Although I like nothing more than poking around in supermarkets, I can quite safely say that none of the ones here made me feel giddy with joy. That changed when I started shopping at FairPrice Finest in Bukit Timah Plaza.

You cannot miss it - the two-storey supermarket is the shiniest and brightest thing in the mall.

But the revamp from plain old FairPrice is more than cosmetic. Make no mistake, this supermarket has almost everything a foodie would want. Other chains looking to target this group of shoppers (and who isn't?) should take notes.

Even before its official opening, I was wandering through the vegetable section wanting to grab everything. When was the last time you saw artichokes in a FairPrice supermarket, not to mention endive, savoy cabbage, rhubarb, parsnips and fennel?

There are more delights in the fruit section. Square watermelons from Taiwan ($68 each) and Japan ($268 each, right), and Japanese musk melons ($68 each) are available for those into elaborate gift-giving rituals.

For the rest of us, there are small and sweet Mikan oranges from Japan ($12.90 for a pack of five), large, sweet and fragrant Japanese peaches ($18.80 for two) and organic, fresh black Mission and pale green Kadota figs ($5.99 a punnet).

In the meat section, look out for chilled Kurobuta pork from Australia. This premium pork from Berkshire pigs is available in a variety of cuts but it is the tender, meaty baby back ribs ($29 per kg) that keep disappearing off the shelves. There are also packs of thin, gorgeously marbled slices of streaky pork ($39 per kg), perfect for steamboat.

There's a proper butchery in the supermarket too - Huber's Butchery, run by the two sons of Ernst Huber of Swiss Butchery fame, Ryan and Andre.

Aside from grass- and grain-fed beef, there is also an array of sausages, smoked and dried meats. Try Italian parma ham ($11.59 per 100g) and a scary-sounding but very delicious pork knuckle jelly ($1.57 per 100g).

Some items in the supermarket can be found nowhere else on the island, including a range of flavoured olive oils from Borges, created by top Spanish chef Ferran Adria. The oils ($11.50 for 200ml) are flavoured with all sorts of exotic things: cinnamon, vanilla and lemon peel, among others.

I cannot not mention the temperature-controlled wine cellar, a cool space for bottles of Penfolds The Grange ($356.67) and the more affordable Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc ($52.80). There are plans to hold wine tastings at a counter outside the cellar.

The supermarket is spacious, well laid-out and just the right size. It's not the aerobic workout that shopping at the chain's hypermart, FairPrice Xtra in Ang Mo Kio Hub, inevitably becomes.

If your heart rate goes up, it's only because of the lush displays of food.

FairPrice Finest
B1-01/B2-01 Bukit Timah Plaza
1 Jalan Anak Bukit
Tel: 6468-8415
Opening hours: 9am to 10pm daily.