for the latter, it was unfortunately true (notably for curry dishes).

Hence, if you want better and more affordable Thai food, head to Siam Express or Thai Express instead. You probably won't be twice as disappointed.