We queued 4 hours (and ate everything) at SH's first Tim Hortons

Photograph: @timhortons via Instagram

If you haven't heard by now, Canada's favourite café Tim Hortons opened yesterday (Tue 26) inside Central Plaza. As is rite of passage for all openings of popular venues and cult food spots, the queue was massive – we're talking four hours' worth of queueing just to order, but at least employees passed out samples of Americanos and Timbits (doughnut holes) to placate the masses waiting in line.

Photograph: Christopher House

Inside the actual café, Timmy's has brought all of its staple menu items from home including its iconic Iced Capps (iced cappuccinos). We go for the original (25RMB), though they also come in caramel, vanilla, maple, chocolate and hazelnut. With a heavy sugary punch, the drink is only for those with a sweet tooth but is pretty damn good. The coffee menu also has a maple macchiato (because Canada), which is surprisingly good with subtle hints of maple flavours.

Photograph: Amy Snelling

Photograph: courtesy Tim Hortons

In the dessert department, it has eight different flavours of doughnuts: Boston cream, chocolate dip, maple dip, honey dip, dirty (chocolate covered), rainbow sprinkles, strawberry chocolate and matcha chocolate. We go for a Boston cream doughnut which is dense, chocolatey and not overly sweet. The café's famous Timbits (4RMB each) are doughy little bites of goodness that also come in a similar range of flavours, as well as salted egg yolk.

Photograph: @timhortons via Instagram

It's also serving up a standard range of café fare, including a somewhat dry beef and roasted zucchini salad (38RMB); a Montreal-style beef ciabatta loaded up with cheese and onions; and a breakfast menu with options like the 'classic melt' (a grilled cheese sandwich for 15RMB), the chicken and egg wrap (22RMB) or the bagel B.E.L.T (22RMB), all served before 10.30am. But given the crowds at the venue's opening, you might want to hold off until the hype dies down before getting up at the crack of dawn and queueing for ages for breakfast and a coffee.

📍Tim Hortons, First Floor, Central Plaza, 227 Huangpi Bei Lu, near Weihai Lu.

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