It has always been my impression that the restaurants at the top few floors in ION would not be really affordable. A visit to Paradise Dynasty was therefore recommended by a friend.. and ahh I can conclude that this place is my best option at the present as compared to other places like Crystal Jade or DTF.

I like Chinese LaMian and Xiao Long Bao pretty much. Generally they are healthy food. And I would feel fulfilled after that without having any craving for a dessert to complete the meal haha

The soup rendition of their signature Pork LaMian was really good! The soup was flavorful without giving the feeling that as if one was drinking MSG soup. The portion was huge with generous toppings of pork slices and vegetables. Xiao Long Bao was equally good, better than Crystal Jade more or less like DTF. Had their Sautéed Beef too and again it did not disappoint. Ordered their Aloe vera and crispy pancake for desserts, was not too bad too!!

I have since stopped going to DTF then. This place is as good as, if not better than, DTF. The plus point is that there is a loyalty reward programme whereby members can gain rebates that can be accumulated to offset subsequent bills.

I have never known Crystal Jade has this yet another concept under its umbrella Crystal Jade brand. Little does the word JiangNan suggest the kind of cuisine one can expect from this place besides the fact that the place would be offering Chinese food haha

I like the fact that Crystal Jade has always different types of noodles from which one can choose. And they are mostly really springy ^^ Ordered the La Mian with Spicy Chicken, Preserved Egg And Cucumber in “Sichuan” Style and I would say it is a refreshing change to have cold chicken paired with the springy noodles Tried this interesting dish known as the Steamed Beancurd with Egg Yolk, French Bean, Carrot, Black Fungus Served in a Cup ($8). It is is actually tasteless on it's own and you would add flavour to it by using the provided condiments which include chilli oil, shallot oil, olive oil and black vinegar. It is interesting due to the various appealing colours but ahh the taste of it all was not really appealing, edible but nothing out of the ordinary.Tried their original XiaoLongBao which is nothing much to rave about either but if you are adventurous enough, there are various other flavours from which one can choose. Ordered the Fried XO Rice cake whereby the Korean Topokki is modified into a Chinese version but I would still prefer the traditional carrot cake haha.. It is worth trying though For drinks, I had the Hong Kong Style Cold Milk Tea, served in a tall glass flask together with some dry ice in center of the flask. The presentation is quite unique while the milk tea is smooth with strong tea taste. Overall, a good dining experience with all the interesting varieties. I would head back for the other varieties including their signature dishes such as the Not Fried Rice, not to forget the springly noodles too haha

Desserts are girls' best friends!

For me, I fancy Japanese desserts pretty much especially because I am a Matcha fan haha ^^

There are plenty of varieties available in St. Marc cafe. The display of the desserts adds on to its tempting ability and turns every head which passes by haha

Had the Little Fuji and Nara ($8.20). I like the Nara as the Matcha jelly was rich in its green tea with a tad of bitterness taste in it. Yeah this is how I like it to be haha ;p The combination was good with a mixture of Azuki beans, Matcha plus Vanilla ice cream and Matcha jelly.On the other hand, Little Fuji failed to fascinate me. The dough was crispy enough but nothing extraordinary while the Vanilla ice cream was just plain sweet

Overall, I would think this is a good place for Japanese desserts, worth the try and reasonably-priced

There is no better place to get my croissants than in Tiong Bahru Bakery (TBB) indeed. The second outlet in Raffles city is very much inconvenient and reasonably-priced. TBB is much raved about for its croissants plus other pastries such as the Kouign Amann. I personally find Kouign Amann plain and sweet, not too much for my liking. But it is popular justifiably as the dough is crispy and sinfully sweet with lots of sugar and caramel on top of it.

TBB has much more to offer. Having tried all its different types of croissants, the scones, tarts and quiche, I have decided on my top two favorites which I would stick to for ordering whenever I visit the place Haha there are none other than the Chocolate croissant and Almond croissant ^^ The Chocolate one is super flaky and crispy with the just-right amount of chocolate sweetness while the Almond one is moist and with its Almond filling in it. I am always on the lookout for good Almond croissants and so far I would think this is the best I have tried so far. Tried the one from Monsieur Kaysier once but it was a let-down and the whole croissant was very oily to my dismay Coffee here is good. Yeah good I say and period haha.. I personally like the Iced Mocha very much .. The chocolate added in is not the chocolate powder you get from places like CoffeeBean or Starbucks; TBB uses liquid chocolate which I think makes the drink pleasantly chocolaty

Well I shall just jump straight to the conclusion that the place might be just our commonplace coffee shop but the food was really good and most importantly reasonably-priced!

Perhaps it would not be such an ideal place to chill out but I would think one could have their mains here and then chill out at the cafes nearby such as Just Want Coffee. It is a good idea if one were to be on a tight budget haha

Ordered the Cajun Fish with rice ($6 I think) and the Spicy Prawn Aglio-Olio plus a Cold Tofu and Goma sauce ($3.50) to share. The Fish was soft yet remained chunky and complimented nicely with the mango salsa sauce. The pasta was not too bad especially the prawns that were all succulent. Bean-curd served chilled with sesame sauce can never go wrong as always.There are a wide varieties to choose from and the price is reasonable though being slightly steep compared to coffee shop food fare. But I would say it is value for money considering the satisfactory quality of the food