There are people who look at grocery shopping as an unavoidable chore, and there are those who like nothing better than spending an hour or two walking up and down the aisles, checking out everything.

No prizes for guessing which group I belong to.

I've been haunting the newly renovated Market Place supermarket at the Paragon, finding new things every time I visit.

The new store is slick but not too slick, with plenty to tickle the fancy of any gourmet.

The meat and seafood sections are endless sources of fascination and inspiration. Fat scallops and juicy, marbled kurobuta pork spare ribs have found their way into my kitchen, and I hope they'll carry larger cuts of the pork soon.

Elsewhere in the supermarket, I've found addictive, delicious Waitrose Chive and Onion Twists ($5.55 for 125g) and All Butter Cheese Twists ($5.55 for 125g). Crisp, flaky and flavourful, they make for very moreish snacks. My colleagues can certainly attest to that.

I am also quite in love with Macadamia Nut Mustard from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne ($10.50 for a 190g jar). Mild mustard is mixed in with whole mustard seeds and best of all, lots of chopped macadamia nuts. The result is a crunchy, buttery condiment with a kick. It is excellent mashed with hard-boiled eggs and butter for a sandwich filling.

I put Wholesome Sweeteners' Organic Raw Blue Agave nectar ($10.20 for a 333g bottle) to good use, sweetening a pitcher of margaritas.

Made from the same spiky plant used to make tequila, agave nectar has a consistency like runny honey, tastes like a light caramel and is a little sweeter than sugar.

It doesn't bring on a big sugar spike, so people use it to sweeten cakes and desserts in place of white sugar.

Two other products caught my eye. Goan Cuisine's Jackfruit & Lime Sambal ($17.65 for a 450g jar) is a delicious, mildly spicy condiment with strips of the fruit. This is fantastic in a sandwich with ham.

I've saved the best for last. Ferrarini Burro ($5.95 for 150g, 16 portions) is an Italian butter with a mild, creamy taste.

Just unwrap the individually-wrapped pats straight from the fridge and quickly slap onto a piece of warm kaya toast.

Paragon Market Place
B1-20/24
Paragon, tel: 6738- 2798.
Opening hours: 9am to 10pm daily.