House of Robert Timms, Wheelock Place

We're house-hunting. It's a love-hate thing for us, this whole house-hunting process. We love the excitement of it all...the anticipation of entering yet another house, wondering if we'd be hit with the "love bug". Yes, we're using the whole "gut feeling" method of choosing our home. But we hate the tiresome search for the "perfect one". Because buying a home is like a marriage, i.e. you gotta really really REALLY love it, and cannot settle for second best (because you'd end up wondering about the love-of-your-life for the rest of your life). Most of our weekends are filled with viewing appointments, so we're up real early (early for me anyways because I spend most weekends sleeping in till mid-afternoon!). Our current lifestyle is just perfect to fit in brunch. That'll probably explain the prevalence of upcoming brunch-centric posts. 

While most brunch places in Singapore are frequented by and filled with pretentious fops, we like Robert Timms for its lack of posers and a very appealing down-to-earth ambience. I suppose the Aussie way of living really does shine through the laidback vibe at Robert Timms. We spent about 3 hours reading the newspapers and magazines, available in-house of course, while enjoying a very slow leisurely brunch.

The good thing about Robert Timms is that they aren't that popular, and so, it's usually about 80% (maximum) filled, which adds to the lazy morning feel of the place. You don't ever feel rushed to finish up so the next group hanging out in the ridiculously long queue outside the cafe can occupy your table. The place is also relatively quiet (people speak in hushed tones here) so it's really quite a relaxing place to chill for hours. However, there's a reason for the cafe's lack of a crowd. The food is just average, even if the price range is very reasonable and it's one of the cheaper brunch places in town. The truth is, you can get better eggs elsewhere. Still, balancing Robert Timms' great ambience against its so-so food, it kind of evens out. I'll be back. 

The Breakfast Down Under ($15.50) is a showcase of the classic Australian brekkie, with a bratwurst sausage, a couple of grilled streaky bacon, baked beans, half a grilled tomato, eggs sunny side up and a couple of thick toasts. A few pieces of cursory greens sort of made this a complete meal. Perfectly fried eggs, generic beans and sausage but the bacon wasn't the least bit crispy and had an unappetizingly dull brown-ish tinge.


The Big Bang ($18.80) is strictly for meat lovers. A combination of bratwurst and american sausages, a few shavings of smoked turkey breast and a whole beef patty made for a very filling meal. The beef, while juicy, was very full-bodied and intensely flavoured. Perfect for people who like their beef robust and "smelly", like The Professor. Not so much for people like us who prefer our red meat the Japanese style, i.e. milder and more delicate. Baked beans, grilled tomato, a couple of toasts and some fresh greens rounded off the kind of meat platter that would have made Fred Flintstone a very happy caveman.


Robert Timms, originally a coffee production joint that branched out into cafe operations, shines in this department of coffee-making. The Caffe Latte ($6) was rich, creamy, rounded and robust. I loved it.


The Hubs, who wanted something chocolatey, got the Caffe Mocha ($6.50), also a wonderful wake-up zinger.




House of Robert Timms
501 Orchard Road
#01-02 Wheelock Place
Tel: 6735 9201
Open daily from 8am to 1am

Comments

yixiao said…
ah, house hunting can be so emotionally draining. good food is definitely needed for sustenance.
Bern said…
Tell me abt it...we must have seen at least 20 houses! We're giving ourselves until the end of the first quarter of 2013 b4 re-evaluating our options.
Amanda said…
Hi I'm a new reader here and reading your blog really brought back memories of working in the CBD for me! (I worked there for awhile after A levels this year)

That said, Robert Timms has very cute latte art. I remember my friend instagramming a picture of her latte with a cute bear on it!
Bern said…
Oh man! I didn't get a cuddly bear...only some plant thingy as u can well see. hurumph
Anonymous said…
i thought that i trademarked the hrmph remark.

prof
Bern said…
U inspired me!
Amanda said…
Hello I think you have to request for it! I don't drink lattes so I didn't ask but Robert Timms is famous for their latte art. They have a lion and some couple hugging before according to my friend.

Don't you hate it when latte art in Singapore seems to only consist of plants and hearts?
Bern said…
Yeah, I have yet to see really intricate work with lattes. But, if it's really that pretty, I may not want to drink it! hahaa...such difficult decisions we make!

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