Timbre+ Part 1: Noodle Time with Wong Kee, Soon Huat, and Fishball Story

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. 

I found a job as a cashier in one of the restaurants in Timbre+, and it's apparently one of the most well known lechon places in Singapore. I learned that Timbre+ is a by-invitation only establishment, and Iskina Cebu was one of these invited restaurants. Since noodle dishes are cheaper and are only open until late afternoons, I decided to try them out first before offering my takes on Iskina and other restaurants' rice dishes. 

For this blog, I ate at Fishball Story (closed after 6:00 PM), Wong Kee Wanton Noodles & Roasted Delights (closed after 5:00 PM), and Soon Huat Bak Kut Teh (open from afternoon til night). 

Fishball Story

Fish Ball Story's Premium Handmade Noodles with Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice (SGD 6.50)

A customer once asked our shop where she could find the noodle place with a Michelin Star. Having tried to look for those restaurants in Singapore, I know that only one hawker stall had that distinction. Upon looking it up at the Timbre+ website, I learned that Fishball Story is one of 17 hawker stalls awarded with a Bib Gourmand in the inaugural Singapore Michelin Guide. The Bib Gouramand, from what I read, is awarded to restaurants that offer great food at affordable prices. Fishball Story boasts of  hand made noodles and fishballs from a classic family recipe. I tried their premium item twice, to try both the spicy and non-spicy versions of it.

They initially put sauces in your bowl while your noodles are soaked and boiled. Once ready, your noodles are drained and placed on top of the sauces. They then top your meal with their handmade fishballs, crispy fish skin, and a special fish dumpling. The finishing touches would be the lime juice and soup.

With so much going on in my bowl, it was difficult to figure out how I should eat it. Naturally, the first thing that should be done is to make sure that the sauces are mixed together well with the noodles. From there, the ratio of fishballs to noodles is pretty decent, so you don't have to worry having an overabundance of noodles later in your meal.

Cleaned the plate, and the drink!

What's interesting in this dish is how everything works well together. The salty original sauce can be toned down by the flavor of the fishball, and further balanced by the fishball soup. It has a variety of hand made fishballs, but one that I liked in particular was the triangular brown dumpling on the top right of the bowl in the picture. They don't have a definite name for it, but it's basically fried beancurd wrapped around fish meat. 

The lime juice is a bit too sour for me, but I'm the kind of guy who doesn't really like the sourness of fruits. It gives my tongue a different flavor to work with though, and makes me want to take another bite from the dish.

The owner asked me which I preferred better between the spicy and the non-spicy version. I didn't have an answer for him then, but after putting some thought into it, I realized that I prefer the non-spicy version better. Personally, I think the spice overpowered the original sauces of the dish. Not to say that you won't enjoy it; it's definitely worth a try if you like spicy food. Also, considering that the spice is from a sauce, you probably could ask them not to make it too spicy for you. 

It's a dish that I think is best enjoyed as an eating experience. Once you take your first bite, you should continue until you finish the dish, otherwise it wouldn't be as good. This means that if you're dining with friends, you should eat first and share stories later.

It's a classic dish with much of its elements blending perfectly well. If there's a knock to it, it's probably just that it needs to be consumed in less than 20 minutes or else it's not as good as your first bite. For a slow eater like me, especially if I'm with friends, that could lead to some leftovers.


Come for Seconds: Yes, even if only for the beancurd fishball. The Bib Gourmand was well deserved, even if my boss said it doesn't taste as great now as it did when they were given the award. 

Wong Kee Wanton Noodles & Roasted Delights

Wong Kee's Char Siew Dumpling Tomato Noodles (SGD 4.50)

Wong Kee's Beef Brisket Spinach Noodles (SGD 5.50)

You can't say that once you've tried a noodle place, you've tried them all. Chefs may have a different manner of preparing their handmade noodles and Wong Kee is no different. They have three types of noodles you can choose from - egg, tomato, and spinach.

Two recommendations on their menu that I thought were unique are the Char Siew Dumpling Tomato Noodles and Beef Brisket Spinach Noodles. I tried both on different days.

I think apart from their flavors, they also give importance to presentation. Even the preparation has a certain order to it. A soup spoon is placed upright on the plate, and they put some soup and sauce on it. The noodles are soaked in boiling broth to soften. Once ready, it is placed over the spoon to keep it upright, then topped with the meats of your choice. Steamed kailan finishes off the plate, and the serving will be completed by a dumpling soup on the side.

As I was leaving with my spinach dish, the cook asked for it to be back because it "wasn't finished" yet. Apparently, the kailan wasn't ready when the dish was served to me. The cook got a bit irked by her colleague because she allowed me to leave with an incomplete plate. I think it's a minor detail, as kailan isn't too exciting without the oyster sauce I've grown accustomed to here. However, I appreciated that they want you to fully experience their dish. 

After eating the Char Siew Dumpling Tomato Noodles, only the chili was left

Didn't get the chili when I ordered the Beef Brisket Spinach Noodles, so just a clean plate was left

Let me start with the tomato noodles. I truly wasn't sure what I expected when I ordered it, but it made sense when I ate it - it's like an Asian spaghetti without the hassle of mixing the sauce evenly on your noodles. Instead of minced meat, you get char siew to go along with it. If you're Filipino and wondering what char siew is, it's basically asado. There's no cheese, but I didn't get the urge to add any. For only SGD 4.50, I think it gives great value with tasty handmade dumplings going with it.

As with the tomato noodles, I had no expectations on the taste of the spinach noodles. It doesn't taste green, if that makes sense to anyone. While the tomato noodles have a strong tomato taste oozing out of it, the spinach noodles doesn't make you feel as if you're eating a vegetable with every bite. If anything, it's neutral. As for the beef brisket, I think it could be cut smaller. It's tender, but I found the bigger pieces difficult to cut with my teeth. The brisket's broth was more soupy than saucy, which works really well with the spinach noodles. The soup doesn't come with dumplings, despite this being the more expensive dish between the two. I'm guessing beef is really expensive.

I had a different experience with the kailan for both dishes. With the tomato noodles, I felt that it was a bit under cooked. I almost didn't want to finish all of it. With the spinach noodles though, it seemed alright. I'm not sure if that's inconsistency on their cooking or if the spinach noodles had a synergistic effect on it without me realizing it.

Come for Seconds: I think I would. Considering their price and the taste I get from them, I think they are worthy of a Bib Gourmand as well. 

Soon Huat Bak Kut Teh

Soon Huat's Dried Bak Kut Teh Lunch Set (SGD 9.90), with misua instead of rice

When you visit Singapore, Bak Kut Teh will definitely be one of the local dishes people will suggest apart from Chicken Rice. Soon Huat offers not only good Bak Kut Teh, but it also has a nice story for their chain. My co-worker mentioned that the owner was formerly convicted for a crime, but ventured in the food business when he got out. Knowing full well how difficult it is to start a new life after going to prison, Soon Huat provides opportunities to ex-offenders and even people with disabilities (PWD).

I asked my friend who's a staff of the place what dish I should try, and he suggested the Dried Bak Kut Teh. I tried Bak Kut Teh before, so the dried version is something new for me. Their lunch set came complete with a lemon iced tea and a small side dish with some veggies and beans. The preparation of the dish was quite long, but since bak kut teh is like bulalo in that it takes a while to boil, I would imagine the meat used for this dish came from their broth. A bed of chilies and sauces is placed on a stone plate, which is then heated on a stove. The meat is then placed on the stone plate, and mixed with all the ingredients. The dish is finished off with thin sotong (squid) toppings.

You have the option to change the rice to misua, and since I did so, I placed this review together with the noodle places.

Bones and chilies were all that was left after I was done with it.

The meat easily comes off the bones, as should be expected when eating bak kut teh. The original version of the dish has a soup rich in pork flavor and a strong ginger flavor, with the meat absorbing both flavors. This dried version of the pork absorbs the flavor of the sauce, making it more savory than the original. The thin dried sotong nicely pairs up to the savory sauce, but I found it difficult to eat with my meat because of my sub par chopsticks skills. The chilies were really spicy, but it doesn't seep in to the pork. It's almost like a chili snack, in that it's flattened, dried chili, but if you're not into spicy food, I strongly suggest you refrain from taking a bite of it. 

Having a drink and a side dish gives it great value for a 10-dollar meal, considering the regular offerings of the restaurants in Timbre+. While I like the beans, I felt that the vegetables were too soggy and the soup where it was boiled didn't have much flavor, if there were any. The misua was not spectacular, but it neutralizes the strong taste of the dried bak kut teh and its sauce.

While this isn't the cleanest plate I finished with, I think that it's a good dish overall. The sotong soaked in the sauce is a tad too salty for my liking to eat in itself after I finished all the meat, and one chili was enough for me. 

Come for Seconds: I should. My friend said that this dish was their best, and while I believe him, I think their other dishes are worth a try as well. Plus, I'm rooting for these guys to succeed, with their social advocacy of wanting to provide a decent second chance to those who need it. 

The Hungry Rover: An Introduction to the Blog

I love to eat. 

While people I know spend their savings/earnings on shoes, bags, clothes, the latest gadgets, and whatnot, I like to spend mine on good food. I will eat with a friend, with a stranger, or by myself; I will order the most expensive item on the menu if it is the best item they have to offer. I'm not an expert in cooking, but I do know how to eat well. Besides, I created this blog to share my food experiences, and not teach you how to cook. 

No, I do not have a trained palate. I have had professional experience working for a multinational manufacturing company that creates flavors, but we weren't exactly critiquing culinary masterpieces. Instead, we were trying to recreate basic flavors (fruity, smokey, confectionery, culinary, etc.) in such a way that food manufacturers can incorporate it to their products (drinks, snacks, flavouring, etc.) for the world to experience. Working there taught me how to put into words some of the flavors that I taste. It won't land me on a judging panel of a food show, but I think it helps me communicate my eating experiences to the readers of this blog. 

Why Hungry Rover

My love for eating and food led me to venture into the food truck business with some friends who had the same passions. We called it Hungry Rover, which became one of the pioneer food trucks in Manila. We called it as such because as a food truck, it would be roving around the metro to feed the hungry. 

The original Hungry Rover, the first in the Philippines to have a dine in area inside the truck

In 2015, after a couple of years rolling to different venues, we all decided to sell the truck off to pursue our individual goals. 

As I started conceptualizing my long-overdue project of a food blog, a friend of mine suggested to re-brand Hungry Rover as a food blog with the truck no longer in operation. It actually made sense, as I'll be wandering around to try different kinds of food. 

After getting the go-ahead from my partners to use our name, I will now be that one hungry rover. However, instead of feeding the hungry, I'll be the one roving to be fed. 

Sharing Places to Eat

One time, I was talking to an uncle of mine about a restaurant that he took us to that I thought had really good steak. When he asked for the name, I couldn't recall, to which he said talking about a restaurant you can't name is a waste of time for him. 

He's right. 

Why would you listen to stories about a restaurant that you wouldn't be able to try because you don't know it's name? 

This blog should give the restaurants I eat at their due recognition. 

How Hungry Rover Reviews

Upon a cousin's suggestion, I watched a Korean Drama, "Let's Eat." Despite not finishing the drama, it had a couple of lasting impressions for me; first it introduced me to Jajangmyeon, and second, it gave me a concept to emulate for this food blog.

One of the protagonists is a food blogger who takes pictures of his empty plates instead of appetizing food shots. As someone who likes food, I think I would want to go to the place where he ate to actually see and taste the food for myself. Why would I not be driven to go to a place where someone ate every last bite of the dish he ate? 

That is a feeling that I want my readers to experience when I write a post for this blog.

I'll make sure to have a hungry stomach before eating a new dish in order to have a common ground for my food reviews. I'll try to share my food journey as much as I can; I'll share the preparation of the food if I see it, or I'll just share my first impressions of the dish before my first bite. 

This blog is for hungry people like me who enjoy eating well rather than taking a little bite of everything all at once. I will review dishes one at a time, and shouldn't be taken as a review of the whole restaurant.

Here's to hoping we'll eat together soon!