Tim's Restaurant & Cafe

Toa Payoh

Toa Payoh was the most wonderful place for me. It was the place where I grew up and spent most of the days as a child, the days of youthful exuberance and as an young adult. There is no place like Toa Payoh as it was the first satellite town in Singapore and those of you who were living there at the same time would remember vividly and with fondness. How often in a lifetime would you experience living here in the 60s to 70s (1966 to 1970) when the first flats were built. Gradually everything was added as a satellite town. We have our own stadium, swimming pool, theatre, cinema, library, big fountain, schools, garden, hawker centres, hospital, places of worship, HDB office and even coffee houses. We have everything. Everywhere you went, every facility you used, they were all new. Everyone seemed to also moved in to the neighbourhood together at the same time. Everything looked and smelled new. 

We mostly have homecooked food and only eat out occasionally when mum was busy. The coffeeshops (blocks 66 and 73) and hawker centres (block 75 and Toa Payoh Centre) in the "hood' were very good. The market food centre was quite good too. But we never knew what a coffee house is all about. Just that it is more costly and they are air-conditioned. There were no restaurants, bistros, etc. So two of my close friends and I explored it one day and on several other occasions to find out what are coffee houses. Toa Payoh had two coffee houses back then. One at Kong Chian Cinema near the side where the restaurant is now. You have to go down a flight of stairs to a basement and it was called Rose Coffee House. Later, near Toa Payoh Theatre there was another called Toa Payoh Coffee House. Rose was just across where we lived and we often see quite a lot of Ah Beng going in there. So on our first trip, we enjoyed the air condition and were served by waitresses and we only ordered the cheapest fare on offer - fried rice and a float. We were students acting like adults.

Because it was a coffee house, they served your food with a bottle of ketchup and a bottle of chilli. This was where I discovered that eating your fried rice with ketchup and chilli sauces turned out to be really good. Don't do this to your "atas" fried rice or at high class restaurants like Wah Loke but you should try it with other run of the mill fried rice. You are welcome. 

So as we move along in life, I have since relocated to a few places but always return to Toa Payoh occasionally. Out of these occasions, I will some times go to Tim's Cafe located at Block 95 and opened since around 2006. It is such a good place to meet friends, have nice food and a few drinks if you like at this cosy, unpretentious restaurant. We never have such a place when I was living there. Back in the days, there were the only two coffee houses and a "Lucky Restaurant". So over the years, whenever we meet at Toa Payoh, almost half the time we went there.

Tim's

Tim's offers indoor and outdoor seating right below a four storey block of HDB flat. 

On a cool day, the outdoor is conducive.

They cater to the family's every need. You will find something for everyone here. They are popular with their set meals and I believe lunch sets and student meals that offers good value for money.

Your favourite oxtail and lamb are always available with many more.

Occasionally, I would order takeaways. I like their scallops. Somedays, they did not take my order because the scallops were not large enough. That is honesty. 

Your typical fish and chips.

One of my favourites is the oxtail but I am always bias when it comes to oxtail. 

BBQ pork ribs if you must.

I like their pizzas too.

You can get vegetarian, tomatoes with Mozzarella cheese or simply go with beef.

For those of you who thinks that oxtail is just a swatter, think again. You do not know what you have been missing.

The thing about Tim's is that it is not expensive. They offer good value for money. 

So you are always welcome to buy me food with drinks here. 

Sometimes they have great offers such as this.

... and this.

And surely and most definitely this. Stella Artois is a good beer.

To go with with this roast beef roasted to your liking.

Sliced to your delight.

If you have the penchant for it.

Or this.

What do we say about assumptions? It is not often I have a chance to talk to the boss as he is always busy. I managed to finally catch up with him. 

Me: "So, you must be Tim?"

He: "No, I am Tom."

Me: "Then who is Tim?"

He: "Tim's my son."

Me: "Alright, I got it."

Amazingly, after quite many visits to Tim's over the years, somehow we failed and I regretted that we have not had their Nepalese food. I am surely going to have that on our plates on our next visit.

If you have never been to Tim's, go check it out. Good place, good food with value for money. They have been around for 18 years feeding the good people.