If you’re an adventurous foodie especially when it comes to searching for peculiar food combinations, you’d definitely want to try out Dual!
Located at Arab Street along the stretch of shophouses and stores like Machi Machi and All Things Delicious, Dual is a hidden gem serving up fusion food in a cafe setting.
The warm-hued walls and floral decorations on the tables made the atmosphere feel very cosy—perfect for a small, intimate get-together with friends.
To keep ourselves cool and to escape from the sweltering heat, we ordered some refreshing drinks. Here we have the Lychee Basil (S$5), a concoction of basil-infused tea and juicy lychee. There were also passion fruit seeds at the bottom which were quite crunchy, and the entire drink was very refreshing indeed.
For the other drink, we took the recommendation to try the Matcha Espresso (S$6). I really enjoyed this drink because it really resembled a hojicha (roasted Japanese green tea) latte which I’m a big fan of.
The sweet matcha was quite potent and it complemented the slightly bitter espresso very well—the combination of the two resulted in a hojicha-like flavour. I’m definitely heading back to Dual just for this drink.
Moving on to the food, we started off with something that has a special place in my heart—’Otah’ Cheese Toast (S$14). This fusion dish pairs my childhood snack with melted cheese, and it’s placed over crispy toast.
The otah paste is made with dory fillet and topped with a combination of mozzarella and Monterey jack cheese.
I really enjoyed the cheesy goodness that complimented the spicy otah paste. I’m definitely not one to enjoy spicy food and this otah had just the right amount of kick which made me crave more after each bite.
Layered under the otah and cheese, the toast was a crispy sourdough bread which had a lovely crunch to it. I really enjoyed this dish a lot and felt like it was quite a creative twist on our childhood otah snack.
The other rendition of their toast dish is the Unagi, Eggs & Toast (S$16). As for this dish, I was slightly disappointed with how it turned out. I personally felt that the unagi was quite mediocre and had a slight fishy smell to it.
The eggs were scrambled quite well but that didn’t exactly help the dish much. I personally wouldn’t recommend getting this dish, and if you’d like to munch on some toast, I’d say the ‘Otah’ Cheese Toast is a better choice.
The other fusion dish that we tried at Dual was the ‘Har Cheong Gai’ Burger (S$15). Many Singaporeans love har cheong gai , and this shrimp paste fried chicken is quite a common dish at hawker centres. I’m a fan of the crispy chicken skin and succulent meat too, so I was determined to try that burger out.
The chicken skin was quite crispy and paired very well with the soft and fluffy buns. The meat, on the other hand, seemed like it was cooked or sliced slightly inconsistently, with some parts being juicy and tender and other parts being quite dry.
There was also a generous amount of shoestring fries that came as sides for the burger with two sauces for dipping.
One of the sauces was a Salted Egg Dip and the other was a chilli crab sauce. I’m personally not a fan of the salted egg sauce, but the dip wasn’t too salty which I really liked.
The Chilli Crab Dip was slightly disappointing because instead of being a sauce, it was slightly too viscous for dipping. The spice of the dip gave quite a subtle kick which was bearable. Despite it not being the right consistency, the chilli crab sauce was quite addictive for me.
Other than toast and buns, we also tried the Mentaiko Pasta with Salmon (S$19) which was definitely my favourite out of all the dishes. The pasta was cooked till al dente and tossed in mentaiko (pollock cod roe) which gave the pasta that salty touch it needed.
The salmon had crispy skin with soft flesh that could be pulled apart easily. This dish reminded me the most of my meals at home because my mom always enjoyed whipping up some pasta and salmon—it left me feeling quite sentimental.
For our last main, we dug into a popular favourite—Tom Yum Seafood Pasta (S$14) and we weren’t disappointed. I really enjoyed how juicy the prawns were and the way the entire dish was plated. The noodles were twirled and piled up with the prawn head at the top, making for a stunning presentation.
I enjoyed slurping up the firm and bouncy noodles that were mixed in a sweet and sour tom yum sauce. The tom yum wasn’t as spicy as I had hoped it would be but other than that, the dish was very delicious.
What’s a meal without dessert? We were served the chef’s recommendation of Tiramisu (S$4.50).
I was really pleased with how the tiramisu tasted. Each layer had just the right amount of coffee, whipped cream and coffee sponge cake. Even though it was just a small cup, I think it was just the right amount to fill my stomach completely.
I really enjoyed my time at Dual trying different fusion dishes, and my favourite was the Mentaiko Pasta.
The dishes here were all relatively affordable and delicious and to top that off, the service was pretty good. Do come down to Arab Street to try out the dishes, and let us know if there are any noteworthy dishes!
Expected Damage: S$25 per pax
Price: $
Our Rating: 4 / 5
Dual
48 Arab Street, Singapore 199745
Dual
48 Arab Street, Singapore 199745