2KulGuyz: Indulgent, affordable handmade artisanal pasta in the West
I first heard about 2KulGuyz from a friend who showed me a TikTok that dubbed the place the “Tipo of the West”. Needless to say, I was intrigued. Indeed, the premise was rather similar— halal handmade artisanal pasta and for a decent price. I just knew I had to go down to try it for myself.
2KulGuyz apparently started out at bazaars and later progressed to opening their own joint in Galaxis, one-north. From the many reviews I’ve read, most people drop by at night, when the restaurant sports a semi-fine dining concept.
In the afternoon, they are more of a fact-paced and casual place to dine at. In line with this concept, they even serve the food in takeaway containers during lunch! The duo-concept establishment was quite interesting, so I decided to drop by in the afternoon for my meal.
Once you enter the store, you’ll spot a wide variety of handmade pasta on display, from bright green Lime Campanelle to pale purple Black Grape Spaghetti. How pretty! Part of me wanted to get the Lime Campanelle just for the ‘gram.
On the day I visited, the choice of pasta was Spinach Mafalde, Barley Gemelli and Pales-Corte. I must say I was slightly disappointed that the bright green Lime Champanelle I saw was not available. But I guess that’s a sign that I need to make a trip back for it.
What I tried at 2KulGuyz
To start, I went with a basic Smoked Beef Bolognese (SS$15.90) and chose pales-corte (the multi-coloured one!) for my choice of pasta.
The colours and aroma of the dish were extremely appetising and the portion was rather decent, too. I could not wait to dig in.
The pasta was cooked to al dente perfection and the sauce coated the pasta very well. The ragout was aromatic and had a nice, rounded flavour profile that complemented the pasta nicely.
My only gripe would be that the sauce was definitely on the sweeter side and lacked oomph and depth of flavour. The dish also got rather oily towards the end. If you prefer your beef bolognese on the sweeter side, this might be more to your liking.
As a cream pasta lover, I also decided to get the Mushroom Alfredo (S$15.90) with the Spinach Mafalde. I added Smoked Chicken (S$2.90) too, to make my meal more substantial.
The Smoked Chicken was very tender and reasonably juicy. It paired really well with the creamy sauce! I highly recommend going for the add-ons like the smoked chicken, as the dish would be slightly too jelak on its own.
From what I could see, there seemed to be different types of mushrooms inside the pasta including shiitake and button mushrooms. I was pleased to find that the mushroom taste was not overpowering in the least.
The Spinach Mafalde paired perfectly with the thicker consistency of the alfredo sauce and was extremely indulgent.
In particular, the sauce was very creamy and rich. Almost too rich for my liking. But overall, it was a fantastic bowl of alfredo pasta and I enjoyed it to the last bite.
Among the sides at 2KulGuyz, the Samyang Tots (S$8.90) immediately grabbed my attention. I love both Samyang instant noodles and anything with potatoes, so I knew I had to get it.
The flavourful ragout packed quite the punch and had a spicy kick. But rather than Samyang chicken, the taste reminded both me and my dining companion of laksa. Tasty, no doubt, but not exactly what we had anticipated. Be sure to eat the tots quickly, though, the ragout made it slightly soggy after some time had passed.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I’d say 2KulGuyz is pretty cool, guys. While the food I tried was by no means mind-blowing, for the price point, portion size and location, I’d say it’s quite the steal. Since the lunch and dinner menu are so different, I’m curious as to whether the dinner selection is more robust and exciting.
Personally, the texture and taste of the Mushroom Alfredo won by a landslide, but the other 2 items I tried were not too shabby either. If you’re in the area and craving pasta, it’s a decent joint to drop by.
Expected damage: S$15 – S$20 per pax
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