LOCATIONAt the Manuka Village.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIATimmy’s Kitchen in Manuka belongs to the small group of restaurants that have been in business in Canberra for more than 20 years. Offering Chinese and Malaysian cuisine, Timmy’s Kitchen has undoubtedly contributed in setting the standard for these types of restaurants over the last few decades. However, Timmy’s Civic-located brother restaurant, Sammy’s Kitchen, is perhaps the better known of the two these days. For those who can remember what Sammy’s Kitchen was like before it re-located to the bottom of the new Canberra Centre several years ago, Timmy’s Kitchen is more or less like this. Compared to Sammy’s, the decor at Timmy’s may not be as flashy or new and the location not as trendy, but the food is the same excellent quality (most recipes are identical) and getting a table on a Saturday night without a reservation is infinitely easier at Timmy’s.
Thanks to the similarities between the restaurants, but comparisons with Sammy’s aside, Timmy’s menu will be familiar to most Canberrians – a range that includes a chow mein section, chef’s and Malaysian favourites, as well as the more general vegetarian, seafood, prawn, lamb, chicken, beef, pork and duck categories. In addition to the standard menu, there are normally several blackboard choices and if these happen to include salt and pepper soft-shell crab, you should not pass them up. If you are having trouble deciding, the chef’s favourites, particularly
Shan Tung chicken and the "Timmy’s kitchen special” will not disappoint. The banquet menu represents great value for groups of five or more and due to its more suburban location, take-away is a popular option at Timmy’s. Put simply, Timmy’s Kitchen is the kind of restaurant diners come back to again and again for a delicious, informal, well-priced and reliable dining experience.
Elizabeth Hall, January 2010