Would love to join a Chow meet - I assume it'll be over good food? When and where is the next one scheduled? And how often do you meet?

I'm relatively new to Chow and am impressed that some of the fellow contributors (klyeoh, Four Seasons, M Gomez, in particular) have thick wallets... to have eaten at some of the finest dining institutions in S'pore + rest of Asia. Will definitely pick your brains for my next food trip.

http://bibikgourmand.blogspot.com/

I believe there's a thread on Indian resto recommendations somwhere but here's my pitch: Gajalee's my favourite for lip-smacking seafood done Indian style. Yantra at Tanglin Mall is good too.

http://bibikgourmand.blogspot.com

I heard Oyama is really good - though I've never been there personally. I've only visited a handful of Continental restaurants in Shanghai.

http://bibikgourmand.blogspot.com

You're probably not looking for Continental cuisine while in Shanghai + Beijing, but if you do change in mind, check out Mr & Mrs Bund whilst in Shanghai. The menu is thick and hard to navigate - pls ask for Fabian (Maitre'D) and he will recommend the chef's signature dishes of which you should not miss the bread truffles and lemon lemon tart. I've yet to upload my write-up of Shanghai onto my blog...and since I can't provide the link here, pls google "City Slicker Shanghai". The article was published on The Independent and it has the highlights of my trip including the excellent Mr & Mrs Bund.

http://bibikgourmand.blogspot.com/

Singapore will rank amongst one of the world's best. We are a food-obsessed nation!
Why? Because we have access to cheap street food (from US$1.50 per bowl of noodles), moderately priced restaurants (from US$10 per head) and costly celebrity chef (starting from US$150 per head).
Apart from that, you can pick from different cuisine types: Chinese (Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, Hakka) , Japanese, Korean, French, Spanish, Italian, Mod. European, etc..you name it. The variety is eye-popping.

http://bibikgourmand.blogspot.com/

Hey Stewart, kaiseki in kyoto is pretty costly. But if you're on a 'shoe string' budget, try Giro Giro Hitoshina (420-7 Nanba-cho, Nishi Kiya-machi-dori, Higashigawa, Matsubarashita, Shimogyo-ku; 81-75-343-7070), the contemporary kaiseki at Giro Giro is known to be one of the most affordable in Kyoto. I have recently visited Kyoto and visited a number of top notch kaiseki restaurants, my story was published in Singapore's epicure magazine. You can find the article on Kyoto's haute cuisine under"Travel" if you look under the Restaurant Index tab. I can't post the link here. But I must say that if your budget allows, a trip to either Kichisen or Kikunoi Honten is a 'must do'.

Evelyn
http://bibikgourmand.blogspot.com/

I have some suggestions for Kyoto. Hoshinoya Kyoto is a new contemporary ryokan that just opened along the Ooigawa river and it is gorgeous. Kyoto is known for its kaiseki cuisine so consider building your eating itenerary around these...but I must caution that while the kaiseki dinners are exquisitie, they are costly too. I visited Kyoto last year and wrote an article on Kyoto's Haute cuisine that was published in Singapore's Epicure magazine. I can't provide the link to the article here (I am not allowed to) but if you refer to my blog link below, you can't find the story published under "Travel" (look under the Restaurant Index page).

http://bibikgourmand.blogspot.com/

Have you tried Tott (http://www.tottstore.com/)?

http://bibikgourmand.blogspot.com/

Both are excellent. But Andre puts alot more thought into each of the courses and the culinary principles behind the Octa menu. I also prefer the warmer setting at Andre (it is set in a triple storey shop house).

http://bibikgourmand.blogspot.com/

I've yet to visit Waju Ghin nor Santi, but my fellow restaurant critic (who happens to head up the S.E.Asian judging panel for SP World 50 Best) says both Waku Ghin and Santi are v good.
I did try Andre's 8-course Octa menu though. It is artisanal, profound and top-notch. His baked foie gras jelly topped with black truffle coulis is one of the best foie gras I've had in recent times. I say its profound because Andre has put alot of thought into mapping each of the courses (and ingredients) with his culinary philosophy.
Evelyn
http://bibikgourmand.blogspot.com/

Only L'atelier de Joel Robuchon

Evelyn
http://bibikgourmand.blogspot.com/

For a unique Singapore dining experience sans the heat, checkout Wild Rocket for its modern Singaporen cuisine.

http://bibikgourmand.blogspot.com/

For hawker, try WEE NAM KEE chicken rice at Novena area.
As for higher end dining, you have to chck out The Wild Rocket, the only restaurant to serve modern Singapore cuisine.
Another 'not to be missed' experience is to book yourself at table at Andre Restaurant. It is located next to New Majestic Hotel. However, they only have 30 tables and has a 1-month wait list.. If you can't get yourself a table, Gunther's is excellent too.

Evelyn Chen
http://bibgourmand.blogspot.com/

Everyone's entitled to their judgement....and my experiences at Gajalee Singapore have been near-perfect. Save for an insipid oyster curry, every other dish I had at Gajalee stood out from the other Indian restaurants. Don't miss the marsala-coated deep-fried Bombay Duck, tandoor-based Sri Lankan crabs, prawn biryani, dhal fry and Chinese Pomfret grilled with garlic butter.

Evelyn Chen
http://bibgourmand.blogspot.com/