Nickeldime: Duck Confit Waffles & 16 Craft Beers On Tap Along Mohamed Sultan Rd

Beer lovers, you’re in luck! If you’re looking for a new hangout spot with great eats and craft beers, Nickeldime is the place you’re looking for.

Located along Mohamed Sultan Road, this gastropub certainly isn’t a dime a dozen. It boasts 16 different craft beers on tap, and a selection of beer-infused dishes that will have you coming back for more.

Grab a seat inside and marvel at the graffiti wall art that really captures what Nickeldime represents; a cosy neighbourhood pub with good vibes and even better food.

Ryan, the owner, is a self-professed “kopitiam boy”, who chats comfortably with the customers with an easy-going demeanour that was evident throughout the night. This welcoming attitude was also shared by the staff, and the evening passed easily with friendly banter.

With such an excellent ambience, it’s little surprise that Nickeldime managed to live up to the expectations with amazing food too.

We started off with the simple yet comforting Scotch Eggs ($6). This was paired with an easy-to-drink Stone & Wood Green Coast Lager ($15 per pint). Light with a hoppy finish, this lager provided a good subtle complement to the heavier flavour of the dark chocolate stout sauce served with the eggs.

I really enjoyed the Scotch Eggs, which consist of perfectly runny eggs wrapped in an outer layer of streaky bacon and breadcrumbs, served with a dark chocolate stout sauce.

As simple as the dish was, the flavours and textures were much more complex. Biting into the crispy outer layer yielded an audible crunch, with a smoky flavour from the streaky bacon.

The gooey yolk and soft egg white contrasted nicely with the crispy texture, and the dark chocolate stout sauce tied the whole dish together with its bittersweet yet piquant flavour.

Before digging into the mains, it was time to load up on some greens! The Pickled Beetroot & Witlof Salad ($18) was a colourful garden on a plate, which features a lesser-known vegetable instead of lettuce.

The witlof was fresh and juicy, with a sweet and light flavour. I really liked that it didn’t have the usual raw and green taste of most salads, even when I ate a whole piece of witlof on its own.

The beetroot chunks were roasted and pickled, which gave them both savoury and tangy flavours.

Paired with the Tuatara Coastin’ Session IPA ($14 per pint), this salad really helped to open up my appetite. With passionfruit notes and a soft light finish, this IPA was refreshing and clean on the palate.

The sweet and sticky candied hazelnuts in the salad went really well with the beer, creating a sweet and fruity taste combination. Perfect for a light yet healthy meal!

One of the mains we tried was the Croque Madame ($18), which is part of their all-day brunch menu. Nickeldime does a fresh take on this traditional cafe dish, with a boozy cheese layer and house-made brioche.

This dish may not look huge, but it’s actually really filling, especially with the rich gooey cheese. And yes, the cheese is boozy.

The IPA cheese comprises mozzarella, cheddar and gruyere, all melted in the Pirate Life Mosaic IPA, which is also available in a pint ($15). The cheeses were pretty light in flavour, but the IPA added a slightly bitter undertone.

The Croque Madame features layers upon layers of brioche, ham and cheese, which made it super dense. The fluffy brioche layers also absorbed the cheese really well, so that each mouthful was bursting with flavour and oozing with cheese.

This was paired with the Pirate Life Mosaic IPA, which is brewed only in very limited quantities from a South Australian brewery. I also liked that the tropical fruity taste helped to cut through the potential jelak-ness of the Croque Madame.

The final dish and beer pairing we tried was my absolute favourite. The Confit Duck Waffle ($25) was made with thyme and cheddar cheese waffles, and duck legs that have been cured for 12 hours. This scrumptious dish was also served with maple and thyme syrup, stout glazed bacon and a perfectly cooked fried egg.

It’s not an exaggeration when I say that every part of this dish was amazing. The duck meat was soft and fell apart easily, with a sinfully delicious layer of fats which melted in my mouth. I loved how the tender meat complemented the fluffy waffles.

Seasoned with salt and thyme, the slightly savoury waffles tasted best when drenched in the maple and thyme syrup.

I’m pretty sure they’d make good money if Nickeldime sold the bacon strips as a snack. With a chewy texture like bak kwa but with a smokier gamey flavour, this savoury snack paired really well with the Rogue Chocolate Stout ($15 per pint).

My personal favourite of the night had to be this dark and rich stout. It had an intense chocolatey fragrance and flavour — the velvety mouthfeel and bittersweet aftertaste made it taste exactly like biting into a luscious piece of dark chocolate. Well, they do use actual cacao in the brewing!

If you want something a little lighter, try the Zeffer Red Apple Cider ($14 per pint). This refreshing and zesty drink didn’t even taste alcoholic, so those who enjoy a sweeter and lighter drink would love it.

The bar’s happy hour runs from 12pm – 7pm every day, with Wednesdays and Sundays boasting an all-day happy hour promotion.

Get your beer kakis together and head down for more than a pint or two – I highly recommend the food and beer pairings which are sure to hit the spot!

Expected damage: $30 – $50 per pax