Brunching at Tiong Bahru Part 1: Flock Cafe

My wife just turned 29 this year, but I feel like she is a tita at heart. She was never one to go clubbing or bar hopping, but she's a late riser on weekends. When she got to Singapore, she found a thing that was just right for her; brunch.

Tiong Bahru became one of her favorite places, and I think it is for most titas and titas at heart. It is home to some nice bookstores, artsy bakeries and cafes, and of course, brunch places. The nostalgic ambiance of the whole neighborhood also draws you to walk around and explore the place.

I planned to buy some fresh meat at Tiong Bahru market, one of the biggest wet markets we have around the area. However, I learned that Mondays are not the best days to come by as the meat vendors aren't selling much. Instead of going home empty-handed, my friend Steph and I decided to have brunch around the area.

You'll find this store by walking around.

We found Flock Cafe on one of the buildings around the neighborhood and decided to give it a shot. It's a bit hidden, and you'd probably miss it if you were in a car. They have slightly dim lights, but their space is not too cramped and their music is not too loud. It's an accommodating space for those who need to work but can't think inside an office.

Sorry, I already had a bite before taking a picture. 

On brunch places, I usually have the Big Breakfast selection, but when I saw that their steak was cheaper than the Big Breakfast, I decided to go with it instead. Proteins for brunch because why not. I ordered a medium-rare steak, and went with a mushroom gravy instead of a pepper sauce. Mashed potatoes and some boiled vegetables served as a bed for the steak. I thought it was nice for them to smother just one side of the steak in sauce, so that I can still have a taste of the meat without the sauce.

For the price, I thought it was a great value. I was served a generous portion of meat, the mashed potatoes was just right, and there were enough greens to go along with it. For the dish itself, I thought that it was more rare than medium; there were some parts that were bloody, and I felt some portions were more chewy than others. The mushroom sauce/gravy tasted creamy, and it helped mask the rareness of the meat. The generous amount of sauce helped me make it a dipping sauce for the veggies.

Come for Seconds: For the weekday morning ambiance, I probably would, but if this were located anywhere else, I wouldn't go out of my way to have find it.

Timbre+ Part 4: Going Fusion with Vatos Express

Timbre+ is a food park concept located near One North MRT (Yellow Line) here in Singapore. With offices aplenty and not much dining choices around, Timbre+ caters mainly to the people working around the area, but is definitely open to anyone who would take the effort to drop by.

During the afternoon, it has a hawker feel to it as there are some familiar neighborhood hawker stalls like Chicken Rice, Mixed Food, Fruit Juices, etc. However, these stalls are closed at night and only the restaurants remain open. In addition, live bands play every night from Monday to Saturday. 

Take note though, that some restaurants take a break from around 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. During lunch, some of the restaurants offer a lunch set menu, at a lower cost (which understandably has fewer servings) than their regular menu items.

You might be surprised to pay more than the amount on the menu. This is mainly because restaurants add one dollar for every tray of a dine in customer. Once you're done eating, you can put your tray back to the tray return area to get your dollar back. 

One Friday night, some guy asked how business was going, and I answered as honestly as I could. He might have been taken aback by my response, but he appreciated it. Turned out, he was the owner of the store that's taking over the space next to ours. He told me about their place, and I got excited because they were a Korean-Mexican restaurant. Vatos Express is a fast food-type store in Timbre+ which serves as another branch for their sit-down restaurant located in Beach Road. 

Fancy multi-screen store name was catchy. 

They opened their store in Timbre+ in early November, and because they only open at night, it took me a while to eat most of their offerings. 

Unlike their main branch, Vatos Express only has a counter where you can order food. They're the only store that has multiple LED TV screens to showcase their food and store name, so it's not difficult to spot them. On their store front, they feature their Kimchi Carnitas fries and Honey Tequila Chicken Wings. 

Kimchi Carnitas Fries (SGD 15.00)

Since I met Sid (owner), and since reading about Vatos over the internet, I wanted to know what their Kimchi Carnitas Fries was all about. On their first day, I had what you see on the pic.

Well-cooked fries are topped with some kind of kimchi salsa, maybe chili sauce, some sour cream sauce, lots of onions, I think pulled pork was the meat, probably mint leaves, and a couple of jalapeno slices. It was a fairly large serving, and I had to share it because it was a busy night, and unfortunately, I wasn't able to take a picture of the finished plate as someone cleaned up my table. 

They did not hold back on toppings, but I don't think this is a dish for everyone. I love me my onions, but I'm not sure if I can get my wife to share this whole plate with me. I think the best way to eat this dish is to mix it all up, because the toppings is almost as much as the fries in it. Every bite gives you a burst of at least three different flavors, and it is not for people on diets. It's great for sharing in a group of 4-6 people, with everyone getting satisfied with their share. It won't fill you up if you shared, and I dare you to finish one by yourself, because I know I couldn't. 

Galbi Short Ribs Tacos (SGD 13.00 for 2)

Next, I tried their Galbi Short Ribs Tacos. A couple of soft tortillas are filled with meat, then topped with onions, probably silantro, and a spicy sauce on top. Each taco is propped up against each other so that it is half closed, but you can clearly see what's inside. 

Everything is edible in that dish. 

What I thought at first was too small turned out to be really loaded. I wanted to eat it as a light snack, but it became my dinner plate. The galbi gave it the Korean feel, while the sauce, onions, and of course, the tacos gave it the Mexican touch. Taste-wise, I think I could probably find a similar flavor in a Mexican restaurant, but that's just me. 

Barbacoa Burrito (SGD 15.00)

To reiterate, I ate each of the dishes on different days, and I made sure I was hungry every time. For my third round, I had the Barbacoa Burrito. I may have had bigger burritos than this, but their size is just right. Rice is spread over soft tortilla, and is topped with beans, meat, onions and other burrito stuff; I wasn't able to see their preparation, I just assumed that it's made like a regular burrito. A whole burrito roll is sliced into two for presentation, and to probably maneuver the burrito better when you eat it. 

I learned from other Mexican places how to carefully tear the aluminum foil away so as not to make a mess. 

Unlike burritos I've had where I only get rice and beans at times, their burrito is as loaded as their other dishes I've tried. It's filling, but not overwhelming; something I've experienced when eating humongous burritos. I told my friends at Vatos that I felt that this dish was too Mexican, but I realized I ordered the most Mexican dish on their menu, so I guess that's my fault. 

Kimchi Pork Quesadilla (SGD 16.00)

 Judging by the name of this dish, I expected to taste a blend of Korean and Mexican cuisine. I've had quesadilla before, and this looked more fried than what I usually get. They top it with a chili and sour cream sauces, and they put a garnish of cabbage salad. 

I got a treat of Jarritos (SGD 5.00) from my friends at Vatos 

This is probably the epitome of a Korean-Mexican dish. Imagine samgyeopsal and kimchi together, top it with melted cheese, chopped onions, and some peppers, and sandwich it all inside a deep fried soft taco. Even if you have an idea of how that would taste like, the actual thing tastes better. 

The Fat Bastard (SGD 19.00)

Apart from their burritos, they also offer rice bowls. One day, I delayed my lunch so that I could be hungry enough to conquer their Fat Bastard. From the description, it's basically all the meat from their various rice bowls, all topped on this single dish. Mexican rice and beans are covered with I think three different cooks of meat. All these are smothered with sour cream and guacamole, and the tomato salsa provides the finishing touches of the dish. 

This one is for starving people. 

It took a while to finish, but I finished every bit of it. The item's description on their menu does offer a warning that it could be a bit too much, so I did prepare before ordering it. Again, every bite of the dish gives you a generous amount of meat. 

Come for Seconds: I've had my thirds, fourths, and fifths in this place, and I think I'll keep coming. It's a bit expensive to be a regular favorite, but if money was no object, I'd probably have more of it. Personally, I feel like it's more of a Mexican restaurant, but the Korean twist makes it stand out from other Korean restaurants around here. 

Singapore Food, Part 1: Braving Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle

When I travel,  I try to make it a point to eat the signature dish of a town, province, or country that I visit. As a Filipino, I know all too well that our signature dishes (adobo, sinigang, etc.) can be done in a variety of ways and this will be true no matter which place I visit. Still, eating Bicol Express made by a Bicolano will be a better experience than eating one made by someone from a different province. 

The first country I ever visited outside of the Philippines was Singapore, a year after my sister found a job here in 2008. From then until now, I have always wondered what "local" food Singapore offers; as a country that is home to a variety of cultures, one could easily mistake a neighboring country's signature food as Singapore's own. After visiting the country multiple times before settling down here in 2015, I have been able to at least differentiate those with a Singapore flair, even if the dish didn't originate from Singapore.

This is a multiple part blog series where I explore these "local" food for you to try when you visit.

You can't say that you've been to Singapore and not have Chicken Rice at least once. It's cheap, flavorful, and available anywhere there's food. It is considered as one of the national dishes of Singapore, if not THE national dish. It's so common that it's difficult to find the best one. 

Good thing the Michelin Guide arrived in Singapore last year. It's a reputable guide that gives ratings to some of the best restaurants around the world. While it is known to rate fine dining restaurants, they did a different approach for their Singapore guide; they included hawker centers and cze char restaurants to produce the first guide that features the cheapest Michelin-starred eats. One such hawker stall is Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken & Rice Noodle. 

Stall wasn't open yet, but there were already people lining up, including those guys seated in front of the shop.

When the guide was officially launched back in July, there was much fanfare about this stall and I was left to wonder just how one can make chicken rice so good that it deserved a Michelin star - not just a bib gourmand that's usually awarded to "exceptionally good food at moderate prices," but a Michelin star that even Gordon Ramsey cries about.

Since I was a houseband for quite a while, I thought it would be best to come by after lunchtime so that there won't be a massive queue. On my first try, I came around 2:30PM and was greeted by a queue that was about a hundred meters long. That might be an exaggeration, but it started from the escalator of the hawker center all the way to his stall that was about five aisles and five tables away. I thought if I ate elsewhere the line would get shorter, but I was wildly mistaken.

On my next attempt, I woke up early on a Wednesday to queue up even before the stall opened at 10:30AM, only to find out that Wednesday was the only day he wasn't open. On my third try, I was lucky enough to be on queue early, with only 12 people ahead of me. It still took me an hour before I got to order. 

Liao Fan's Roasted Pork Rice (SGD 2.50) and Soya Sauce Chicken Noodle (SGD 2.50)

Typically, when you order chicken rice, the rice is cooked with the chicken broth, giving it more flavor. However, when I saw that the stall is serving just plain rice, I thought I'd try a couple of dishes for variety, just to make it worth the wait. In any food, I think while ingredients may remain the same the constant variable is the technique in which the cook prepares the food. Because of this, I wanted to see if the noodles were different as well, as I assume it's also hand made. 

Rice is drizzled with the sauce from where the soya chicken was cooked in. Roast pork is then chopped and placed over the rice. A spoonful of braised peanuts complete the dish. Pickled green chili is available, as it usually is in hawker centers. For the noodle dish, the noodles is soaked in a boiling solution - not sure if there are other ingredients in it, I just know that that's what they usually do with noodles or fish cakes. The plate is then doused with an oily liquid and some of the soya sauce the chicken was cooked in. The noodles is then strained from the pot, and placed over the plate. A portion of the chicken is chopped and topped on the noodles. The dish is completed by a side of quick boiled kailan and some chili. 

The chili from the noodle dish was spicy enough, so I didn't have too much of the pickled green chili. 

The chicken is not life-changing, but it was really good. The meat was more tender and juicier than most chicken rice I've tried before, and the soya sauce was absorbed well by the skin. It's something worth the wait for an hour, but probably not for four hours, which was a possibility considering the crazy queue. I mixed the noodles with the sauce and the chili, and while I think it was good, I realized I had no idea how to discern a good noodle from something that isn't. The kailan was an excellent partner for the noodles, as it provided some crunch to every bite. 

For the roast pork, I think it was cooked well enough to be crispy, but the skin felt a bit chewy at times. I also think it was portioned and prepared well, with only a couple of inedible bones left on my plate. Their sauce was rich and distinct, and I thought it was wise for them not to put too much on the rice as they risk making the whole dish too salty. 

Come for seconds: If I have time to kill, why not. It is by far the cheapest Michelin-starred dish anywhere in the world and though some may think it's overrated because of how common the dish is, I think it was well deserved because of how he was able to create a distinct identity for his own version. He's reportedly set to open a new restaurant called Hawker Chan backed by Hersing Culinary, the company behind Tim Ho Wan, among others. The 80-person seating capacity and air-conditioned space should help ease the lines from the original hawker stall soon, which means a more acceptable waiting time to order. 

Singapore Food, Part 2: Experiencing Song Fa Bak Kut Teh

When I travel,  I try to make it a point to eat the signature dish of a town, province, or country that I visit. As a Filipino, I know all too well that our signature dishes (adobo, sinigang, etc.) can be done in a variety of ways and this will be true no matter which place I visit. Still, eating Bicol Express made by a Bicolano will be a better experience than eating one made by someone from a different province. 

The first country I ever visited outside of the Philippines was Singapore, a year after my sister found a job here in 2008. From then until now, I have always wondered what "local" food Singapore offers; as a country that is home to a variety of cultures, one could easily mistake a neighboring country's signature food as Singapore's own. After visiting the country multiple times before settling down here in 2015, I have been able to at least differentiate those with a Singapore flair, even if the dish didn't originate from Singapore.

This is a multiple part blog series where I explore these "local" food for you to try when you visit.

My friends based in Singapore usually get together to treat friends who visit. On my first trip to Singapore without my family, I met with these friends who took us out to eat at Song Fa Bak Kut Teh in Clark Quay. Back then, we had to queue for a while even if there were two branches on the same street separated by a couple of stores. I recently visited the same branch and found out that it was easier to queue when you're alone. I guess it also helped that it was 2PM on a Monday afternoon. 

Song Fa Bak Kut Teh in Clark Quay. No, I didn't ask the guy to bow, it was just weird timing. 

Song Fa is one of the more popular bak kut teh restaurants around. I learned through their website that it started out as a pushcart back in 1969, and has since grown to multiple stores across the country. Both stores on New Bridge Road (right across Clark Quay Central) have a nostalgic ambiance - something that they try to maintain to let their customers experience the classic taste of the dish as if they were eating off their original push cart in the 60's.

Bak kut teh is a Chinese soup dish that is widely popular in Singapore. My friends brought us here back then precisely because we wanted to try "local" food. It apparently directly translates to "meat bone tea" and it actually makes sense when you taste it.

Song Fa's Pork Ribs Soup (SGD 7.00) with a side of Braised Beancurd Skin (SGD 3.50) and plain rice (SGD 0.60)

I had the SGD 7.00 Pork Rib Soup that had three ribs and a disappointing amount of soup, before I remembered soup refills are unlimited. They have a SGD 9.00 version on their menu, which I assume would have five ribs. I also got the braised beancurd skin because I love beancurd roll dimsum, and I thought this would have the same taste. As a Filipino, rice was inevitable.

Service was fast, which was not surprising because they are probably cooking bak kut teh continuously throughout the day. The beancurd skin looked like it was just strained of from where it was braised.

Clean bones!

As I said earlier, the direct translation of bak kut teh makes sense when you taste it. The soup is like an herbal tea, but with the essence of a pork broth. The garlic gives it a nice character, while a strong peppery taste massages your throat when you take a generous sip. I think it has a bunch of other spices but these are the two I can easily determine. The meat did fall off easily, and I could easily finish it off using chopsticks. They have a small bucket for you to put all your bones in so that your bowl will have more space for soup refills. I didn't have water to wash down my food, but the four soup refills I had did the trick.

For Filipino friends, this dish is basically bulalo, but with pork ribs instead of beef. And you know we love us our bulalo soup.

There are a couple of sauces on every table, one of which looked like a viscous soy sauce that tasted sweet and salty. I'm not sure what it was for, but my appetite channeled the college version of me as I squeezed the sauce on my rice to add flavor. I'm sure you do that too every once in a while.

The braised beancurd skin was just as I imagined it - beancurd roll without the meat inside. I don't know if one is supposed to dip it on the sauce I put on my rice, but I liked it as it is. The beancurd skin was cut thinly, and was soft and juicy when you take a bite of

Come for seconds: Definitely. It's a place one can frequent - prices are affordable, service charge is acceptable, and the taste is just classic. It's the Singapore version of your favorite bulaluhan.

Timbre+ Part 3: Sandwiches and Po' Boys with The World is Flat, Two Wings, Big Bern's and Dancing Crab Shack

Timbre+ is a food park concept located near One North MRT (Yellow Line) here in Singapore. With offices aplenty and not much dining choices around, Timbre+ caters mainly to the people working around the area, but is definitely open to anyone who would take the effort to drop by.

During the afternoon, it has a hawker feel to it as there are some familiar neighborhood hawker stalls like Chicken Rice, Mixed Food, Fruit Juices, etc. However, these stalls are closed at night and only the restaurants remain open. In addition, live bands play every night from Monday to Saturday. 

Take note though, that some restaurants take a break from around 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. During lunch, some of the restaurants offer a lunch set menu, at a lower cost (which understandably has fewer servings) than their regular menu items.

You might be surprised to pay more than the amount on the menu. This is mainly because restaurants add one dollar for every tray of a dine in customer. Once you're done eating, you can put your tray back to the tray return area to get your dollar back. 

In the absence of rice, I get my carbs from bread. Fast food burgers are my go-to meals when I was on the go back in the Philippines. I think that while rice is Asian, sandwiches are more of a Western concept. 

I got to try some of the sandwiches offered by these Western shops at Timbre+:

The World is Flat

The World of Flat's Smash Patty (SGD 19.00)

This food truck-like shop serves up pizzas and sandwiches. Their friendly staff shared some of their pizza one time, and I thought it tasted nice even if it looked weird. It was a deep-dish style pizza with black dough, and I have never seen anything like it so forgive me if I thought it looked weird. 

I didn't know what that pizza was called (I learned later that it was Fat Samurai), but since I tasted it once, I opted to try one of their sandwiches instead. The Smash Patty was on top of the list, and the "generous US beef patty smashed on the grill" got me. 

Just one look at the sandwich and I knew it was going to be a messy meal. A piece of bread the menu called "brioche" is the first layer of the sandwich. The tomato and lettuce are put on top, to serve as the bed for the patty. Onions and mushrooms are added over it, before what I think is cheese is smothered on the sandwich. Another piece of flat bread covers everything, and everything is kept in place by a stick that goes all the way through the sandwich. 

Not as messy as I imagined it would look

This isn't a sandwich you can eat with your hands and not spill cheese all over your table. You also do not want to waste all that good cheese. 

There were a variety of cheeses on that sandwich, but I also detected a creamy, fresh taste that went with it. Upon again consulting the menu (I didn't know anyone on the shop I could talk to), I learned that it was capsicum guacamole. The beef patty was indeed generous - it didn't look as big, but I estimate it was at least a quarter pound patty. The pickled or caramelized onions aroused another part of my taste buds so that it would not be overwhelmed by all that cheese. The mushrooms provided a juicy, neutral flavor that I can chew on. 

Come for Seconds: For a SGD 19.00 dollar meal, I thought it leaned on the expensive side considering it didn't come with anything else. I probably won't come back for this sandwich, but I think their other stuff are worth a try. 

Two Wings

Two Wings' Heritage Burger (SGD 8.90)

This shop is one of our favorites when we are looking to share a beer match other than our own lechon. They have Salted Egg Chicken wings that's always enjoyable to have as a snack. 

According to the Timbre+ website, apart from elevating their family recipe to become a restaurant-quality delicacy, Two Wings is also active in the community, helping inmates and ex-offenders through their social outreach program they call "The Yellow Ribbon project."

Their new addition to the menu consist of three burgers - the Heritage, the Salted Egg Yolk, and the Chili Crab. I was advised to try their classic flavor, the Heritage. 

A freshly cooked chicken breast breaded by their family recipe (hence, "heritage") is sandwiched between two soft buns with a tomato slice at the bottom, and lettuce and mayo on top. A stick holds the whole sandwich together. The dish is completed by a side of fries and what I think is home made iced tea. 

The chopping board was a unique touch, at least in Timbre+

From the presentation to what I get for half the price of a sandwich I had earlier, I thought it was a great value buy. The fries were cut largely, but it was cooked beautifully and evenly. None of the sogginess or burnt edges that I'm used to seeing with fast food fries. The buns were buns were soft and went nicely with the chicken. The chicken was pretty straightforward; chicken breast breaded and fried to crispiness. I wanted another round of the iced tea after I was done with it. 

I can't say the chicken was bland; it was chicken breast after all. However, I didn't think there was a distinct flavor that stood out. I daresay the mayo was even prominent. As a sandwich, it worked for me as every bite came together well. 

Come for Seconds: I would. It's a budget friendly meal that fills you up well. Their chicken wings are a favorite for good reason, and once you try it, you'll know why they call their place "Two Wings."

Big Bern's American Grill

Big Bern's Sliced Beef Po'Boy Set (SGD 17.90), with Coleslaw and Gumbo on the side

I like cheese, I like steaks, so it should follow that a cheesesteak would work for me. 

As the name implies, Big Bern's is an American grill. They serve chili dogs and cheesesteaks and steaks, among other things. If you take the time to read through their menu, you'd probably get to learn a thing or two about their food. It's like Big Bern's is explaining why he has these food on the menu. 

I ordered the Sliced Beef Po'Boy Set that comes with my choice of two sides. I chose the Gumbo and the coleslaw because I thought it felt Western. 

I learned through their menu that back in the day, people who did not have enough money in Louisiana would make sandwiches that were made with whatever was cheap and available and slap it on French Baguettes. They called them "Poor Boys" and because of their Southern accent, it was later accepted as "Po'Boys."

The Sliced Beef Po'Boy did not look like it had cheese on it, as the sauce looked brown all the way. I had no idea what a Gumbo was, I just know that it's a Southern America thing based on restaurants that I've seen.  

Some small bits of bones from the chicken of the Gumbo were the only inedible parts of that dish.

I have never been to Louisiana, so I wouldn't dare compare this dish to an "authentic" American dish. I was wildly mistaken on assuming it didn't have enough cheese. It was oozing with it - probably not in color, but since I'm all about the taste, it was great. The baguette, from what I remember from our Food Trucking days, has a hard crust but soft inside. This Po'Boy's crust wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but I'm not a bread expert so I'll leave it at that. 

Unlike most of the sandwiches I have been served, this one didn't have a stick to keep it all together. That works for me because I figured the best way to eat it is to take the top part off, and eat the other half as if it was bread topped with cheesesteak. Then I cut the other bread into pieces and dip it in the Gumbo for flavor. 

The coleslaw was nothing special, but I like that it didn't have an overpowering sourness and the vegetables were not at all soggy. The Gumbo, for me, was like a different kind of Army Stew; it had a spicy soup, some rice, chicken, and a couple of types of sausages in it. I think I could have a meal with just a larger serving of it, but what I didn't like was the small bits of chicken bones. 

Come for Seconds: They have chili dogs that have two hotdogs on their buns. This is food for the hungry. I'd definitely come back for the Gumbo as well.

Dancing Crab Shack

Dancing Crab Shack's Loaded Shrimp Po'Boys (SGD 16.00) with Sparkling Lemonade (SGD 2.00 add-on)

The restaurant is not unique to Timbre+ as I saw a branch at Vivo City. I think they have other branches as well. While Iskina Cebu draws attention by roasting and displaying a whole pig, the Dancing Crab Shack has aquariums with crabs. They're not dancing, but at least you know that you'll get fresh crabs when you order. 

They offer a variety of seafood dishes, and is apparently backed by Singapore's oldest seafood restaurant leaders, the TungLok Group. With what I see for myself and that information, I am led to believe that they have high quality seafood. 

They did not disappoint. While it was a bit expensive when I ordered it, I was surprised to see a couple of sandwiches on top of a whole lot of fries. Each sandwich had six breaded shrimp resting on what I think is coleslaw. Knowing what I know about the Po'Boy from Big Bern's, I think the only disappointment on this dish is the fact that the bread was far from a baguette. Call it nitpicking, but if you call it a Po'Boy, shouldn't it be at least on a baguette?

I think it could feed two people, but I was hungry, so please don't judge me. 

It took a long while and an additional Lychee Shake from the fruit shop, but I finished it. 

I hate eating seafood just because of the hassle of taking off scales or bones. They say the best part of the shrimp is the head, but since I don't know how to fully enjoy that part, this kind of shrimp was perfect for me. Though it wasn't on a baguette, the bread was toasted nicely to have a bit of a crunch. Shrimp was all over the bread, and every bite had some meat and coleslaw on it. 

The fizzy lemonade was not as sour as most lemonade I've tasted. It's actually kind of refreshing, and light enough to not you feel bloated even if it was fizzy. Their fries were cut as regular fries, but the cajun seasoning made it a more special. It was spicy and evenly spread on each piece. As I mentioned, it's probably made for two people so it was a bit difficult to finish alone. 

Come for Seconds: The overall cook was great, the drink went nicely with it, and the fries could be shared with a friend. I think it will satisfy your seafood cravings adequately.

Timbre+ Part 2: Rice Meals from Kush, Garcon's, Portico, and Iskina Cebu

Timbre+ is a food park concept located near One North MRT (Yellow Line) here in Singapore. With offices aplenty and not much dining choices around, Timbre+ caters mainly to the people working around the area, but is definitely open to anyone who would take the effort to drop by.

During the afternoon, it has a hawker feel to it as there are some familiar neighborhood hawker stalls like Chicken Rice, Mixed Food, Fruit Juices, etc. However, these stalls are closed at night and only the restaurants remain open. In addition, live bands play every night from Monday to Saturday. 

Take note though, that some restaurants take a break from around 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. During lunch, some of the restaurants offer a lunch set menu, at a lower cost (which understandably has fewer servings) than their regular menu items.

You might be surprised to pay more than the amount on the menu. This is mainly because restaurants add one dollar for every tray of a dine in customer. Once you're done eating, you can put your tray back to the tray return area to get your dollar back. 

Rice is a staple food that is difficult to eliminate from my diet. I probably won't be able to avoid it for a whole week even if I tried. Good thing Timbre+ had a variety of restaurants that offered rice meals. 

I've already met some of the owners and staff of the restaurants, and they gave me suggestions as to what dishes I should try. I'll get around to eating everything eventually, but I started off with their suggestions.

Kush Skewers

Beef Rendang Rice Bowl by Kush (SGD 14.80)

Kush's owner usually comes by our shop to chat and mingle. He even helped out when we prepared our chicharon during the "fry-night" theme of Timbre+. I guess he just enjoys cooking a lot. Like Iskina Cebu, Kush also offers grilled meat over charcoal - which is probably why the owners get along well, among other things. 

According to the Timbre+ website, Kush is short for Kushiyaki - which means grilled meat and vegetables on skewers. Their food is a modern Singapore fusion - I think it's the chef's personal take on traditional Singapore dishes. As a meat eater, I first had their Beef Rendang rice bowl. 

My order took a while to make, something expected from a dish cooked over charcoal. Japanese rice serves as the bed for the bowl. It is then topped with medium-rare Angus Beef and their signature sambal kangkong and onsen egg before the "legendary rendang" is poured over. They pair your rice bowl with a drink.

The straw made it difficult to finish the sinkers, but everything on the dish was edible.

In itself, the grilled beef was cooked to my liking. For a restaurant item, I think the price was acceptable even if they took out the sauces and the egg because the meat was that good for me. The rendang sauce gave it a distinct Singapore flavor - I could feel the spice and a hint of coconut reminiscent of a laksa. The overall feel of the dish was similar to that of a Japanese donburi, but nothing makes it feel more Japanese than the onsen egg. I felt like it was softer than a soft boiled egg - it was cooked but appeared almost raw. The whole egg oozes down on your rice, giving it a creamy taste. The sambal kangkong added more spice and a different texture on your bite. 

Don't let the look deceive you - this is not a poor attempt at a Japanese donburi. It is a legitimate marriage of multiple cultures merged into one dish. An Asian staple topped with a western favorite, seasoned with a Singapore flavor, paired with an Indonesian spiced vegetable and a Japanese-inspired manner of cooking egg - if that's not "fusion" enough, I don't know what is.

Come for Seconds: If this is the kind of food I should expect from Kush, then those skewers, Salted Egg Fries and Chili Soft Shell Crab will be tasted and written about soon. 

Garcon's French Cuisine 

Garcon's Beef Bourguignon (SGD 11.90), available on their Lunch Menu only

Garcon's is probably the least interactive when it comes to talking to customers, but their menu is the most interactive and modern in Timbre+.

Their menu is on an electronic panel right below their service window. On it, you'd see everything that they have, complete with prices, descriptions, and pictures. You take your own number and input it on the e-menu, then wait for your own order to be ready. It's pretty straightforward - you're hungry, you order food, and you eat. Their service window high enough for you to reach out to grab your food, but the staff inside needs to crouch in order to talk to the customers outside. 

A friend of mine had their lunch set, and when I saw that it had rice, I decided to try it as well. The dish was Beef Bourguigon, something I was glad I didn't have to dictate because I had no idea how to say it. I ordered it with a side of herb-buttered rice and it came with a drink. 

It didn't look anything like the picture on their menu, but the picture didn't have rice as its side dish. My friend asked the cook not to include mushrooms in his dish, which carried over to my order for some reason, as they forgot to top my dish with it. They gladly gave me my serving of mushroom when we asked for it though. 

My dish had a decent serving of rice, with beef drenched in the sauces it was stewed in. The rice had a couple of spoonfuls of guacamole-like toppings. I spread the mushrooms on top of the beef stew, so I have no idea if I captured their intended look for the dish. 

Couldn't eat the bay leaves, but everything else was just fine.

As a Filipino, I'm used to eating food with sauce or soup. When I do, I usually take it with white rice, because that way, I can appreciate the taste of the sauce or soup better. For this dish, I'm not sure if the herb-buttered rice complemented the dish well, or if white rice could have amplified the taste of the sauce. Either way, there wasn't much sauce to speak of after I finished the dish, as it was seeped through the rice.

The guacamole-like topping added freshness to the dish. I wished I had more, but it might take away from the flavor of the beef stew. The meat was tender and easily broke apart, helping me distribute the meat such that I had some with every bite. The mushrooms dwarfed the amount of meat on my plate, but I liked it. The neutral taste helped the rice balance the strong taste of the stew. 

Without the mushrooms, I think the meat and sauce was just enough for the rice. It was enough to satisfy one's hunger, and you'd still have room for dessert. 

Come for Seconds: Their menu is quite expensive, but considering the quality of the ingredients they use, it could even be a bargain. I'm not a huge fan of French Cuisine, so it doesn't really get me excited. It's a personal preference, and definitely not a knock on them as a restaurant. Where else can you get such elegant food from a food truck? 

Portico Platos

Tom Yum Paella Lunch Set (SGD 6.00)

Fried Fish Paella Lunch Set (SGD 6.00)

The Philippines was a colony of Spain for 300 years, so we're no strangers to Spanish cuisine. Porticos offers paella and tapas on their menu. My friend from Porticos said that they usually change up their lunch paellas so that customers can look forward to their new creations. Their signature Seafood Paella is available every night though. 

As it is generally busy during dinner time, I only had the chance to try their lunch sets. Their commitment to freshness is actually why I got to try their dish for the first time. A slow Monday left them with a lot of paella after the lunchtime rush, and they were about to throw it all away because it will not be served later that day or the day after. 

Out of personal principle, I bought a meal for myself - I need to pay for the food I eat because everyone else will when they visit after reading my blog. I can't have special treatment on my sets because readers of the blog might get disappointed if they don't get the same portions when they try for themselves. Despite being free, my first meal was still portioned as a lunch set. 

Both dishes were cooked differently - a testament to their goal of providing different flavors for their customers. The Tom Yum Paella had baby tomatoes for garnish and flavor, while the Fried Fish Paella just had the lemon and the fish on top of the paella.  

Got a bit too spicy for me, so I washed it down with Coke because why not? 

The large lemon was greatly appreciated for this dish. 

The Tom Yum Paella was appropriately named - it was practically a Tom Yum made into a paella plate. The dish was spicy with a hint of sourness, further enhanced by the zest of lemon. Tom Yum typically comes with shrimp, but despite lacking that ingredient, the dish still manages to emulate the Thai soup. 

The Fried Fish Paella tasted more familiar to me. The rice wasn't spicy this time and while the previous dish probably didn't need the lemon squeeze too much, I thought squeezing lemon here is more essential to complete the flavor. The fried fish was lightly seasoned, and wouldn't have too much flavor when eaten by itself. 

One thing I found common for both were the whole garlic cloves. It caught me off guard the first time I tried it, but eating it together with other ingredients made it work. 

Come for Seconds: I see their signature dishes at night and I think they are presented excellently. Having tasted their lunch menu, I can't wait to try their visually appealing signature dishes.

Iskina Cebu

Iskina's Lechon Cebu Meal (SGD 10.00)

Iskina's Liempo Meal (SGD 6.00)

I work here, but I'll try to write about it as neutral as I can.

Iskina Cebu prides itself as the first restaurant to bring lechon to Singapore. My boss has made it clear that we do not claim to be the best, but we try to maintain the traditional way of cooking lechon. The whole and belly lechon are cooked over charcoal for two hours, depending on how big the meat is.

I tried the signature Lechon Cebu Meal and the Liempo Meal, and lumped my order together with the other orders so that I'll be able to get portions that normal customers would get. 

The Lechon Cebu is usually available on Thursday to Saturday evenings, and it sells out pretty fast. It's a whole roast pig, bigger than a suckling pig, but smaller than from where the belly lechon's meat comes from. The liempo, for those who aren't familiar, is a pork belly cut into strips. For Iskina, these strips are submerged in a brine solution for a period of time, then roasted over charcoal. The meal comes with a cup of rice, but the generous amounts of meat can easily make you ask for another.

Meats are chopped after you order. The lechon is cut open to expose the meat. From there, it is sliced, then chopped finely together with the spices and placed on the plate. Crispy pork skin is then cut and topped on your meat. For the liempo, a full slab is cut in half, then turned on its skin before being cut in half again. Both slices are then chopped into thinner pieces and placed on the plate. 

The Lechon Cebu usually has some bones with it, so I was lucky enough not to have any on my plate.

Small bones found at the end of the liempo meat is natural, but the crispy skin on top was a welcome surprise.

When I eat lechon, I usually ask for liver sauce or our trusty Mang Tomas in order to mask the hint of pork odor that oozes out of it. I think I'm not alone, as countless first time customers ask for it as well. However, the Lechon Cebu doesn't have this undesired odor. I think the herbs and spices not adds flavor to the meat, it also naturally masks the odor. My boss told me that "we don't insult our lechon with fancy sauces" and I believe him when I ate a full meal of the lechon. Some people will probably need to add liver sauce as habit dictates, but I'm fine without it - speaking as someone who appreciates food and not an employee.

The Liempo Meal is similar to the roast pork meat that are naturally seen in hawker centers. It's different in the way that it is seasoned though. While the local roast pork is salty, Iskina's liempo adds a bit more character to the meat through the herbs it was submerged in. It's roasted outside, but strangely juicy inside. When eating liempo, I usually cut the skin out because it's almost inedible. Iskina's liempo has a surprisingly crispy skin - it's not lechon crispy, but it's crispy enough to eat. 

As both meats are cooked in charcoal, it's inevitable to have some burnt parts on the meat or on the skin. These give off a bitter aftertaste to your bite, something I could do without. However, after having worked here for about a month, I learned that some of the blackened parts can be scraped off before you eat it to avoid the bitterness. 

For days when the Lechon Cebu is not available, the Belly Lechon is a worthy alternative in terms of flavor. There will definitely be some distinct characteristics for both, but they're cooked the same way and stuffed with the same herbs and spices. There's also a spicy version of the Belly Lechon which is a favorite of most patrons in this spicy-loving country. 

Come for Seconds: Definitely. As a carnivore myself, this is the kind of food I can't get tired of.