Situated a stone throw away from one-north MRT station is Timbre+. This hipster hawker centre which was opened in 2016, houses several cuisines in one place. Ranging from western to local fare, there is something for every picky eater. Together with my intern friends, I tried out several stalls and here’s my opinion.
Wong Kee Wanton Noodles
“If you see a long queue, don’t ask questions – just join!”. That’s what typical Singaporeans would say and true enough, this stall does have a long sprawling queue during lunch hours. They have a few interesting variation of wanton mee – Spinach and Tomato base.
Verdict : The stall aunty can be a little aggressive and unfriendly at times which deters some of my colleagues from visiting. The price, especially for the normal wanton mee, might be more than average for some. In that case, you might want to just add an additional dollar to try out their spinach or tomato base wanton noodles.
Would I return again : Yes.
Rong Ma Curry Rice
The curry rice is not that bad, but I felt the price was a little too expensive for 1 Meat and 2 Veg. The fish fillet is popular among the lunch crowd, by 1.30pm this fillet is usually sold out and it is worth ordering the fillet. Do top it off with some cheese. When it comes to the curry it is quite thick and was not that spicy. As you can see, the storekeepers are frugal and they do not offer a pool of curry and the presentation is not that messy.
Verdict : Although it looks good, it comes off close to $6.00 for this meal, and can be cumbersome in the long run for the wallet.
Will I return to try again : Nope.
XLX Modern Tze Char
Verdict : Ordered Seafood White Beehoon, however the order was mistaken and they gave La La Beehoon and claimed that it was seafood Bee Hoon. Nonetheless, I felt that this dish had nothing much to be bragged about except for the large number of La La found in this dish.
Would I return again : Although, I haven’t tried their other items on the menu I would not come back again. Because their offering is pretty limited and one meal costs about $6.
JC Nasi Lemak
Verdict : The rice is aromatic with the chicken wing being crispy. However, the food can be lukewarm if you visit during lull period, but this is one of the more affordable stalls. JC Catering AKA Jamil Catering sells nasi lemak at approximately $4-$5. The lady was friendly, she gave a bergedil in addition to the set meal I bought. However, felt the chicken wing was a tad oily. During the fasting month, they offer Air Kathira too.
Would I return again? : Yes.
Royal Caravan
Relatively a new shop that opened around June this year. Within a few weeks of operations they have rolled out new menu offerings such as salad, and variation in the fish n chips.
Verdict: I have tried this stall twice and found the quality inconsistent. On some days the Fish n Chips is a little too burnt and oily.
Would I return again : Hmmm… maybe not, unless I needed a quick fried food fix within a $5 budget.
Big Bern’s Grill
Tried Big Bern’s Grill which is next to the stage in a mobile truck (which isn’t movable). This one piece Fish N Chips meal was $6.90. The fish is crispy and it was not oily. The cajun fries and garden salad was alright. The pasta salad wasn’t really to my liking and several of my colleagues felt it was a little too bland, so you might want to keep this in mind when you order the sides for the meal.
Verdict : Wouldn’t recommend the pasta salad. They do have other dishes you might want to try out (Chicken Chop / Cheese Burger) but I personally prefer the Fish n Chips
Would I try again : Yes!
Food Anatomy
Food Anatomy serves salad bowls during lunch hours and the design food, available on weekend and weekday after 5pm.
Verdict: The paprika chicken goes well with almost any salad dressing making it a versatile topping. I felt that they have a range of toppings for you to choose from. I have visited this stall more than 10 times in the 3 months spent at Block 71, their duck meat is great too! But don’t be turned off by the long lunch queue! The stall keepers attend to the crowd pretty fast!
Would I return : No doubts – YES
Wang Jiao Ban Mian
One of the crowded shops during lunch hours. All my friends love to visit this stall for their ban mian fix, especially the dry version.
P.s I wanted to try their dry ban mian but I didn’t get the chance. So when I do get the opportunity to visit timbre+, yes I will take note to try this out!
Two Wings
Two Wings sells chicken wings (like duh). Two wings has 3 flavors – salted egg, heritage and chili crab. The heritage is simply the original wings with no sauce topped. I have yet to try chili crab flavor.
Verdict: The salted egg sauce is not sufficient to cover all the wings. The perk here is that you can choose the number of wings you would like to have, if you want to go with a combo set… (pretty much like any fast food restaurant). BUT I still prefer the salted egg wings available at Curious Palette.
Would I return? : Yes to try out their Chili Crab Flavor
Hungry Thai
Verdict : They have set lunches at affordable price which made me try out this stall. The pad thai (according to Carol) was good but I’m not a fan of pad thai. The Thai Basil Leaf Chicken was spicy and fragrant.
Kopifellas
Kopifellas, one of the Kool Kids on the block with cool drinks served in mason jars. Nothing much to mention about, since there is only 1-2 stalls selling beverages with some specifically selling only fruit juice and smoothies.
Verdict: I find their Thai Milk Tea affordable (around $2) and the drink above is the Thai Rose Milk Tea. The taste is akin to Soi55 and a little of Tuk Tuk Cha.
Will I return? : Yes if I am there definitely will head to kopifellas.
There is a Timbre+ App that entitles you to a 10% discount if you opt to pay via the app, so make sure you download the app prior visiting! Do check out their website for more updated details.