Having arrived in Singapore as just a young couple, we spent plenty of time indulging ourselves in the local restaurants. We tried all types of food (some ordered only with the assistance of local friends), and all kinds of atmospheres, from the luxury air conditioned dining of five star hotel restaurants, to the noisy food centers alongside the MRT stations.

Nowadays, there are three of us, and one tends to be very noisy (as infants are), so we limit ourselves to more family friendly restaurants or hawker centers. This has actually broadened our experience in dining out as we've had to search for different restaurants with different criteria for evaluating them. In some cases, our existing favorites have been very accommodating about having an infant along (Esmirada, for one). But some restaurants we sought out specifically because we knew having a baby with us wouldn't pose any problems.

Honestly, we don't eat at hawker centers very often. We tend to "take-away" such food and bring it home to eat in the comfort of air conditioning and reasonably clean utensils. Generally only in the company of local friends will we eat at a hawker center, and honestly, those are the best experiences. It's great to have someone "in the know" along with you to find the good food stalls or order the best dishes.

We'll leave the comprehensive guide to Singapore restaurants to the experts (although it sounds like a great part- time job, don't you think?). This is just our short list of what we consider the best of the best restaurants in Singapore and where you'll most likely find us on those evenings where we're too tired to cook.

If you are out for fine dining with maximum atmosphere, delicious cuisine, and no limit on price (although we do not completely splurge on dining out; we believe in moderation), you still have hundreds of choices in restaurants. However, we choose our restaurants not only on food and atmosphere, but also service (refer to our sidebar for more details).

Whenever we have guests in town and we want to do something special, we head over to Chijmes. The former nunnery has been transformed into one of the most beautiful dining spots in Singapore. The best time to go is around 7pm, before the crowds get there and you can still get a table at most places without reservations (don't try this on Friday or Saturday night though). Then you can eat al fresco at a leisurely pace, enjoying the beauty of the surroundings as the sun sets.

Our recommendations for restaurants in Chijmes are Maison de Fontaine (traditional French) and Esmirada (Mediterranean). Both have excellent food, but more importantly, the service at both is impeccable.

We met Peter, the husband of Maison de Fontaine's owner, one evening when we were taking photographs around the Chijmes compound. His easy-going nature and humor were refreshing, and since then, we have had several conversations with him, even when we're not eating at his wife's restaurant. The staff is friendly but not imposing; rather, they keep an eye on you from a distance and interrupt you only when they sense you need something. The food is exquisite and we especially love the scalloped potatoes in cheese and the lovingly made Caesar salad.

On The Side:

Let's Talk About Service

One of the things I constantly bash Singapore for is it's lacking of good service. To be more fair and accurate, I should say that service in Singapore is too non-standard. Shops and restaurants competing in the same market can have service ranging from excellent to non-existent. Even within the same store, service variance from one associate to the next can be completely different.

In Singapore, where almost no product or service is exclusive, the level of customer service will set the leaders apart from the laggards. Recent comments from the Prime Minister him- self about the service level in Singapore have brought the issue into the light, but with all the buzz about it, we have yet to see much improvement at the consumer level.

We chose our favorite restaurants on these pages with a nod to the level of service we receive at them. For example, at Esmirada, the staff is friendly and helpful, keeping in mind our extra inconvenience of having a baby with us. On one occasion, our hostess actually held our son for a while so we could enjoy our dinner in peace.

At Maison de Fountaine, we have been remembered by name when we enter the restaurant (and we only eat there every few months), the staff is alongside the table a few seconds after you look up to locate them, and we never ask twice for anything.

The key to great service at a restaurant is making the customer feel like royalty. The staff literally anticipates your needs and is there to fulfill them. At the end of the evening, you are proud to pay the bill, because you know the staff deserves every cent.

Overall, service in Singapore has a lot of room to mature. But it's good to know that there are examples of excellent service all around us, and everyone involved in a service organization (especially retail) is obligated to learn from these well trained people.

Esmirada's menu is not big, but it doesn't matter; you will find yourself ordering the same favorites every time you eat there. The service is a little more friendly than Maison de Fountaine, but not in a bothersome way. We always get their amazing garlic bread, a salad, and beef or lamb skewers which are exceptionally tender. Esmirada has another location on Orchard Rd across from Somerset MRT which has better service but slightly less atmosphere.

Family Friendly...