had dinner with a friend at east coast and i was pleasantly surprised that 2 of my fave eateries have opened branches there. plus a small number of mini cafes have sprung up.

i guess what's sad though, is that a lot of the old traditional food places - those with character - are gone. even the ones that started 20 years ago are gone - a symptom of the country's need to upgrade i guess. also, it's mainly food outlets, there aren't many other interesting shops around (i don't count boutiques etc as interesting, although maybe pet shops are).