If you believe that the journey is just as important as the destination, then Halia will sing to you. It's set by the side of a lotus pond in the middle of a hectare of specimen plants in the Ginger Garden of the Botanic Gardens.

Locals have differing views on the best time to visit — for a weekend breakfast in the cooler part of the day? No, an all-out indulgence at English afternoon tea. Ah, but at night, the individual flowers and plant forms take a back seat to the shadows and sounds from a lamp-lit jungle ...

Whatever time you go, the food is consistently good in an international style with some Asian twists. (To get there, enter the Gardens by the Tyersall Avenue side entrance.)