At This Popular Nepalese-Western Eatery In Toa Payoh, Gurkhas & S’poreans Gather For Good-Value Steak & Momo
Located in a Toa Payoh neighbourhood known for good food (it’s home to ABC Popiah, Ocean Curry Fish Head, and previously Toa Payoh 94 Laksa), Tim’s Restaurant & Café catches our eye with its dark, maroon interior and the many posters touting its extensive menu of Western food and dining promos at its entrance. Below the restaurant’s name on its storefront are the words “Nepalese cuisine”.
The South Asian cuisine isn’t commonly found in Singapore, even more so in the heartlands and under a block of HDB flats. But that’s exactly what attracted Nepalese chef-owner Tom Shrestha, 54, to start his first F&B biz here. He runs the homely eatery with his Singaporean wife Jenny Wong, 48.
“Ever since I came to Singapore in 1997, I have been living in Toa Payoh. I see a lot of households and food options in this area and I felt it is very good [to start an F&B business]. You get a working crowd on weekdays too,” Tom tells 8days.sg.
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Small menu of unique Nepalese dishes favoured by Gurkhas
His hunch was right. Since opening Tim’s in 2006, the joint, named after the couple’s second son, has been pulling in the crowds with its affordable and quality Western fare and small selection of unique Nepalese cuisine.
One of the first few Nepalese restaurants to open in Singapore, the neighbourhood gem has gained a loyal following over the years.
“Business was very good when we opened. Our chicken chop used to cost only $4.50, which was hawker price but five-star quality. We were often compared to Botak Jones, Astons and Jack’s Place because we also do steaks,” says Tom. They also do not have service charge or GST.
The family-run eatery remains popular. When 8days.sg visited on a Friday afternoon, the joint started getting filled at around 5.30pm. Customers, mostly families and older residents living in the area, appear to be regulars, greeting and chatting with Tom when they entered.
According to Tom, the place is also frequented by Gurkhas (soldiers from Nepal), who come mostly on weekends for dinner and drinks. Some of their go-tos are momo aka steamed dumplings and Nepalese roast chicken.
Used to be hotel chef, says S’porean wife asked him out
Prior to moving to Singapore, Tom was a hotel chef specialising in Western fare in Nepal. In 1997, he had the opportunity to join the defunct Sichuan restaurant Pin Xiang Lou, which was located at RELC International Hotel in Orchard Road, and later its sister restaurants as a chef and manager. It was at its BBQ and steamboat outlet in Toa Payoh where he met his wife Jenny, who was a customer.
Tom claims it was Jenny who asked him out.
“She came about three or four times with her friends before she asked me out on a date. She said I was very handsome,” he smiles. “It’s like we are fated to be together.”
They married a year later and are parents to four kids, sons aged 24 and 20, and daughters, 17 and 16.
In 2006, when Tom was with the defunct The Vines Seafood & Steak Restaurant in Novena, he decided to venture out on his own: "When you work for other people, you help them to succeed. I was managing both the kitchen and the floor, and I felt I had the knowledge and skills to make it on my own, so I took the plunge." His wife runs the biz with him.
Western fare was the natural choice, and he offered a limited menu of Nepalese cuisine to introduce food from his hometown.
“If we just offered Nepalese food, we wouldn’t be able to survive ’cos the Nepalese community here is so small. You also need time for people to accept the taste and cuisine,” he says.
“When we first opened, we had to tone down the spice level, but other than that, the taste was the same. And now customers love it.”
While their Western grub is more popular, Tom says every table would order at least one Nepalese dish.
What is Nepalese food, exactly?
Nepalese cuisine has quite a lot of influences from neighbouring countries like India, China and Tibet. It relies heavily on spices like cumin, coriander, and ginger, and is full of spicy, strong and complex flavours.
Like Indian cuisine, it features a lot of curries and dips, but you will not find these at Tim’s as they “require a lot of work”. Instead, the eatery offers more “street food-style” dishes which can be prepared ahead and quickly whipped up upon order like momo, roast chicken, and chow mein (Nepalese fried noodles).
The look
With its dark colours, faux brick wallpaper and wood furnishings, the cosy 75-seat eatery (indoors and al fresco) reminds us of Western-style restaurants from the '90s. The only hint of Nepal are the paintings of the mountains and streets of Tom’s hometown.
The interior, says Tom, was very different when they first opened: “It was very plain, no-frills, and there was no air-con. It didn’t have a restaurant ambiance.” In 2011, he revamped the space and later expanded, taking over the unit next door.
The menu
Tim’s offers a small menu of 14 Nepalese dishes. Prices start from $5 for appetisers, while mains range from $11.80 to $19.50 and include dishes like slow-braised pork belly. Add $5.50 for a set meal where you can get a soup and dessert of the day and a hot drink of your choice.
Classic Western dishes such as steaks, pastas, and fish and chips make up most of the menu and there are daily set lunches from $13.20. An a la carte main course starts from $11.90 for a chicken chop, and steaks go from $18 for NZ sirloin (160g) to $40 for lobster with NZ sirloin (160g).
The kitchen is helmed by a team of three Nepalese and Indian chefs. Tom, who oversees the restaurant’s bakes and desserts, helps out when they are shorthanded.
Authentic Nepali Roast Chicken, $16.50
Half a spring chicken marinated overnight in traditional Nepali herbs and spices like cumin, turmeric, pounded ginger, chilli and coriander then roasted to tender succulence. Packed with bold flavours, the spicy chook pairs perfectly with the aromatic pulau rice (Nepalese version of Indian pilau, aka seasoned rice). Instead of basmati rice, Tom’s version uses Thai grains cooked with cardamom, clove, cinnamon, Indian dates, raisins, cashews and dried coconut in butter, giving it a gentle sweetness and mix of textures.
Nepali Pork Belly, $19.50 (8 DAYS Pick!)
Tom tells us this pork belly dish originated from the Newar ethnic group who live in Kathmandu Valley, and you will not find it in other Nepalese restaurants in Singapore.
Slow-braised with vegetables like carrots, celery, leek and aromatics for four hours, the pork belly is generously coated with a layer of ground cumin, coriander and Himalayan salt and ground pepper upon order. The result is succulent, melt-in-your-mouth meat with an earthy finish. Pair it with the spicy soy sauce-based dip for a depth of flavour.
It is served with pulau rice and a crisp, tangy Nepali salad that helps cut the richness of the pork. Made with green mango strips, cucumber, cabbage, tossed with olive oil and lemon, the appetising side reminds us of Thai mango salad.
Chicken Momo, $12 for 10 pcs
Think of this as chicken xiao long bao but without the soup. A crowd favourite, the plump steamed dumplings, stuffed with minced chicken, coriander, and pounded ginger, are meaty, juicy, and satisfying. The savoury meat boasts a hint of ginger and the dumpling skin is chewy with a good bite. For a spicy hit, dip it in the house-made achar. Unlike our local achar which is a medley of sliced pickled veggies, this version, which Tom calls “liquid achar”, is a thick punchy chutney-like sauce made by blending capsicum, tomatoes, Szechuan peppers and other spices.
Nepali Lamb Choila, $18.80 (8 DAYS Pick!)
This Newari dish is also a winner. Lamb slices are seared to give them a smoky flavour then tossed with a medley of herbs and spices and a squeeze of lemon juice. We enjoy the sharp, complex flavours and hit of turmeric from the tender meat. Very moreish. Served with pulau rice and Nepali salad.
Oxtail Stew, $22.80
Among their Western dishes, one of the most popular is their hearty Hainanese-style oxtail stew, which combines local spices and seasoning like oyster sauce and dark soy sauce with Western ingredients. Tom picked up the dish while working with Hainanese chefs in Singapore. Braised for at least three hours until fork tender, the four meaty, gelatinous chunks are a delight to gnaw on. We mop up every bit of the rich, umami gravy with the steamed veggies. Pity the mashed potatoes are the box variety and overly buttery.
Bottom line
A cosy, wallet-friendly place to check out Nepalese cuisine. We were pleasantly surprised by the hearty meat dishes at this neighbourhood gem. We’re fans of the rich, complex flavours — the pork belly is particularly worth blowing your calories on. What’s nice here is the fact that you can also order classic Western faves like chicken chop too if the folks at your table can’t agree on a single cuisine.
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