Smoochies
991 Garden Office
991B Alexandra Road #01-10
Tel 6276-7337

THIS could be the new Dempsey, if not for all the offices in the area. The area around Smoochies has a lovely, laidback feel to it, which makes the bistro a great place to unwind. If you need more help relaxing, avail yourself of the cigar cabinet or the well-stocked bar - Smoochies specialises in Highland Park and Macallan single-malt whiskies. To eat, there are fork-tender pork ribs that have been braised for six hours, beef carpaccio in a foie gras dressing and an excellent chocolate lava cake (not too sweet) with chewy home-made ice cream.

Sarang
87 Science Park Drive
Singapore Science Park 1
Science Hub #02-02
Tel 6773-1322

SARANG is the only Korean restaurant in Singapore to employ an entire team of chefs from Korea. It's also possibly the most chic, with a sleekly-designed interior that's divided into several private areas. The food features lots of ingredients imported specially from Korea, and the secret-recipe crispy fried chicken is a must-try. During lunch, only a focused range of rice and noodle dishes is available, but there's a more extensive spread at dinnertime.

Eighteen Chefs
No 1 Fusionopolis Way
Connexis Tower #B1-12/13
Tel 6467-1296

BENNY Teo's halal bistro has the same social mission as his training ground, Jamie Oliver's Fifteen: to give ex-offenders and disadvantaged youths a chance to turn over a new leaf by establishing a career in the food business. On the menu are reasonably-priced items inspired by Oliver's Fifteen offerings that Teo has tweaked to suit local palates, with everything from the perfectly al dente seafood aglio olio to the fresh fruit smoothies made on the spot..

Steffi's
60 Alexandra Terrace
The Comtech #02-06/07
Tel 6271-8061

IT'S NOT located in one of the prettier buildings, but step inside Steffi's and there's instant relief from the concrete jungle outside. The high-ceilinged restaurant is decorated with lots of creepers, trees and potted plants (all fake, but pleasant on the eye nevertheless), with a glass-walled wine cellar as its centrepiece. The fairly-priced wines courtesy of The Wine Company are a big draw, but so is the food, which ranges from local favourites such as bak kut teh to fancier fare like seafood bisque with garlic toast. Everything's made in-house by Steffi's executive chef Maurice Cheuk, who used to be the chef de cuisine at Gershwin's at Hyatt Regency Perth.

Koryo
No 1 Fusionopolis Way
Connexis Tower #02-10
Tel 6469-1079

IF YOU'RE here for dinner, don't let the empty seats put you off. Koryo actually does more-than-decent food turned out by owner Li Xiang Hao's Korean wife and a master chef from Korea. Expect honest-to-goodness homestyle cooking (the recipes belong to Mr Li's wife) that's not too robust, and order the seafood-and-spring-onion cake - all fluffy in the middle and crisp around the edges. There's complimentary rice and dessert too.

Infuzi
10 Biopolis Road
Chromos Block #01-01
Tel 6478-9091

OPENED by Purdey Poon (left) and former Les Amis alumni Freddie Lee (right), Infuzi deserves a mention for being the longest-standing restaurant in the Biopolis cluster (it turns five this year). The fact that it has stayed alive in a tough environment - restaurant manager Poon says business is still unpredictable after hours - also says something about the food, which is refined, tasty and elegantly presented with a dessert menu that diners rave about.

This article was first published in The Business Times.