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
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.
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 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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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 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.
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