Obvly avoiding any semblance of useful work..

heh.

OK! first up! Food Reviews:

#1 - Crystal Jade Golden Palace
Paragon, Level 5

Opulence personified, the small (less than 200 seater) place screams posh nosh from every pore. From the paper-cutting decorated windows to the cushioned darkwood chairs, the ambience is reminiscent of some feudal lord's manor at the turn of the century. Service is tops - the waitstaff there really work together and attend to your every whim. Not ngiao at all. =) My family is particular about Chinese tea, so the waitress generously pumped our teapot full of leaves when it was too bland, and came up with tray after complimentary tray of gongfu tea upon seeing that we liked it.

The food is very good although expensive. A 3 person lunch consisting of 4 dimsum items, one dish of pork and one of noodles and 2 desserts set us back about $60. Dimsum is the same price as any other CJ outlet though, so you might as well go there for the best dimsum among all. Beats Din Tai Fung hands down if you ask me. Downside though, this is the Teochew style outlet, so no xiaolongbaos for you. Bah.


#2 - Botak Jones
Some random roadside coffeeshop along AMK Ave 5

The setting couldn't be more different - one in uppity Paragon, another in the heart of the heartlands - but yet the food is equally good. Botak Jones is started by some (i'm guessing) botak Aussie named Jones who has set up shop in a kopitiam setting. He does fish, chicken, lamb, beef - all the traditional grill items - and he does it GOOD. Portions are big, the fries come in mountains, and he doesn't stinge on condiments. It was my 2nd visit today and so far I have tried the signature Fish and Chips, Cajun Chicken Breast and Chicken Gumbo.
The fish was totally fresh and deep fried to perfection - crisp outside and flaky inside. Pacific Dory is used for the fish and it is a very good choice. Cajun chicken breast will destroy all your preconceptions about breast meat - it is so tender and juicy the meat almost falls apart in your mouth. And it's topped with mozarella (sigh dreamily) and cajun sauce. The best part is, you get restaurant-quality food for just slightly more then food court prices (prices start from $5.50 and hit a max of $12). Downside is the wait (with the popularity of the place, the wait can go up to close to an hour)
And apparently they have an outlet in Tuas too. =)