The buzz: A furniture shop-cum-bar with retro décor and a client list heavily laced with movie moguls, celebs and young hisos.

Here you’ll have to play hide and seek with the waiters, but its toothsome ramen can compensate for the absent-minded service. Avoid stopping by during peak times.

( HSBC Dining Guide, BK#178, Mar 23, 2007)

This wooden garage-sized pub and restaurant rocks to the nightly live performances by the in-house band. A patio section runs around the outside for those who prefer peaceful evenings to jumping and shouting to pop, pop rock and commercial hits both Thai and inter.

This well-known yoga studio, which has been around for three years, conducts classes in Ashtanga/Vinyasa based yoga as well as Pilates mat classes. It very often has visiting instructors to teach special workshops. Teachers also provide private classes in the comfort of your office or home.

Opened: Oct 2007

The buzz: Izakaya (technically a restaurant for drinking) leaves the Japanese ghettos of Sukhumvit and sets up shop on a mini-RCA strip in Town in Town.

If you’re a connoisseur of Korean cuisine, but would rather skip the cramped and smoky BBQ’s of Times Square—then you might like You Rea Guan (which means “welcome” in Korean). Located in a newly constructed compound of buildings, this Korean restaurant is trying to please everyone.

Fit for its trendy location on the second floor of J Avenue, Yura An is chic, blending modern designs with traditional Japanese touches. Shabu shabu is the thing here, but its tender braised pork loin and green tea mochi are also crowd-pleasers.

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