I'm quite a critic of Ban Mian and only really good ban mian pleases this monkey. So when I had a Ban Mian craving recently, I decided to try the Ban Mian at the Handmade Noodles stall of Kopitiam on the 3rd floor of Jurong Point. As I like my ban mian dry, I was drawn to their option of dry ban mian with chicken cutlet. To their credit, the portions were huge for the price. In fact, there was so much meat that I was almost unable to finish my meal, which is rare for me. There was also a large topping of thick fried anchovies which would have been great if the ban mian was soup. Unfortunately, the combination of the large number of anchovies, fried chicken cutlet and the ban mian sauce, the effect was a very salty one. That was the main downside for me was the overwhelming saltiness. But I believe if it was soup ban mian, it would most likely taste better as I usually appreciate the large amount of anchovies.

I suppose if you're having a craving for ban mian like me, there's no harm going for it.

There aren't many stalls open at Maxwell Market after 8pm and if you're working late in the area like me, you'll need to know your options. Honestly, we can't be too choosy when there aren't many options at a late hour. I can't comment much on their signature banana leaf char kway teow. Instead, I was having carrot cake craving so I ordered their white carrot cake.

The stall used to be from the Marina South in 2003 but when the area was redeveloped to the new integrated resort and gardens by the bay, they were moved to Maxwell Market.

The taste was rather bland and it was just enough to fill the stomach. But it does not inspire me to want to visit them again. But it is an option for all you latenighters looking for something simple to fill the stomach!

Working in the vicinity, it's often hard to find a nice quiet air-conditioned place for lunch that doesn't cost a bomb or stink like one. Most of the eating places leaves you smelling like food when you go back to work which really makes me avoid eating there.If you're like me then Vanilla is the place for you! Walking into the cafe the first thing you'll notice is the wonderful sweet smell of vanilla in the air. The kitchen is also not connected to the dining area so all you'll smell is the vanilla scent in the room instead of the other customers' food on your hair!The cafe is designed like a quaint designer Japanese western cafe, very artsy and modern. The food is also a mixed Japanese-Western style. My colleagues were not very impressed with the portion of the food they received but personally I was quite happy with the yaki udon with chicken katsu and teriyaki sauce that I ordered. They are also famous for their dessert, especially their dirt cake. The thought put into it makes most female (and male) customers absolutely delighted. The dirt cake is presented in a pot with a fake plant on top of it and sometimes even with gummy worms to make it look like a real plant! And yes, you're to eat the "dirt" which is actually oreos sprinkled vanilla ice cream.

Vanilla is a great place for colleagues get togethers for lunch, birthday celebrations and other office celebrations. But do bear in mind the place is really small and the biggest party it can accommodate is probably 8 persons (unless you book the place?)

Tiong Shian is a very popular supper place around Chinatown and cars and people can always be seen clustered around the corner coffeeshop even at 11pm. There isn't much to eat around Chinatown at night so hubby and I often go to Tiong Shian for dinner after he knocks off work at 10pm. If you're driving, I will wish you good luck because parking is horrible but you can try parking behind the building in the alley. If not, there's always chinatown market's carpark or temple street. Getting a seat is just as hard as getting parking there honestly. So you may have to wait a while to get a seat even late at night!

Since I don't eat chinese sashimi (raw fish), I usually love to order their pork porridge with century egg. The portion is HUGE and is sure to fill you up. Many a times I am unable to finish the porridge which is rare for me. They are also famous for their frog leg porridge which I tried for the first time recently. I've never actually eaten frog leg before so it was quite an exciting experience. The frog leg was tender and taste like crab meat from the pincers of a good big sri lankan mud crab! It was chewy but delicious! The porridge was also nice and light. Very different from their pork congees.

There is also a bbq chicken wing stall that sells many other side dishes to go along with your porridge. Tiong Shian actually does a variety of other dishes apart from porridge as well so it's worth exploring.

I'm not a fast food fan but when it comes to popeyes, I simply cannot resist. I first tried it out with the hubby because I was absolutely intrigued by the American version of the "biscuit". What we know, the British "biscuit", is a piece of thin crispy crusty pastry. But the American "biscuit" is this wonderful ball of scone like pastry, crispy on the outside and crumbles at your touch. It's absolutely delightful!And of course the thing you must try is the popeye's mash potato! Again, not the usual gravy we know but this one has lots of ingredients in its gravy including bacon bits! How could that possibly go wrong? All the sides in popeyes are absolutely tantalising and we often wish to order every single side we could get our hands on!

Of course the chicken is good, tender, boneless, not dry and just goes perfectly with all the sides. Yes! To us, the sides are the true stars of the meal!

Alright, so the price is a little on the steep side but not to worry! Popeyes reguarly have promotions and if you're on a budget like us, we like to wait for the family or buddy offers where they have multiple items for a promotional price. That way you get to try plenty of different items on their menu too!

Regardless, if you want to try cajun (people from Louisiana, USA) food without going to a fancy restaurant, popeye's the place to go! Especially since they now have many branches around Singapore!