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
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| 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.
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| 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
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| 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.
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| 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
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| 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.
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| 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
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| 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.
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| 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.
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