timbre @ gillman

It pains me to give Timbre one star. It is one star too many.
Let the shenanigans begin.
I went to Gillman Barracks for the Art after Dark but due to the rain took shelter at Timbre.
Initially, I was seated at a table that was underneath a leak in the roof. There are several tables that suffer from leaks. After I pointed out the leak I was taken to another table. Considering how often and how heavy it rains in Singapore, it seems negligent or just lazy to have a roof with so many leaks.
Ordering is completed via an iPad that is chained to the table. Considering this is a restaurant that charges restaurant prices I shouldn’t be expected to use technology to enter my own order. At least, my order should be correct and timely since I am required to process it myself. Slow down Kojak!
Some 35 – 45 minutes later the staff noticed that my food still hadn’t arrived and after a few promises it eventually arrived.
Midway through eating a waitress came over with some yet to be served customers and said I had to move to another table as this one was reserved. I pointed out that I was clearly still eating and that it was the restaurant that put me here. The waitress was quick to respond that I was only given this table as the other one was wet. No sh*t Sherlock. I refused to move.
At this point, the customer who was waiting came over to me and apologised and was clearly very embarrassed by the entire situation. We laughed at how outrageous this was. The waitress succeeded in embarrassing and annoying two sets of customers.
The other customer was seated at an available table but soon departed before placing an order. Since several table suffered from the leaking roof they possibly decided to go to a restaurant that cares about their customers and offers an experience void of leaks.
I have some advice for Timbre:
1. Fix your damn roof
2. Get rid of the iPads and try providing some personal service
3. Delivery the order in a timely fashion
4. Do not embarrass or annoy your customers
5. Do not ask customers to shift tables midway through their dinner
As for the food, it was okay but at this juncture, I don’t really care.
Under no circumstances will I return to Timbre and will not recommend that anyone visits this restaurant.

Two stars for the lush garden-​like outer environment… otherwise impossibly ghetto. There is loud construction work in the adjacent parking lot that continues into the evening, which pairs tragically well with the dated and low-​grade R&B they feature here. They have live bands most evenings playing the same potpourri of 15 – 20 or so American songs endlessly recycled by every SG cover band. Most tables are outdoors, and there are approximately 6 fans total for 70+ tables. There are 2 reasonably cold draft choices; $ 14++ for happy hour. Service is typical SG — do not expect social graces, manners of any variety, or pride of ownership… staff out number customers yet wander about cluelessly whilst tables wait exagerated period to simply order drinks — we witnessed this pattern with each new customer that entered. The location has much, much, potential, which the prior tenant, Villa Bali, made very rich use of. Timbre, however, is best avoided — particularly if you are from the West, it is very likely to disappoint. Tragic given the potential of the location…

It is still a hidden gem. Not many people knew this place, just yet. However, the crowd for a Tuesday evening is not bad at all. We arrived at 7pm and there were already a few tables occupied. I must say that I quite like the place because it feels like Ubud, in Bali sans the paddy field. You can see the crane tower from Interlace!
We ordered our favourite Duck Pizza & chicken wings that came with wine (Happy Hour).
A new dish to us was seafood aglio olio ($ 18). It is not bad, but for the price we paid, I will go for another round of duck pizza ($ 20). Thank you.
Another plus point is Shili & Adi perform on Tuesday night. Thus, we were there. Great company for the night.
Yes, I will go back again.

do not make the same mistake we all made when driving here.
do enter from alexandra rd into malan rd then left onto lock rd.
there’s a big car park on the left before block 9.
parking is free.
after which look for block 9A.
be warned there’s no air con here.
it’s purely outdoor seating.
mosquitoes could be an issue with distinctive smell of mosquito repellent and coil.
more fans could be utilized to make for a more cooling al fresco experience.
what impresses me is their use of technology.
our table came with ipad with their menu for perusal.
once decided you order via the ipad!
special request can also be accommodated when putting in your order.
happy hour 6−9pm, erdinger beer was 2 pints get 1 pint free at $ 30.
we ordered the timbre platter to start.
with garlic prawns, crispy pork belly, beef stew, crab meat mayo bruschetta, nachos with beef salsa and garlic bread.
nice presentation and tasted good.
crispy pork belly could be crispier though.
we also ordered their roast duck pizza.
roasted duck breast, sauté shiitake mushroom with hoisin sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese and crispy popiah skin.
interesting combo which worked well.
more beers.
then we ordered the pha ngan & portofino platter.
with green seafood curry & foccacia bread, stuffed poached squid, Timbre’s shrimp & fish sausages and deviled eggs.
predominantly asian flavours here and well assembled.
simple timbre chicken wings for those who don’t take spiciness well but if you like it hot then the timbre buffalo wings will rub you the right way.
their special devil sauce makes the wings black and comes topped with roasted peanuts.
their breaded calamari was also ok.
the squid rings were thick enough but batter could be thinner.
more beers.
they have live music and tonight was shili and adi.
their microphone or speakers could be a little louder as we could barely make out what they were saying during their sets.
what we liked best was the sms way to make a song request.
simple and quick.
more beers.
service was ok.
two things needed improvement:
1) they brought us our check way before we were ready to call it a night?!
one of my friend hasnt even shown up yet!
2) 5 orders of happy hour beers was registered but we think we only had 4 rounds of it!
no fuss made, they double checked and deducted accordingly.
ocbc titanium card holders get priority queue for entry and 10% discount.