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!

K.ki will always have a special place in my heart because the hubby wanted to propose to me by hiding the ring in a Little Red Riding Hood cake from K.ki. Unfortunately the plan didnt go according to plan because K.ki only opens at 12 and their cakes are only baked on the day itself and ready about 11am at the very earliest. So if you are planning to propose with a cake from K.ki, make sure you work out your timings right!

Nonetheless, despite his plans failing, I had to check out for myself what this cake place is all about! Since I worked near Ang Siang Hill, I dropped by the shop one day after lunch for a piece of cake. I wasn't able to eat there so had to take the cake away. Just looking at the way they pack the cake, the attention to detail, the little dry ice pack for my tiny cake, you know these people love their cake.

I spoke with the lady boss (aka the baker's wife), Delphine, and it's really easy to see that the k.ki folks really care about their cakes. There can only be that many cakes made each day and they care more about the quality of their masterpiece than making a few extra buck.There is only one word to describe the taste of their cakes. EXCITING. At least the little red riding hood which is a raspberry centred chocolate mousse cake covered by a dark chocolate exterior. It's tangy and bitter and sweet and light at the same time. It is a complex cake that makes you anticipate what you're in for next.

Mind you they are closed on Mondays so don't make a wasted trip like I did!

Once Upon a Milkshake opened around the same time I started work at my then-new job 2 years ago in Tanjong Pagar, across the road from Maxwell Chambers.I remembered the first time I visited it was with the hubby who was on a quest to try all the handcrafted rum and raisin ice creams in Singapore. And OUAM is without a doubt, an artisan icecrean, meaning, not mass produced in a factory. OUAM ice cream are supposed to be made from the freshest of ingredients.It also means that they have all the quirky flavours that Singaporeans may enjoy! And the best part about them is the fact that it's "Once Upon a MILKSHAKE" and not "Once Upon an Icecream"! Yes, yes, I'm refering to the fact that you can have any of the flavours made into milkshake. You can even see their recipes posted on the wall. It's perfect portion of ice cream to milk. You won't be shortchanged of your ice cream I can assure you of that! It's really hard to find good milkshake places in Singapore and OUAM is the answer.Of course, we first had the grumbling raisins but with ever visit, we try a new flavour and somehow I always still come back to my favourite grumbling raisins. Nowadays the grumbling raisins flavour is often sold out but not to worry, there are always new flavours introduced every few months. It really depends on personal preference and since I don't like chocolate (yes!), I will only recommend that you try a new flavour every time till you find the one for you!What I really love about OUAM is their attention to the littlest detail. From the fairytale like decor to the names of the ice cream flavours (yes they're all fairytale related!) to even the name of the cashier! (It's Fairy Godmother!) How about the little flip and taken blocks for you to "chope" your tables while you're ordering! At the Maxwell branch, if you parked at the public carpark behind maxwell chambers, they'll even give you HDB parking coupon as rebate on weekends! Saturdays they have all candlelight dining hour which we haven't tried but always imagined to be the most romantic! They also do delivery if you work nearby like me but it's only after 3pm so ice cream for tea anyone? I'll definitely recommend introducing this place to yours and your colleague's palette. It's a great place to go to after lunch or after work!