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  1. Miami Nice
  2. The Draw of The West
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  1. Munching Along
  1. The Center of New
  1. Are You Being Served
  1. Kudos
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Munching Along
In the mood for something fresh? Landmark presents alternative dining options to satisfy adventurous palates.

TEXT FOO YONG HAN    IMAGES LEE LAY NA

Uniquely Underground
Square 2 — a lifestyle and shopping complex located above the Novena MRT station, a hop from the city — is home to Face2Face, a confluence of food, lifestyle and beauty outlets and one of the newest lifestyle enclaves in town.
    Head to the basement of Square 2 and — among the diversity of food choices available — you’ll find three new concept eateries.
    Bread Bar is the brainchild of two former engineers and serves Chinese dough fritters (you tiao) with a twist. Here, you’ll find intriguingly innovative you tiaos flavoured with almond, green tea or onion and paired with a choice of chocolate, caramel, peanut butter or sweet wasabi dip.
    Cooking Papa offers both Eastern- and Western-style fare on its menu. Representing the best of Asia is undoubtedly the tasty Oriental fried rice and the oh-so-heavenly sweet and sour pork or chicken. For the Western-inclined diner, the Papa Stew gets your lips smacking with its bewitching concoction of chicken bathed in creamy gravy, celery, potato, carrots and toasted bread.
    When you are done with your meal, wash it down with a warm soya and avocado blend at Juices Galore. Drinks here are served in environmentally-friendly biodegradable cups, so go ahead, drink to your heart’s content.

Casual Chinoiserie
Zhou’s Kitchen has a simple dining premise: satisfying the hunger pangs of discerning diners with complex Chinese cuisine in the shortest time possible without compromising on quality.
    The Chinese character, Zhou, is the family name of the restaurant’s founder, Andrew Tjioe and the restaurant’s offerings are based on timeless recipes conjured in the family kitchens back in China decades ago. These include Pansit (“Xing Hua” Dumplings), “Xing Hua” Style Traditional Homemade Noodles, “Fujian” Style Meat Roll (WuXiang), and Steamed Glutinous Rice with Crab.
    Like the original recipe, the Pansit is handcrafted and paired with a fragrant soup made of chicken consommé, crushed sesame and golden fried minced garlic. The “Xing Hua” noodle dish is served with a special topping of seaweed — specially imported from the Zhou’s hometown of Fujian — and roasted nuts. Another must-try is the Zhou family’s most treasured dish — fresh crab meat steamed over a savoury helping of glutinous rice.
    Two of Zhou’s Kitchen’s four outlets are at Far East Organization’s commercial complexes at Square 2 and Far East Square.

Clockvise from left: Bread Bar’s innovative you tiao; ‘Xing Hua’ Style Traditional Homemade Noodles; Juices Galore; Steamed Glutinous Rice with Crab. Main photo: Face2Face



Magnificent Min

Don’t be fooled by the traditional façade of this Amoy Street structure, located in the heart of Far East Square. Step into what was once the Chui Eng Free School, established in 1854 to offer free education for the poor, and you’ll notice the entrance of the SPRING JuChunYuan restaurant.
    A joint venture between Far East Hospitality, the hospitality arm of Far East Organization, and JuChunYuan Fuzhou from China, SPRING JuChunYuan is the first and only branch outside of its home country.
    As the only restaurant in Singapore serving Min cuisine, SPRING JuChunYuan has been garnering a loyal following since it opened in May last year. While most diners started visiting the restaurant for its Buddha Jumps Over the Wall — a dish first conceived at JuChunYuan Fuzhou in 1876 by renowned chef Zheng Chun Fa — many have since realised there are plenty of other healthy attractions to tuck into. “Min cuisine is about healthy dining. It is MSG-free and we use only the freshest ingredients for the dishes and subtle amounts of flavouring and oil to ensure a light yet satisfying dining experience,” underlines Executive Chef Lin Zhi.
    At a tasting session, the Bamboo Clam with Oyster Sauce was all tender curls of bamboo clam served on a hollow shell. Smeared with oyster sauce, the clam meat was pure pleasure to the palate. Red Wine Chicken, popular with regulars, consists of juicy strips of chicken marinated in carrot juice and glazed with red wine sauce. The Stir-fried Heng Hwa Bee Hoon (rice vermicelli) we loved for its extremely fine texture yet firm-to-the-bite quality. LM