Timbre Plus = hawker food + international cuisine + live music + beer + attitude

Please pardon the awkward title of this post. There are so many things happening in the Timbre Plus ( or Timbre+) gastropark in One North, Ayer Rajah that it was the only way we could list all of them in the space for the title with minimum overrun. It is located in the middle of the JTC LaunchPad @ one-north, a zone created for start-ups and incubators in the sciences, media, and engineering industries. Perhaps the startup culture provided some inspiration for the innovation that makes it one of the more unusual food places we have seen in Singapore.

Stacks of shipping containers and graffiti art provide the setting to create an industrial,  grungy atmosphere at Timbre Plus. We are not fans of grunge but we quite like this place as the graffiti is all orchestrated and the place is tidy and clean.  There are hawker stalls selling the usual Singapore food, including two stalls that serve some of the best noodles in Singapore (see our earlier post). There are some mini-restaurants, that serve Spanish, Cebu and other types of food and retro food trucks that serve French, American, Japanese and other types of international cuisines.

There is a stage where bands perform at night. This, together with a Bottle Shop with a wide selection of beers, mean that this is a place of merry-making after hours.

The most innovative part of this food park has nothing to do with food or entertainment. It is the tray return system. This is the most successful system we seen in Singapore. An extra $1 is charged for the tray.  There are tray return areas with running conveyor belts. return your tray and a $1 coin pops out. Perfect most of the time, but there are occasional hitches and the unlucky person has to manually negotiate with the staff behind the window to claim the refund. Just like the $1 bait for the return of shopping trolleys, this system worked well. We did not see any left over trays and crockery on the tables.

From what we could see, the prices in the various Timbre plus food outlets are generally reasonable. Costs are probably kept low by doing away with air-conditioning. Monster fans and circulating systems keep the place well ventilated, although we can imagine things can get muggy on a hot sunny day with a crowd.  The trick is therefore to avoid peak hours and the place is very cool and pleasant.

Now we take you on a walkabout and show you the food outlets at Timbre Plus.

Portico Platos is a mini restaurant serving Spanish food.

Dancing Crab Shack is a mini restaurant that serves seafood items.

Two Wings serves chicken-themed dishes.

Big Bern’s American Grill serves Western food such as steaks and burgers.

Damian D’Silva is a mini restaurant that serves local dishes with an Eurasian emphasis.

The World is Flat is run by the Tanuki Raw folks. They serve casual western food such as sandwiches and pizzas at Timbre Plus.  We have tried their restaurants in the East and in Orchard Central.  Read our reviews here and here.

Garçons serve French fare out of this retro food truck. We had tried their restaurant in Katong and were quite impressed.

Tuk Tuk serves Vietnamese and Thai food.

Iskina Cebu serves Cebuano food. Their roast meats look delicious!

Chit Chaat Chai serves Indian food. Their menu had a long list of items. We were amazed that they could produce so many things out of a food truck with such a narrow space.

Dusk by Slake serves a mix of western and local food. You can read our review of their main Slake restaurant in Opera Estate here.

Food Anatomy serves beautiful looking food.

Kush serves Kushiyaki, Japanese styled grilled meat and vegetables on skewers.

The Bottle Shop is a beer drinker’s paradise.

Soon Huat Bak Kut Teh (self-explanatory).

Teppei Daidokoro serves “high quality and reasonably-priced Japanese food with a focus on yakitori (Japanese skewers)”.

Some parts of the Timbre+ Gastropark are organised like a typical food centre, with drinks and food stalls arranged in a row. There are too many for us to individually name, you have to make the trip here and see them for yourself.

Timbre+ or Timbre Plus‘ address is :
73A Ayer Rajah Crescent
JTC LaunchPad @ one-north
Singapore 139957

Nearest MRT Station – One-North

You can find information on the food outlets, operating hours, bands playing and parking information on the Timbre+ website.