What do you do when you have a colleague with picky eating habits?

You send her on a food adventure, of course!

Meet Kim, our resident picky eater. She's known around the office for her unique food preferences: her 'cai fan' is usually devoid of leafy greens, she's only recently started eating mildly spicy food at the age of 26, and she has an intense aversion to cucumbers. In fact, her dislike for cucumbers is so strong that we avoid sitting next to her if we're having chicken rice with a few token slices of the fruit.

When it came time to write this article, we knew Kim was the perfect person for the job. We assigned this proud Westie the task of working from home for a week to explore the food offerings at Westgate's Gourmet Paradise.

Located on B2 of the mall, this food hall boasts 16 F&B stores, including Johan, Ji De Chi and many more. Read on to see what she discovered - including great lunch deals that you won't want to miss!

"Generous serving of chicken chop and two sides for under $10" - No Horse Run, #B2-K8

On the first day, Kim made a beeline for No Horse Run, a cafe serving Western food and locally inspired gelato flavours. She got a Grilled Chicken Chop ($8.90) which came with a huge portion of fries and coleslaw.

And who can resist gelato when it's right in front of you? Certainly not Kim, who ordered a single scoop ($3.90) of yam gelato without hesitation.

Kim says: "I was not expecting such a generous serving of chicken chop and two sides for under $10! The chop was tender and juicy, and both side dishes were very tasty as well. The yam gelato was sweet with a surprisingly chewy texture - it was nice to end lunch on a sweet note."

"Getting my daily intake of greens without feeling icky" - Pho Street, #B2-K6 to K7

We knew Kim would be hesitant to try Vietnamese bun (rice vermicelli noodle) bowls as she's not too fond of cucumbers, but she stepped out of her comfort zone with the Dry Rice Vermicelli with Roasted Lemongrass Chicken & Spring Roll ($10.90) at Pho Street.

She gamely picked out the cucumber shreds and almost finished the entire bowl of noodles. If that isn't a testament to how delicious the dish was, we don't know what is!

Kim says: "The noodles were covered in a sweet and spicy sauce that went very well with the spring roll and vegetables. I loved how fragrant the dish tasted, and the best thing was that I was getting my daily intake of greens without feeling icky about it."

"Cockles are super fresh" - 328 Katong Laksa, #B2-06

Despite her mild spice tolerance, Kim chose 328 Katong Laksa for lunch on day three because she was enticed by the aromatic wafts of the coconutty shrimp broth. She decided on Combo A ($9.80), which includes a regular bowl of laksa, an otah, and a drink. Considering the number of fresh prawns and cockles in the laksa, we think this is pretty value-for-money.

Kim says: "I needed a can of cold soy milk to go with the laksa because my spice tolerance is pretty low. I couldn't finish the whole bowl, but it was only because I couldn't handle the heat anymore. I don't usually eat cockles, but the ones here are super fresh with no fishy smell, and they have a nice chewy texture."

"Pork belly cuts were generously thick" - 85 Redhill Teochew Fishball Noodles, #B2-K13 to K14

Don't be misled by its name - 85 Redhill Teochew Fishball Noodles also serves up a mean plate of curry rice. Kim chose the Pork Belly Curry Rice ($5.70), which came thoroughly drenched in a rich curry gravy and served with a sunny side up egg and some stewed cabbages.

The store also serves the usual kopitiam drinks like kopi and teh, so Kim went ahead and ordered her usual post-lunch caffeine fix - a cup of freshly-brewed teh peng ($1.90).

Kim says: "I really liked how saucy the entire dish was! The curry was not too spicy and the pork belly cuts were generously thick. The teh peng was milky and sweet - which was a good complement to the strong flavours from the curry rice."

"One of the best dry mala dishes I've ever had" - Green Delights, #B2-K15 to K16

Kim is strangely fond of mala for someone who can't tolerate spicy foods. While exploring Gourmet Paradise, she came across Green Delights, a halal-certified yong tau foo store offering a mala stir-fry option. Intrigued, she decided to give it a shot.

While the Mala Yong Tau Foo ($9 for a minimum of seven pieces) costs slightly more than normal yong tau foo, it proved to be the right choice. According to Kim, the least spicy option was pretty manageable without compromising on flavour and shiok factor.

After finishing her mala yong tau foo, Kim needed a drink. Thankfully, Mr Coconut (#B2-K17) was just a short walk away, and she quelled the heat with a refreshing Coconut Shake ($5).

Kim says: "It was actually one of the best dry mala dishes I've ever had! The seasoning had a perfect balance of spicy and numbing flavours, and the dish wasn't overly greasy. I especially loved how the dry beancurd soaked up the mala sauce - every bite was bursting with flavour.

I always need to cool off after a spicy meal. Fortunately, Mr Coconut was just right around the corner so I was able to grab an icy drink quickly!"

"An interesting mix of flavours" - Mun Zuk, #B2-K1 to K2

Kim was craving some comfort food, so she made a stop at Mun Zuk, a congee specialty chain established by the folks behind the famed Li Fang Congee from ABC Brickworks Food Centre.

She got the Creamy Trio Egg Congee Set Meal ($9.90), which includes a cup of soy milk and youtiao. The first bite of congee was a delightful surprise - it was packed with flavour and even had a hint of sweetness. The combination of century egg, salted egg, and soft-boiled egg makes for a congee with a myriad of rich flavours and textures. It was savoury, sweet, creamy, and grainy all at once.

Kim says: "The congee was very flavourful and even tasted slightly sweet! Combined with the umami-rich taste of the salted and century egg, it created quite an interesting mix of flavours. It might work for some people, but I guess I'm just not used to it."

"Would definitely order the Spicy Beef Taco sub again" - Subway, #B2-09

After having local fare for the past few days, Kim decided to switch things up with Subway. She chose to have a Subway Everyday Value Meal ($6.80), which includes a six-inch sub, a cookie and a drink.

Her sandwich of choice was the new Spicy Beef Taco sub, made with garlic bread, and topped with all of the available vegetables (except green pepper and cucumber, of course) with a dash of Chipotle Southwest sauce.

While enjoying her meal, Kim scrolled through her CapitaStar App and discovered an exciting promotion. By entering the reward code <WESTLUNCH>, she unlocked exclusive lunchtime eDeals, available only on weekdays from now till Aug 30. She even found an eDeal for Subway - $2 off with a minimum spend of $10!

Kim says: "I was quite impressed - I did not expect that flavour or texture to work in a sandwich, but it reminded me of a burrito that I would order at a Mexican restaurant. The spicy marinade on the beef was just right and paired well with the Chipotle sauce. This was a deviation from my usual Subway order, but I would definitely order it again."

An affordable and delicious array of food at Gourmet Paradise

The next time you're in Westgate and looking for a place to eat, head on down to Gourmet Paradise for a variety of affordable and delicious food - there's something for everybody, even the pickiest of eaters!

Here are three ways you can get to Gourmet Paradise:

• Go down to B2 from Lift Lobby B
• Take the escalators from The Courtyard (beside Samsung) at Level 1 directly down to B2
• Take the escalators in Sephora on Level 1 down to B2

From now until Aug 30, you'll also receive a $2 eCapitaVoucher when you spend a minimum of $20 in a single receipt at any Food and Beverage store in B2 Gourmet Paradise. Find out more here.

That's not all. Shoppers can also look forward to a new addition at Gourmet Paradise very soon - the largest Scarlett Supermarket in Singapore! You can expect a wide range of value-for-money Chinese products, from beverages to seasonings to frozen food. And of course, unique snacks from China.

With that, you can satisfy all your food needs at Gourmet Paradise - from meals and refreshing treats to groceries!

This article is brought to you in partnership with Westgate.

sophie.hong@asiaone.com 

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